Wil Welsh had just a few words about his friend David Penhallow-Scott after hearing he had passed away Monday morning at the age of 86.
“David is a fine example of living life completely, generously, effectively and with aloha,” Welsh wrote.
Penhallow-Scott, an author, actor, playwright, director, mentor and a “Living Treasure” to many, had deep roots on Kauai. He managed a Kauai resort, was director of the Kauai Museum and was an assistant to a mayor. His theatrical career spanned decades and influenced thousands. He moved to Hilo a few years ago, where he continued to make his mark in the theater community. But recently, his health faltered and he had been in hospice care.
Maryanne Kusaka, Kauai’s former mayor and a community leader, was also a good friend of Penhallow-Scott’s.
“I was devastated to hear we lost him,” she said Tuesday.
She said Penhallow-Scott was gifted, talented man in many ways, but she will remember and miss him most for his big heart and warm smile.
“He was such a sweetheart. He called me always on my birthday,” Kusaka said. “He would say, ‘Now, Maryanne, remember, I love you.’ In closing, he would always say, ‘I love you.’”
“We forget to say that to our friends,” she said. “It really is meaningful. I really appreciated that. He was such a dear friend.”
Penhallow-Scott was a respected and accomplished writer.
He authored what is widely considered the definitive history on Coco Palms, “The Story of the Coco Palms Hotel: The Grace Buscher Guslander Years 1953-1985.” He also wrote the fictional, “Murder with Aloha at the Coco Palms Hotel,” published in 2016.
A four-play saga that told the story of plantation life in Hawaii before World War II and the years that followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor was also his work.
First, there was “Bonzai Darling.” Next came “Emma’s Last Dance” in 2014. The third play was “Matilda’s Waltz” in 2015. And finally, “Going Home.”
In an interview with The Garden Island about his plays, Penhallow-Scott said for those who saw all four plays, or even only this one, he wanted them to leave the theater “feeling hopeful and full of promise with life.”
“I always want to know that things can get better,” he said. “What we all want to do, we all want to find our own home within ourselves.”
In May of this year, Penhallow-Scott was honored with “Fate: The Plays of David Penhallow-Scott” by the Hilo Community Players at Kahua ‘Elua Theatre at the East Hawaii Cultural Center.
The evening of play readings included the premiere of Penhallow-Scott’s “Naughty Mele’s Christmas in Hilo” directed by Jackie Pualani Johnson.
“I’m very honored,” Penhallow-Scott told TGI at the time.
He was most recently working on a biography about his late mother, Anna Sloggett. He was still acting, too, playing Theo Davies in “The Last Princess” and Grandpa Joe in a production of “Willy Wonka.”
Penhallow-Scott was good friends with Grace Walters Buscher Guslander, the iconic owner of the Coco Palms in its glory days.
One of his goals with “Murder with Aloha” was to share the stories of Coco Palms, portraying the way it captured the hearts of all who visited.
“I wanted to capture the flavor of Coco Palms when it was at its zenith,” he said. “What it was like being at the Coco Palms, what it was like being on Kauai.”
It was, Penhallow-Scott told TGI, a time in Kauai’s history unlike any other, and he was fortunate to be part of it.
He was born on Oahu and moved to Kauai during World War II, where his mom and grandmother were born.
“My roots are here,” he said.
He worked at Coco Palms as a waiter for a few years. Guslander, he recalled, trained him in hotel management, and Penhallow-Scott opened the Hanalei Plantation Hotel in 1961. He left after a year to pursue a career in theater and education.
Kusaka said Penhallow-Scott was a man of many interests. He loved gemstones, a topic they often discussed.
“He was an admirer of beautiful things,” she said.
She served with him on boards and fundraisers, and even acted in a play with him.
“He was just such a gentleman, such a generous heart he had,” Kusaka said.
It was through Penhallow-Scott’s sister she got her dog, Missy, nine years ago. She and Penhallow-Scott shared a love for dogs and he joked about that.
“He would say, ‘My dog is smarter than your dog,’” Kusaka said, laughing.
But on the serious side, Penhallow-Scott was dedicated to his family, his friends, and Kauai.
When he was named a Kauai Living Treasure in 2009, there was no doubt he deserved it.
“He was definitely a treasure,” Kusaka said.
