Family Life

     On Feb. 22, 2025, I had the pleasure of speaking with Caroline Kawamoto Abe, Charles “Sparky” Kawamoto’s daughter. 
     Caroline had fond memories of her parents. With her permission, I am sharing these recollections of hers about her father.
     Caroline said that Charles “Sparky” Kawamoto was an excellent dad. He taught her to save money by giving her quarters and having her save them in a piggy bank. When the piggy bank was full, Caroline and her father would go to the bank to make a deposit into her own savings account.
     Caroline learned the value of saving money from her dad, so when she went to college, she had saved enough money to supplement what her parents gave to her for college expenses. This enabled her to be debt free when she graduated from college.
     When Caroline was entering the third grade, her parents transferred their three children (at the time) from public school to the private Mauna Loa School. Caroline’s older brothers attended the Mauna Loa School for one year, then went to Hilo Intermediate School. Caroline attended the Mauna Loa School from the third to sixth grade.
     Another memory that Caroline had of her dad was that he would bring home various volcanic specimens that he found, such as “Pele’s hair” and “Pele’s tears.” He would give these items to her, and it instilled an interest in geology in her.
     Caroline said that whenever the Kilauea volcano erupted, her father would drive the whole family from Hilo to see the eruption. This was before traffic lights were installed, so it was not an easy drive.
     Sparky also pollinated orchids by hand which led to seed formation then germination in a flask until the seedling was large enough to be planted in small pots. Caroline became interested in biology through observing her dad pollinate and raise orchids.
     Caroline graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa with a degree in Biology. At the time, most young women were majoring in Elementary Education. Caroline credits her dad with sparking her interest in Science and Biology.
     She appreciated that her parents never put pressure on her to go to college. They gave their children freedom and guided them by example.
     During her sophomore year in high school, Caroline was on the swimming team. She remembers training with her father at the NAS (Naval Air Station) pool in Hilo. Sparky had the swimmers run laps in the neighboring field to build endurance.
     He also emphasized building upper-body strength by having swimmers use a paddle while sitting at the edge of the pool. According to Caroline: “We sat at the edge of the pool like in a canoe and paddled as though we were in a canoe in the ocean to build arm muscles.
     “My Dad worked at American Factors, and at 4:30 the whistle would sound signaling the end of the workday. Dad would return home, change from his work clothes into a white tee shirt and khaki pants, then drive to the NAS swimming pool for his coaching session every day. He also coached on Saturday afternoon and Sunday mornings.
     “The team would have picnics at Warm Springs in Kapoho. This was a beautiful place with brackish water warmed by geothermal heat. This place was made popular by a movie starring Esther Williams, but I can't remember the title.”
     After this conversation, Caroline sent me an email with additional reminiscences about her dad: “I also want to add that after my Dad retired from his job, he started an exercise program for seniors at the NAS pool.  I noticed in the HMSA (Hawai’i Medical Service Association) booklet that they have continued these exercises for seniors.
     “My Dad never consumed alcohol when I was growing up unlike many men during these early years.  On payday they would drink until drunk then go home and beat their wives and children.  We were very fortunate to grow up in a safe home.  When we were young, he took us to visit relatives, and he would tie a rope across the back seat from door to door in case there was an accident.  There were no seat belts.  Fortunately, we were never in an accident.
     “My Dad was very generous.  When the plantation workers went on strike he would take canned goods to them.  Sometimes these strikes were really long, and many people had to do without food.
     “When I was a Junior in high school I belonged to a YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) club, and we had a dance on a Friday night. My parents worked all day, but they were the only parents who volunteered to chaperone the event with our leader.  Without their presence we would not be able to have a dance.
     “My Dad also enjoyed playing badminton in the evenings.
     “I hope this adds to your information.”