Lawrence Akutagawa
2010-01-23 10:25:08 UTC
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hawaii/detail?entry_id=55776
While Mainland fans of "Hawaii Five-0" recognize the name Chin Ho Kelly as
one of the stalwart team members of fictional Steve McGarrett, the
character's given name has particular resonance in Hawai'i, where the
real-life Chinn Ho made his mark in real estate and publishing at a time
when Asian Americans faced many barriers to success.
Among his achievements: transforming the Ilikai high-rise on the Waikiki
Marina -- later seen in the TV series' opening credits -- into a multiuse
complex that made Ho nearly $11.5 million in profits when he sold it in
1974, according to his 1987 obituary in the New York Times. The grandson of
an immigrant Chinese rice farmer, Ho became the first Asian American to own
a major stake in a U.S. newspaper when he organized a group of buyers of the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1961. And there were many other milestones, as the
Honolulu Advertiser reported in 2006:
/snip - read the linked article/
While Mainland fans of "Hawaii Five-0" recognize the name Chin Ho Kelly as
one of the stalwart team members of fictional Steve McGarrett, the
character's given name has particular resonance in Hawai'i, where the
real-life Chinn Ho made his mark in real estate and publishing at a time
when Asian Americans faced many barriers to success.
Among his achievements: transforming the Ilikai high-rise on the Waikiki
Marina -- later seen in the TV series' opening credits -- into a multiuse
complex that made Ho nearly $11.5 million in profits when he sold it in
1974, according to his 1987 obituary in the New York Times. The grandson of
an immigrant Chinese rice farmer, Ho became the first Asian American to own
a major stake in a U.S. newspaper when he organized a group of buyers of the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1961. And there were many other milestones, as the
Honolulu Advertiser reported in 2006:
/snip - read the linked article/