Stories of growing up in Hawaii are especially memorable when told by an adventurous boy whose life took many twists and turns as he grew to be one of the Big Island’s most prominent residents.
Fred Koehnen transformed a lifetime of memories into a new memoir, titled “Been There Done That Back to Hilo – a Nine Decade Odyssey,” and in so doing now has added the word ‘author’ to his long list of accomplishments.
While still in his teens, Koehnen was shipwrecked off the coast of El Salvador. He was in Berlin for the 1936 Olympic Games when Jesse Owens won the 100-meter dash, and witnessed the African-American being denied his gold medal by Hitler.
He also was present at Iolani Palace on Dec. 7, 1941, when martial law was declared after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He saw firsthand the devastation caused by the 1946 tsunami that hit Hilo. He watched Jack Nicklaus win the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., and he was invited to the White House to meet President Richard Nixon.
Closer to home, he served on the first Charter Commission for the County of Hawaii.
Koehnen always has taken advantage of opportunities, travelling all over the world, but always returning to Hilo. Through the past 90 years, these opportunities have led him to try everything from the cowboy life to woodworking, retail business to government service, being a securities broker to military service during two wars.
He has hunted, hiked, fished and ridden horseback nearly everywhere on the Big Island, and been a keen observer of changes through the decades.
The author promises to bring some of his most memorable and colorful stories off the page and back to life in a talk-story session starting at 7 p.m. Thursday in Volcano.
The nonprofit Volcano Community Foundation, in cooperation with the Volcano Art Center, will host this event at the Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus. This event is free and open to all. Books will be available for sale for $20, with the author available to sign them after the program.
