best-selling author, William Henry Dorrance V, 78, who died March 28, while jogging near his Lanikai home. Dorrance recently presented a lecture on “Kaua’i’s Hidden History” at the Kaua’i War Memorial Convention Hall. A record number of people attended his
best-selling author, William Henry Dorrance V, 78, who died March 28, while
jogging near his Lanikai home.
Dorrance recently presented a lecture on
“Kaua’i’s Hidden History” at the Kaua’i War Memorial Convention Hall. A record
number of people attended his presentation, according to Kaua’i Historical
Society executive director Mary Requilman, who estimated over 200 turned out to
hear him speak. “There were historians in the audience taking notes.”
John
Lydgate, president of the Kaua’i Historical Society, said, “Dr. Dorrance was
able to fill a hall, give his talk with humor and insight and shed a lot of new
light on darkened areas of Kaua’i’s history. He eliminated and charted
unfathomed waters of Kaua’i’s unique history from the time of the early
century, the Russia-Japanese war through the outbreak of World War II,” during
his lecture.
“What was significant about his remarks was the insight and
perspective he shed on the larger role that Kaua’i and Hawai’i had in America’s
overseas dealings with the Philippines, the Kingdom and the defense of the
Western part of the United States, particularly the careers of Theodore
Roosevelt as Secretary of the Navy and William Howard Taft, as first governor
general of the Philippines,” Lydgate added.
In his lecture, Dorrance
disclosed that his research indicated the War Department had asked the
plantations to build a railway network to tie the cane railways together. In
the event of an invasion and emergency, there would then be a railway network
on each island to take material from major ports and distribute them where
needed. The territorial government subsidized plantations to build the railways
in the 20s and 30s, he said.
The historian also threw more light on the
impact the Great Strike had on the Big 5 plantations during his lecture,
Lydgate said.
Dorrance contended that the strike was the plantations’
death knell. “Labor had shown the power it had to counterbalance the power of
the Big 5 plantations which gradually had to mechanize and modernize their
equipment, becoming one of the most modern and efficient in the world with the
highest paid hourly wages.
Lydgate said “Kaua’i is appreciative of his
efforts on behalf of history and getting student sin history to pass this torch
on to us. We honor him and are grateful for his contributions.”
Born
December 3, 1921 in Highland Park, Michigan, William Dorrance was awarded
Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees by the University of Michigan
and the Doctor of Science degree by Occidental University of St. Louis. Before
moving to Oahu in 1987, Dorrance worked, successively, as Chief of
Aerodynamics, University of Michigan Aeronautical Research Center; Chief of
Aerodynamics, Convair Projects Atlas; Director of Weapons Systems Plans,
Aerospace Corporation; Group Vice President, Conductron Corporation; Chairman,
Interface Systems Corporation; and owner and President, O.C.S., Inc. He is the
author of “Viscous Hypersonic Flow”, a preeminent sourcebook in
aerodynamics. Among his holdings were four patents on synthetic fuels processes
based on his research.
Dorrance completed 33 combat missions as a B-17
pilot with the 8th Air Force during World War II and retired from the Air Force
Reserves with the rank of major.
He took up writing and history when he
and his wife Jan moved to O’ahu. A feature writer for Windward Oahu News for
several years, his book, “Fort Kamehameha The Story of the Harbor Defenses
of Pearl Harbor”, was released in 1993. In 1998 his second book of
Hawaiian history, “Oahu’s Hidden History” was published and was
recognized as a best seller on Oahu. The publication of “Sugar Islands: a
165 Year Story of Sugar in Hawaii” which William co-authored with Francis
S. Morgan is forthcoming. In addition he authored two adventure novels and
contributed articles to several history journals focused mostly on military
history.
William H. Dorrance is survived by his wife, Janet Rogers
Dorrance; daughters Cynthia Goetz of W. Hartford, Connecticut; Rebecca Thornton
of Hanover, Massachusetts and Kaua’i; sons William Henry Dorrance, VI of
Leawood, Kansas and Jay Bolton Dorrance of Ann Arbor; four grandchildren and
one great grandchild.
A memorial service and celebration of William’s
life will be on Lanikai beach (Kaiolena Drive entry) at 5 p.m. Monday, April
3.
“Bill was a man who loved Kaua’i’s history and sharing his knowledge
with those who wanted to learn,” Requilman said. “His warmth, humor and wisdom
brought history to life.”
Dorrance was also a long-time member of the
historical society. “He donated the complete text of his talk to the Society’s
archive so his insight and perspective slant on history will go on living,” she
said.
The Dorrance family says donations may be made in his memory to the
Kauai Historical Society, P.O. Box 1718, Lihue, HI 96766. The donations will be
used to help the society purchase more Kaua’i historic information and books
for its library, Requilman noted.
