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The next major
exhibit at the Pacific Tsunami Museum will be the recreation of Hilo Town, circa 1946.
Recollections by our two Hilo historians, Bob Chow and Curtis Narimatsu, along with
pictures from Lyman House Memorial Museum, Bishop Museum and the Tsunami Museum Archives,
have assisted the crew in building the scale model of Hilo town, complete with a model
train running along the waterfront.
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Our model builders are Glenn Leaman and Tom
Hiramoto. Their detailed work attracts the attention of many visitors who watch the little
town take shape. Many people, like local architect Neil Erickson, have shared their
time and expertise with the project.
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Today we would like to highlight two historians
who have shared their recollections and pictures with the builders.
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For fifteen years, local attorney Curtis Narimatsu has collected historical
data and memorabilia, which he terms Nostalgic Hilo. He has a wealth of information for
anyone who wants to know about the good old days. His vocation is the law but his passion
is history, particularly the history of Hilo. What is so wonderful about Curtis is his
willingness to share. He has brought in boxes of material and allowed us to use the
material in furthering the mission of the museum.
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When Curtis is asked about his collection of Hilo history, he immediately
refers to Mr. Robert Steamy Chow as his Oyabun, and someone who deserves
all the credit. Steamy grew up in Hilo and as a boy, delivered the newspaper to every
store on Front Street and has a vivid memory of who owned every building, the names of
those families, and the specialty of their stores. When he stops in to give the model
builders a hand with their replications, he not only answers their questions like, What
color were the buildings? or What kind of roof did this building have?, he adds many
insights into life back then.
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On October 20th, Steamy will be honored by the Downtown Improvement Association and the County of Hawaii as a Living Legend. His wealth of information and colorful stories have contributed much to the Pacific Tsunami Museum, and we congratulate him for this public recognition which he surely deserves.
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We will all be the beneficiaries of the expertise, interest, and hard work
of all Pacific Tsunami volunteers when we open the Hilo Exhibit later this year.
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Let us not forget.
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All materials © Copyright 1996-2007 Pacific Tsunami Museum Inc.
130 Kamehameha Ave Hilo, HI 96720 tel: 808-935-0926 FAX: 808-935-0842
email:
Last Revised November 2007
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