Timeless Magic, 1965 - 2015

28 TIMELESS MAGIC course opened in December 1964 under the watchful eye of professional Harold Rags Ragland and superintendent Bob Itamoto with a teaching staff that included local champion Ted Makalena and Hawai is first lady of golf Jackie Pung Rounding out the recreation team were Leroy Lindsey at the Waimea stables game hunter Patrick Cootey tennis professional Henry Kamakana beach boy Clifford Hannah and fisherman Frenchie Dupree Legendary hula dancer Queenie Dowsett directed the entertainers including 12 year old Nani Lim who would grow up to be Kumu Hula of Merrie Monarch winning hālau Na Lei O Kaholoku and whose troupe would entertain guests at the hotels famous lū au Attentive guest service would be key Former plantation workers learned how to walk with trays talk to guests style hair and wear makeup led in Housekeeping by the venerable Mrs Pi ilani Bell LSRs housekeeper at Hale Kea whose influence is felt still today As the land at Kauna oa was transformed so were the people blossoming as a hotel staff and ohana The hotel actually had three openings in July of 1965 The first was disrupted by a tsunami scare and rescheduled for the Fourth of July the second was a gala reception of the Whos Who of the island and state of Hawai i political and community leaders and three of the top airline executives in the country representing Eastern Western and United Airlines Ceremonies included the traditional untying of a large maile lei at the hotel entrance with a blessing by Kahu Akaka who had essentially invented the custom of blessing buildings in Hawai i Speeches were made lunch was served and guests received a gift from LSR a minted coin with a map of the island for the men a compact for the ladies with a diamond chip marking the hotels location The third opening was for 20 guestrooms as LSRs invited guests arrived for a weekend of golf sightseeing a lū au horseback riding mountain hunting and deep sea fishing Almost immediately upon opening the hotel was booked and a galaxy of stellar reviews raved about LSRs achievement For a long time now I have stubbornly held to the view that anything Laurance S Rockefeller can do God can do as well wrote Caskie Stinnett in Holiday But my first glance from a plane window at Mauna Kea the resort that Rockefeller created amid the lava rock and desert waste of Hawai is west coast caused me a moments hesitation If nothing else one had certainly picked up nicely where the Other had left off The praise and awards kept coming Mauna Kea Beach Hotel received the Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects Fortune placed it among the Ten Best Buildings of 1966 and Esquire named it one of the three best hotels in the world in 1967 PROGRESS REALIZED In 1966 a year after opening Bob Butterfield Mr B came from Hana Maui and joined the hotel as its second general manager Shortly after RockResorts was formed to manage all of LSRs properties with seasoned Hawai i hotelier Richard E Holtzman as president LEFT Laurance Rockefeller speaking at the hotels grand opening in 1965 BELOW Many guests will remember Aleka one of Mauna Keas popular parrots