Stories of growing up in Hawaii are 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 citizens. Fred Koehnen has transformed a lifetime
Stories of growing up in Hawaii are 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 citizens. Fred Koehnen has transformed a lifetime of memories into a new memoir, “Been There Done That Back to Hilo — a Nine Decade Odyssey,” and in so doing has now 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 gold-medalist being denied his medal by Adolf Hitler. He was also present at Iolani Palace on Dec. 7, 1941, when martial law was declared after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He saw first-hand the devastation caused by the 1946 tsunami that hit Hilo, 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. During the past 90 years these opportunities have lead him to try everything from cowboying to woodworking, retail business to government service, and being a securities broker to military service during two wars.
Koehnen will bring some his most memorable and colorful stories off of the page and back to life in a talk story event Thursday at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. The Volcano Community Foundation, in cooperation with VAC, will host this free event that is open to all. Books will be available for purchase and Koehnen will be available to autographs following the program.
