LIHU’E – Jackie Hashimoto, 71, lived many lives before he succumbed to leukemia on Aug. 30. Hashimoto, who was part-Hawaiian and part-Japanese, saw himself as a protector of aina (land). He was a taro farmer and a throw-net fisherman. Hashimoto
LIHU’E – Jackie Hashimoto, 71, lived many lives before he succumbed to leukemia
on Aug. 30.
Hashimoto, who was part-Hawaiian and part-Japanese, saw himself
as a protector of aina (land). He was a taro farmer and a throw-net
fisherman.
Hashimoto also was a Korean War veteran trained as a tracker in
combat, worked at and operated the Wainiha hydropower plant 45 years before
retiring in 1993, and was a devoted husband and father.
Remembered at a
memorial ceremony scheduled at Wanini Beach in Kilauea last Saturday, Hashimoto
had a deep love for Kaua’i. While in Korea, he longed for his military tour to
end so he could return home to his island’s beauty and its rural lifestyle,
said his wife, Tanya.
Hashimoto’s upbringing in a tight-knit Hawaiian
family defined his values as an adult, she said. He was raised to respect the
kupuna (the elderly) and Hawaiian values and teachings that focused on pule
(prayer), kupono (honesty), ho’aho (patience and bravery), ho’ona’auao
(enlightenment), kokua (help) and hanalima (work with the hands), his wife
said.
Hashimoto loved the ocean and loved to fish. His wife recalled he
would finish up work at the hydropower plant at 11 at night and sometimes go
fishing.
Hashimoto’s father taught him how to use a throw net, a skill
which Hashimoto passed on to his grandson. When Hashimoto didn’t use his throw
net, he found equal joy in using a road and reel, Tanya said.
Hashimoto’s
upbringing also impressed on him the importance of protecting the land, she
said. As the operator of the McBryde hydropower plant that sells electricity to
Kaua’i Electric, Hashimoto did not use herbicide to kill weeds along waterways
that fed water to the plant, fearing the chemicals could pollute the
environment.
And he didn’t use pesticide in his taro patches.
When he
worked at the Wainiha plant, he “loved being in the valley and kept a watchful
eye out for the o’opu, the vi, and watercress,” his wife said.
After
retirement, he routinely volunteered to clean up trails in Koke’e and
participated in the restoration on the loi in Limahuli Valley, Hashimoto’s wife
said.
[
HREF=”mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net”>lchang@pulitzer.net]Hashimoto was taught
the value of hard work by his parents, she said. As a youngster, he worked on a
family taro farm in Limahuli Valley in Ha’ena. As an adult, he had his own taro
farm in Hanalei.
Hashimoto first worked at the hydropower plant while he
attended Kaua’i High School in the mid-1940s. When he graduated 1947, he quit
the job, joined the Army and was sent to Korea.
When he returned from the
service, McBryde gave Hashimoto his old job back, and later he became the sole
operator of the hydropower plant. The job meant Hashimoto was on duty 24 hours
a day.
“We would get phone calls in the middle of the night, and he would
go up there to clear debris from the streams,” she said. His effort ensured
that waterways were clear to bring water to power the hydropower plant.
His truck, fitted with a winch and a crane, was prepared for any
emergency, his wife recalled.
It was job that meant being alone for long
periods at a time, but Hashimoto didn’t mind, she said, because of the solitude
and because he had time to ponder life.
“He was a quiet man, but a very
deep person,” she said. When he went to work, he also took his Bible with
him.
She said her husband liked to work with his hands and strived to
complete any job put in front of him.
“One of his sayings was, ‘You gotta
do what you gotta do,”‘ she said.
When he retired from the hydropower
plant in 1993, he took his energy in a new direction: Voluntarism and service
to the community.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Iniki, he participated in a
Kaua’i Habitat for Humanity project to build seven homes in seven days for the
needy. He worked on many other Habitat projects after that.
In 1995, he was
recognized by the Kaua’i Taro Growers Association for his work with
taro.
In March 1996, he was given the Mayor’s Laulima award for his work in
the Ho’olokahi program.
In 1998, he was recognized for his volunteerism and
given the Governor’s Kilohana Award.
He also supported the work of the
Kaua’i Burial Council and the Kaua’i Historical Society.
When he wasn’t
performing community service, he devoted his time to the apple of his eye – his
4-year-old granddaughter, Kendra Ualani Vega.
“He loved being a
great-grandfather, Hashimoto’s wife said.
Staff writer Lester Chang
can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
