Banyan Drive
Encyclopedia
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, coordinates 19°43′32"N 155°3′48"W. It is known as the "Hilo Walk of Fame" for the banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
trees planted by celebrities.
These trees have withstood several tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
s that have devastated the town on the Big Island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
.
History
The drive circles the WaiakeaWaiakea
Waiākea is an ancient subdivision in the Hilo District of the Big Island of Hawaii, located in the area of .-Origin:The name comes from wai ākea in the Hawaiian Language meaning "broad waters", and sometimes what is now called Hilo Bay was called Waiākea Bay.Waiākea is home to many and has its own...
Peninsula, near the Hilo International Airport
Hilo International Airport
Hilo International Airport , formerly General Lyman Field, is owned and operated by the Hawaii state Department of Transportation. Located in Hilo, Hawaii County, the airport encompasses and is one of two major airports on Hawaii Island and one of five major airports in the state...
, and boasts the largest hotels on the eastern side of the Big Island. In 1933, several park commissioners decided that it would be a good idea to have celebrities plant banyan tree saplings along the peninsula. In 1934, with the arrival of President Franklin Roosevelt in Hilo, it was decided to build a drive through the trees, then only of crushed coral. At the time, the peninsula hosted the Hilo Yacht club and several homes. In late 1933, Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
was on the island filming "Four Frightened People
Four Frightened People
Four Frightened People is a film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, released by Paramount Pictures, and starring Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall, Mary Boland, and William Gargan.-Plot:...
". Several of the actors along with Mr. and Mrs. DeMille, all planted trees in their own honor. According to records, 8 trees were planted in October 1933. In addition to the movie stars, one tree was also planted by the famous baseballer, George Herman "Babe" Ruth.
Planting of trees by celebrities continued with an additional 10 trees planted in 1934, 15 in 1935, 6 in 1936, 5 in 1937, 4 in 1938. Two trees were planted in 1941, one in 1952 by Senator Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, and two in 1972, one by Pat Nixon
Pat Nixon
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California...
to replace the tree planted by her husband and lost in an election year storm and the other to honor her as first lady. In 1991 Polly Mooney replanted a tree lost to a tsunami honoring Civitan International leader Courtney Shropshire
Courtney Shropshire
Courtney Shropshire , a prominent doctor in Birmingham, Alabama, was the founder and first president of Civitan International.-Early life:...
. Mrs. Mooney was also honored by being the first woman president of the previously male-dominated Civitan. The tree bears both their names.
Most of the trees still thrive along Banyan Drive, having grown into a thick canopy, making it popular for walking. The trees, which still bear the names of the planters,
honor movie stars, religious leaders, political leaders, famous authors, adventurers and local Hawaiians.
It is located in Liliuokalani Gardens
Liliuokalani Park and Gardens
Liliuokalani Park and Gardens is a park with Japanese gardens, located on Banyan Drive in Hilo on the island of Hawaii.The park's site was given by Queen Liliuokalani, and lies southeast of downtown Hilo, on the Waiakea Peninsula in Hilo Bay. Much of the park now consists of Edo-style Japanese...
, and a small footbridge leads to Moku Ola
Coconut Island (Hawaii Island)
Coconut Island, or Moku Ola is a small island in Hilo Bay, just offshore from Liliʻuokalani Gardens, in Hilo, off the island of Hawaiʻi in the state of Hawaii, USA. It is a small park, and is connected to the main island via a footbridge...
, also known as Coconut Island.
Movie stars
Movie stars (and directors) include Cecil B. DeMilleCecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
and his wife Constance, Mary Boland
Mary Boland
-Career:Born Marie Anne Boland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of William Boland, an actor, and his wife Mary Cecilia Hatton. She had an older sister named Sara....
, William Gargan
William Gargan
William Gargan, born William Dennis Gargan July 17, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, USA and died February 17, 1979 aged 73 on a flight between New York and San Diego.He was an American motion picture, television and radio actor...
, Edna Best Marshall wife of Herbert Marshall
Herbert Marshall
Herbert Marshall , born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall, was an English actor.His parents were Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Old Harlow, Essex and worked for a time as an accounting clerk...
who also planted a tree, and Leo Carillo.
Adventurers
Adventurers who planted trees include pilots Amelia EarhartAmelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, Knefler McGinnis and Arctic and Antarctic explorer, Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth was an arctic explorer from the United States.-Birth:He was born on May 12, 1880 to James Ellsworth and Eva Frances Butler in Chicago, Illinois...
.
Religious leaders
Religious leaders were also honored by planting banyans in Hilo. These include then president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Heber Grant, Roman Catholic Bishop Stephen AlencastreStephen Alencastre
Bishop Stephen Peter Alencastre, SS.CC. was the fifth and last vicar apostolic of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands — now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu...
, Monshu of the Hongwanji Buddhists Kosho Ohtani, Methodist leader Bishop Gerald Kennedy who planted a tree along the drive but it was not a banyan tree, Japanese Christian reformer Toyohiko Kagawa
Toyohiko Kagawa
thumb|right|200px|At Princeton Theological Seminarythumb|right|200px|Great Kantō earthquake, 1923thumb|right|200px|In America, 1935 was a Japanese Christian pacifist, Christian reformer, and labour activist. Kagawa wrote, spoke, and worked at length on ways to employ Christian principles in the...
, Y.M.C.A. Training School President Dr. L.L. Doggett, and Dr. Daniel Poling, once pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church.
Politicians
Politicians that planted banyans include Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, Treasurer Henry Morgenthau
Henry Morgenthau
Henry Morgenthau may refer to:* Henry Morgenthau, Sr. , United States diplomat* Henry Morgenthau, Jr. , United States Secretary of the Treasury* Henry Morgenthau, III , author and television producer...
, War Secretary George Dern
George Dern
George Henry Dern was an American politician, mining man, and businessman. He is probably best remembered for co-inventing the Holt–Dern ore roasting process, as well as for his tenure as United States Secretary of War from 1933 to his death in 1936. He also served as the sixth Governor of Utah...
, Postmaster James Farley
James Farley
James Aloysius Farley was the first Irish Catholic politician in American history to achieve success on a national level, serving as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General simultaneously under the first two...
, National Guard Chief George Leach
George Leach
George Leach is a Canadian musician and actor. A Sta'atl'imx from Lillooet, British Columbia, he released his debut album Just Where I'm At in 2000. He subsequently performed at the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards....
, Hawaii County Chairman Helene Hale
Helene Hale
Helene Hale is a Hawaii state representative for the fourth district.Helen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 23, 1918. From 1955 until 1963 she served on the County of Hawaii Board of Supervisors. From 1963 until 1965 she was the County's Chairman and Executive Officer .-External...
, Hawaii County Chairman Samuel M. Spencer
Samuel M. Spencer
Spencer Beach Park is a county park named for Hawaii island politician Samuel Mahuka Spencer .Spencer was born in the area in 1875, and died on February 28, 1960.He was named for Samual Mahuka who was a judge in the area from 1893 to 1901....
, Secretary of the Interior Oscar Chapman, and Hawaii Territorial Governor Oren Long.
Notable Hawaiians
Hawaiians were often honored on Arbor Day, celebrated in Hawaii on the first Friday of November. Residents of the Territory and later State of Hawai'i include Virginio A. Carvalho, Otto Rose, vulcanologist Dr. Thomas JaggarThomas Jaggar
Thomas Augustus Jaggar, Jr. was an American volcanologist. He founded the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and directed it from 1912 to 1940.-Biography:...
, Hawaiian Princess Abigail Kawananakoa
Abigail Kawananakoa
Abigail Kawananakoa is the name of:* Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa * Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa * Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa born 1926* Regina Abigail Mary Wahiikaahuula Kawananakoa born 1947...
, James McCandless, Dr. Grover Batten, David McHattie Forbes
David McHattie Forbes
David McHattie Forbes was a Scottish botanist, ethnologist, explorer on the island of Hawai'i. He practiced forestry, agronomy, and horticulture and served as the first district forester of South Kohala in 1905, and twenty years later was appointed a judge in Waimea...
, Benjamin Bond (son of Hawaiian Missionary Elias Bond
Elias Bond
The Bond District is a collection of historic buildings located in the district of North Kohala on the island of Hawaii.The district has three sections: the homestead of missionaries Ellen and Reverend Elias Bond , Kalahikiola Church, and the Kohala Seminary.-Ellen and Elias Bond:Elias Bond was...
), hotelier William Kimi, and hotelier George Lycurgus
George Lycurgus
George Lycurgus was a Greek American businessman who played an influential role in the early tourist industry of Hawaii. He ran afoul of the government of the Republic of Hawaii and was accused of treason...
. Father "Louis" Aloysius Borghouts founded the Father Louis Boys' Home for orphans and ran it for 36 years.
Other honorees
Other people honored by banyan tree planting include musician Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, radio celebrity Arthur GodfreyArthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
, First Lady Pat Nixon
Pat Nixon
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California...
, Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
, Eastern Star's William A. Duvall, Sr., American Legion's Ada Mucklestone and Ray Murphy, author Lewis Browne, Civitan's Courtney Shropshire
Courtney Shropshire
Courtney Shropshire , a prominent doctor in Birmingham, Alabama, was the founder and first president of Civitan International.-Early life:...
and Polly Mooney Forestier, Philippine labor and cult leader Hilario Moncado, Boy Scout Executive James West
James West
James West or Jim West may refer to:* James West , Australian journalist and author* James West , English politician and antiquary; president of the Royal Society...
, Cleveland College Sociologist Henry Busch, authors Vicki Baum
Vicki Baum
Hedwig Baum was an Austrian writer. She is known for Menschen im Hotel , one of her first international successes....
and Fannie Hurst
Fannie Hurst
Fannie Hurst was an American novelist. Although her books are not well remembered today, during her lifetime some of her more famous novels were Stardust , Lummox , A President is Born , Back Street , and Imitation of Life...
, China's Premier Sun Fo, author and illustrator Hendrik Willem van Loon
Hendrik Willem van Loon
Hendrik Willem van Loon was a Dutch-American historian and journalist.-Life:He was born in Rotterdam, the son of Hendrik Willem van Loon and Elisabeth Johanna Hanken. He went to the United States in 1902 to study at Cornell University, receiving his degree in 1905...
, Professor of Chinese culture P.C. Chang and cruise director of the RMS Franconia, Ross Hunt Skinner.
Trees planted in honor of others
Some of the banyan trees were planted in honor of other people. This list includes King George VGeorge V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in honor of his silver jubilee, Hawaiian Park Ranger Albert MacKenzie by his wife on Arbor Day, Girl Scout founder, Juliette Low, by a local Girl Scout troop. Trees were also planted honoring the new Commonwealth of the Philippines by Rev. Yadao and the Shriners.