By Barry Villamil, Past President, Rotary Club of Pearlridge
Born and raised in Pearl City, Alan Ishimitsu served as an honored guest speaker on Friday, October 23 at the Rotary Club of Pearlridge lunch meeting held at the Highlands Intermediate School Student Center. Mr. Ishimitsu was invited to speak at the RCOP lunch meeting by RCOP Past President Eric Fujimoto who had the opportunity to hear Mr. Ishimitsu speak about his experiences and knowledge learned while caring for a loved one until their passing.
Mr. Ishimitsu let everyone know that he is not a professional speaker but is inspired to share what he knows with others so that they can make the right decisions with regard to long term care choices and opportunities available to those in need. In my opinion, Mr. Ishimitsu is an excellent speaker who wears his heart on his sleeve with a spirit of caring for one another while providing comfort and peace of mind to loved ones and their caregivers.
I really enjoyed listening to Mr. Ishimitsu share being born and raised in Pearl City and a look back at Pearl City of yesteryear. Growing up on First Street in lower Pearl City, he spoke of the Leeward Bus Service and train that were important forms of transportation that traveled through Pearl City. Mr. Ishimitsu also shared a book produced by the Pearl City Public Library that featured the history of Pearl City. I have attached a photo (map) of lower Pearl City from the book that features life on A Steet and First through Fourth Streets.
Family residences, schools, markets, theater, car repair services, water crest farms, dairy, etc. are depicted in the attached photo. Many familiar Pearl City family names that made a difference in the growth and success of our community are featured in their home and businesses locations identified in the attached photo. Each family and business has a story in Pearl City’s history and legacy as a community.
The Rotary Club of Pearlridge would like to thank Mr. Ishimitsu for sharing his time, knowledge, and friendship with club members on Friday.
GO PEARL CITY!
Service Above Self
Proud to be a Rotarian
Photos by Barry Villamil
