Born at Kekaha, Kaua‘i in 1914 and raised in Waimea, Alexander “Lex” Brodie was the only child of Alexander Brodie and Gertrude Hofgaard, daughter of Waimea merchant and District Magistrate C. B. Hofgaard. He would become famous for the over
Born at Kekaha, Kaua‘i in 1914 and raised in Waimea, Alexander “Lex” Brodie was the only child of Alexander Brodie and Gertrude Hofgaard, daughter of Waimea merchant and District Magistrate C. B. Hofgaard.
He would become famous for the over 1,000 Lex Brodie Tire Co. TV commercials featuring his “Thank You … Very Much!” slogan and his “Little Joe” caveman mascot that he produced between 1964, when he opened for business in Honolulu, and 1990, when he sold his company.
Now retired with Mrs. Brodie on Kaua‘i, Lex recently reminisced about growing up in Waimea. He recalled that once yearly, lumber for Grandpa Hofgaard’s Waimea store would be off-loaded in bundles from a ship directly into the ocean off Waimea and floated ashore, with children swimming out to snag the loose pieces.
And there was a 20-foot-tall tower at Waimea beach used to spot fish. The lookout would alert the community when a school of fish appeared and townspeople would bring nets to hukilau the fish, which would be shared by all.
Grandpa Hofgaard made Lex his first surfboard when Lex was five, and Lex remembered riding in his grandpa’s Model “T” Ford loaded with kids to Pakala’s where he learned to surf — a sport he would enjoy for the next 85 years.
Lex’s other memories include his being the only haole in his elementary school class, silent films being shown in a vacant lot with a white sheet as the screen, and “ladies of the evening” from Honolulu waving to passersby from the balcony of the only two-story building in Waimea, across the street from the bank, and Grandma Marie Hofgaard being furious!
At age 12, Lex moved to Honolulu, but spent summers on Kaua‘i with Grandpa Hofgaard throughout his teenage years.
