History 1941 to 1960

United States Air Force Hickam Hangers

United States Air Force Hickam Hangers

820 Piikoi Street

The main office and yard were located at 820 Piikoi Street. The management was under the direction of president and general manager Max W. Moody; vice president Mrs. Sophie K. Walker; treasurer Morris B. Value; secretary U.J. Rainalter; and directors Robert McCorriston and Fred O. Jamieson.

The company’s capital was increased from $30,000 to $65,500. Of this amount, $30,300 was in common stock and $35,200 in preferred stock. Mrs. Walker held the controlling interest in the common and voting stock, Mr. Moody the controlling interest in the preferred stock.

Under Mr. Moody’s guidance, the firm was awarded an impressive number of contracts in 1941. These included an engine repair shop and an equipment repair building for the Navy, two buildings for Honolulu Rapid Transit, the Palolo sewers, an ice plant at Schofield, an Alladin Homes project, and the Canada Dry building. The total amount of these contracts was $763,000.00. With this volume of work in progress, the company’s future began looking much brighter and more secure.

The serenity was disrupted on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Max Moody, a lieutenant in the Civil Engineer Corps of the Naval Reserve, was called up for active duty. He initially was put in charge of naval shipyard construction, and then later directed all naval construction on Oahu, and from 1945-46 was superintendent of all construction. In April 1946, he was released from active duty with the rank of Commander, Civil Engineers, USNR.

1941
H.R.T. Shop Building	$34,900.00
Kamehameha Fencing	$29,288.00
Mariposa Road	$20,371.00
Post Laundry	$16,598.65
Signal Tower	$20,638.70
Barracks 63 Men	$25,972.00
Canada Dry	$40,792.00
City Transfer	$15,000.00
Chemical Warfare Schofield	$42,514.00
Chemical Warfare Fort Shafter Equipment Repair Building	$173,135.00
Ice Plant Addition	$28,862.00
Palolo Sewers	$28,306.13
Sewage Disposal	$59,172.00
Union Oil Company	$27,843.65

Hawaii Timeline - 1941 - Pan Am's California Clipper and five other Boeing B-314s accommodating 74 passengers were making daily runs from San Francisco to Honolulu.  However, all flights were suspended when World War II was launched with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Max Moody Giving A Safety Class

Sugar Cane Flume

1942
H.R.T. Cost Plus	$90,800.00
Lavatory Building	$7,060.00
Nichol's Ulupau Septic Tank	$4,660.00
Nichol's Fort Shafter Sewer	$6,500.00
Nichol's Fort Kamehameha Pump House	$700.00
O.C.D. - H.R.T. Substations	$7,169.39
O.C.D. Pumping Stations	$6,018.07

Throughout the war years, Mr. Moody continued to direct the affairs of Walker-Moody, though obviously he was unable to take an active part in the company’s construction projects. Nor could Walker-Moody bid on any sizable naval or other government contracts due to conflict of interest. Since the Navy needed all the skilled construction men and equipment it could find, Walker-Moody rented much of its equipment and released many employees to the military for several years.

Max Moody Cooking At A Company Christmas Party

Margaret Date, who has been the company secretary since 1936, recalls delivery checks and other business papers needing Mr. Moody’s signature for him to sign. Their meeting place was in front of Oahu Prison - - that being the approximate halfway point between Pearl Harbor and the company’s office on Piikoi.

Miss Date was born and raised in Kailua, where her father had a small store and tavern. As a child, Margaret frequently saw John Walker drive past on his way to the Walker beach home at Lanikai. She recalls being intimidated by Mr. Walker’s size, his moustache, and his elegant motorcar, even though he seemed very kind and jolly sort of man on the occasions when he stopped at her father’s store. After finishing school in 1935 she began her career with Walker & Olund.

In 1943, Walker-Moody’s new contracts numbered exactly three, as compared to the long list in 1941. The financial statement for 1943 showed a loss of more than $15,000.00. The contracts awarded for 1944 were a mixed lot, including the Coyne Street storm drain, a building for the Boys’ Detention Home, an addition to Farrington High School, and a building at Weighman Home. The company registered a profit for the year of $17,600.00. However, in 1945, another loss was shown, this time around $8,000.00.

1944
River Street 30" Sewer Pressure Line	$12,530.96
Coyne Street Storm Drain	$35,878.91
Fort DeRussey Warehouses (3)	$106,599.26
Kalakaua Pressure Line	$71,404.65

Bomb Shelter Designed by Max Moody While in the Navy

1945
Kewalo Incinerator	$213,031.00

Kewalo Incinerator

Walker-Moody Equipment

Walker-Moody Equipment

Hawaii Timeline - 1945 - Commercial flights to Honolulu resume, but by early 1946, land-based aircraft (Douglas DC-4s) would further revolutionize travel to the islands.

In 1946, Mr. Moody returned to full-time management of the company, and this fact soon was reflected in the volume of contracts and in the firm’s gradual increase in earnings. As a veteran, Max Moody had preference in buying military surplus. Soon a inventory of all types of equipment was in the shop being prepared to assist, reequip, and revitalize Walker-Moody to reenter the "thirsty" local construction market. During the war, new equipment and methods were introduced to Hawaii. It was a "new ball game" when private construction resumed.

1946
Andrew Flying Service	$17,334.56
Aloha Broadcasting Station	$5,552.38
Hickam Field Cooling Tower	$9,484.46
Furtado's Bar	$9,878.00
Shiroma Building	$11,326.68

Walker-Moody’s major contracts for 1946-47 were the Lanakila Housing Project built for the Public Works Department at $194,000, and one unit of Leahi Hospital, a contract of nearly a half million dollars. Other projects completed during this time were a school in Manoa Valley, the bridge on Kahala Avenue, the Halawa Veterans’ Homes project built for the Hawaii Housing Authority, and The Kaimuki Radio Company.

Walker-Moody Equipment

Walker-Moody Equipment

1947
Lee Apartments	$87,700.00
Lanakila Housing	$194,036.98
United States Coast Guard Quonset Huts	$22,205.00
United States Army Fort Shafter Tennis Courts	$9,511.00
United States Army Waipio & Helemano Tennis Courts	$19,200.00
United States Navy Haiku Radio Station	$1,400.00
United States Navy Wahiawa Radio Station	$4,984.00
University of Hawaii Veteran's Educational Facilities	$7,292.54

Walker-Moody had weathered a situation that would have wiped out many businesses. That it survived was due to its long established reputation, to the loyalty and competence of its employees, and to the business acumen of its management.

United States Navy Haiku Radio Station	Walker-Moody's Navy Diesel 3 Ton Fingerlift
	Walker-Moody's Clark-Michigan Gas Loader

Walker-Moody reached a milestone in 1948, with the award of its first million-dollar contract. This was for the construction of a new building at Kaneohe Hospital. Other major projects for 1948 were additions to Maunalani Nursing Home, Naval Hospital at Aiea, and the Rattan Art Gallery’s Waikiki building.

1948
Arden Sales Corporation	$28,950.00
Board of Water Supply Kalanianaole	$38,929.20
Bishop Estate Kohou Street	$9,396.46
City & County of Honolulu Kailua Water Tank	$55,940.34
City & County of Honolulu Kapiolani Sprinkler No. 1	$60,088.50
City & County of Honolulu Kapiolani Sprinkler No. 2	$61,983.30
City & County of Honolulu Waialae School	$33,999.40
Hawaii Housing Authority Veterans Homes	$49,215.00
Hibiscus Apartments	$144,260.97
Leahi Hospital	$494,365.97
Rattan Art Gallery	$75,040.87
United States Army Mitsukoshi Building	$50,978.00
United States Navy Aiea Naval Hospital	$69,418.50

Rattan Art Gallery

1949
City & County Kapiolani Chain Link Fence	$28,506.00
Convalescent Nursing Home	$198,864.52
Hawaii Housing Authority Manana Water System	$41,489.06
Home Factors Waiau Farm Lots	$39,428.30
McInerny Home Tract	$125,726.00
OR & L Wholesale Center	$122,030.48
Territory of Hawaii Kaneohe Hospital	$1,045,718.09
United States Air Force Hickam Field Gymnasium	$364,145.96

United States Air Force Hickam Field Gymnasium

Kaneohe Hospital

Kailua Water Tank

During this time, the company continued to manufacture and sell concrete burial vaults, a sideline activity in which it engaged for many years.

The General Contractors Association of Hawaii elected Max Moody president at their annual meeting in 1948. Another activity of Mr. Moody during this period involved the Honolulu Savings and Loan Association. He served as the secretary and as a director of that institution until 1966. His son Ross served as a director of the organization called Honolulu Federal Savings and Loan, which is known today as Bank of America.

Walker-Moody expanded on its milestone mark in 1949. A newspaper article of June 18 stated, “James Morrison, assistant engineer of the Department of Public Works, announced Friday that the Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd. will be awarded the contract for the construction of the new Leahi Hospital. Walker-Moody won the contract with the lowest of five bids presented”. The contract for the 6-story hospital in Kaimuki amounted to more than $1.5 million.

Leahi Hospital

Leahi Hospital

A week after the Leahi Hospital award was announced, Walker-Moody received a $304,000 contract to build the Board of Water Supply’s St. Louis Heights Project.

The company also began construction in 1949 of the Waikiki Beach Shops. There were located on property fronting Kalakaua Avenue leased by Charles Peitsch and G.J. Watumull from Matson Navigation Company. According to Mr. David Watumull, the owners had considerable difficulty enticing prospective tenants of the Beach Shops. Waikiki at that time was not considered the most advantageous business location.

1950
Aina Hina Grading	$3,900.00
Lihue Bulk Sugar Factory	$316,915.47
Territorial Kaneohe Hospital Phase 2	$264,859.65
United States Air Force Hickam Gymnasium Phase 2	$10,166.22
Watumull Waikiki Beach Shop	$163,560.12

1950 - Max Moody At Company Christmas Party

1951
Board of Water Supply St. Louis Water System	$311,069.45
City & County of Honolulu Nuuanu Relief Sewer	$107,227.65
City & County of Honolulu Aina Hina School	$507,730.23
City & County of Honolulu Water Distribution System Honolulu Zoo	$30,060.90
HPC Whitmore Subdivision	$44,500.00
Hawaii National Guard Armory	$26,926.00
Leahi Clinical Building	$1,607,293.00
Watumull Building No. 3	$127,660.21

Leahi Clinical Building

Leahi Clinical Building

1952
Baldwin High School	$144,486.36
Central Maui Memorial Hospital	$1,404,283.60
Hawaii Housing Authority Lanakila Housing	$350,403.55
Home Factors Ahipuu Tract	$107,368.00
Leahi Administration Building	$273,990.52
Motor Supply Company Showroom & Tire Shed	$51,176.72
Stewart Pharmacy Waikiki	$13,662.19
United States Navy Barbers Point Airplane Parking	$202,308.00
United States Navy Major caliber Refusing Building	$75,362.16
United States Navy Bakery & Gallery Building	$5,659.00

Ross Moody and Harry Rice Load Barge for Kauai	Ross Moody Rents A Tug Boat And Takes Equipment To Kauai With Friends
Maui Memorial Hospital	Lihue Bulk Sugar Factory
Walker-Moody Made Its Own Concrete On Kauai	Lihue Bulk Sugar Factory

In 1950-51, Walker-Moody was engaged in two major hospital projects at well over a million dollars each. The largest for the two, a contract for $1,652,000, was awarded by the Public Works Department for the construction of the main nursing and clinical building at Leahi Hospital. The other contract, $1,358,000 was for Maui Memorial Hospital. Elaborate dedication ceremonies were held at the opening of Maui Memorial Hospital on August 17, 1952. Thousands of Mauians attended the ceremonies, which included the laying of the cornerstone by Max Moody and Robert M. Belt, Territorial superintendent of Public Works.

1953
Board of Water Supply St. Louis Unit III	$166,725.55
City & County of Honolulu Makaha Water System	$80,696.00
City & County of Honolulu Kula Kolea Tract	$211,798.05
City & County of Honolulu Awa Street Pumping Station	$182,191.00
City & County of Honolulu Aiea Deepwell Pumping Station	$72,976.50
City & County of Honolulu Nuuanu Relief Sewer	$178,282.45
City & County of Honolulu Pearl Harbor Elementary School	$775,740.00
Hawaii Housing Authority Palolo Housing	$1,115,400.00
Iao Stream Floor Control Maui	$353,827.99
Kilsby Apartments	$95,206.93
Liberty Bank Building	$237,345.59
Rattan Art Gallery	$14,413.00
Standard Oil Company	$75,494.43
United States Navy Fresh Waterline	$43,653.00

Other projects completed during this period include a million dollar contract to build housing in Palolo Valley for the Hawaii Housing Authority, the Aina Hina Elementary School, Baldwin High School, Pearl Harbor Elementary School, the Iao Stream Floor Contract project on Maui, and the Liberty Bank of Honolulu on North King Street.

Iao Stream Floor	Iao Stream Floor
Liberty Bank Building	Aina Hina Elementary School

Walker-Moody moved from the Piikoi Street location to new offices and yard in Mapunapuna near the Airport during 1952. As Honolulu grew, the Piikoi Street yard and office property increased in value. The Walker family decided to sell so it became necessary to find a new location for the company. The Damon Estate at that time was opening up a new industrial tract in Mapunapuna, and a lease on five of the lots were taken. Mr. Moody built the company’s new facilities on part of the property. At that time, Mapunapuna was not the industrial area it is today. Over the years, many local and mainland companies have moved into the area, including Theo H. Davies, Ltd., John Walker’s original employer.

A half million-dollar road-building project was awarded the company in 1953 for a 2-½ mile section of the Kauai Belt Road. A more impressive project began the same year was the Waialae Shopping Center. Considered ultramodern and progressive at that time, the construction of the center was given extensive newspaper coverage. A few excerpts are quoted here:

Kauai Belt Road Bridge

Waimea River Lining

"Construction began this week on the Bishop Estate’s new Waialae Shopping Center, located in the heart of the estate’s current Waialae-Kahala home development project, which will ultimately comprise of 1,000 single family dwelling units. First stage of the shopping center construction, which will occupy a land area of 368,000 square feet, or almost nine acres, will include two buildings of concrete, hollow tile, steel columns, and steel roof trusses."

Walker-Moody Mapunapuna Office

Office Party

"The contract, which was let on bid to the Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd. at $435,000, also specifies connecting covered courts between buildings, covered walks projecting into the parking areas which will accommodate more than 400 cars, access driveways from three main streets, landscaping with underground sprinkler systems, and water, sanitary sewer and storm drain systems."

Jobsite Visiting Vehicle - 1954 Willys Station Wagon

Max Moody's Bid Delivery Vehicle - 1956 Oldsmobile Holiday Sedan

Waialae Shopping Center

Ross & Marian Moody

Ross Moody joined his father’s firm in 1953 after completing his service in the Coast Guard. He previously had earned a degree in civil engineering at the University of Hawaii and the University of Utah, and was married to Marian Stark Woodward on August 2, 1952. Having worked for his father during many summer vacations, he came equipped with a good general knowledge of the business. The first job on which Ross did all the figuring for the bid and supervising of construction was the conversion of a Naval warehouse into an engine repair and testing shop for Lockheed Aircraft. According to the elder Mr. Moody, this was one of the few jobs in his experience, which went like clockwork.

Kauai Belt Road

Max Moody Accepting A Gift From The Men	1954 - Ross With Son Max At Christmas Party
Kauai Belt Road	Kauai Belt Road

1954
City & County of Honolulu Awa Street Pumping Station	$177,852.60
City & County of Honolulu Aiea Deepwell Pumping Station	$72,935.10
City & County of Honolulu Pearl Harbor School	$775,708.00
Hawaii Housing Authority Palolo Housing III	$458,259.11
Iao Valley Flood Control Phase II	$367,310.76
Kauai Belt Road	$535,508.22
F.W. Woolworth Building	$734,232.28

In 1954, Walker-Moody constructed the first Woolworth store in the islands.  Located at Hotel and Fort Streets, the store’s opening day ceremonies on October 13 were attended by some 3,500 people.

F.W. Woolworth Building	F.W. Woolworth Building
Kakaako Sewer Trunk	Hawaii Housing Authority Palolo Housing III
Walker-Moody's 1951 Dodge Cargo Truck	Walker-Moody's 1952 Chevy Pickup

1954 Christmas Party

Kamehameha Schools

The following year, Walker-Moody constructed the million-dollar Kamehameha Elementary School. A newspaper article from September 7, 1955 stated:

"The Kamehameha Schools’ 30 classroom elementary school opens for business today on the slopes of Kapalama Heights. Official registration is 511 pupils from kindergarten through grade 7. The low, rambling style, buff colored building, probably the finest elementary school in the Territory cost $1,042,000.00. Contractor Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd…. Classrooms are bright and airy. On the roofs are a new type of skylight which lets light in to brighten rooms…"

Concurrently, with the Kamehameha School construction, work was proceeding on the new Salvation Army Girls’ Home in Manoa Valley.

In 1955, Walker-Moody was awarded the contract for a memorial at Pearl Harbor. According to a newspaper account, "The memorial to be dedicated December 7 will stand on Ford Island, a few feet away from the gangplank leading to the Arizona. A natural lava rock, weighing some 25 tons, was transported to the memorial site last week by Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd. It will be set on its base, and a plaque, which is being inscribed on the mainland, will be flown here and installed in the rock, according to Max W. Moody, president and manager for Walker-Moody."

1955
Bishop Estate Waialae Shopping Center	$489,991.85
Bishop Estate Kamehameha Preparatory School	$1,045,785.27
City & County of Honolulu Pali Golf Course Waterline	$37,533.69
Pearl Harbor Original Arizona Memorial Monument on Ford Island	$700.00
Robinson Residence	$27,000.00
U.S.. Marine Corps Kaneohe Artillery Sheds	$24,999.00
U.S. Marine Corps Kaneohe E.W. Barracks	$292,869.00
U.S. Navy Administration Building	$24,916.00
U.S. Navy Junior Officers Quarters	$30,025.00
U.S. Navy Commissioned Officers Mess	$7,240.00

City & County of Honolulu Pali Golf Course Waterline

United States Navy Junior Officers Quarters

Concrete Buckets

Other jobs completed during this period include and Enlisted Women’s Barracks at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station, the Nuuanu Reservoir for the Board of Water Supply, the Wahiawa sewer system, the East End relief sewer, and a Cold Storage Building for the Army.

In addition to the large volume of work to supervise, Max Moody served as president of the Engineering Association of Hawaii during 1954-55.

The following year, several significant projects were undertaken, perhaps the best known being the Waikiki McInerny Store on the Royal Hawaiian Hotel grounds. McInerny’s previous location had been in the Watumull Beach Shops, also built by Walker-Moody.

1956
Board of Water Supply Reservoir No. 5 Repairs	$50,154.33
City & County of Honolulu East End Relief Sewer	$404,235.19
City & County of Honolulu Kapaakea Field Facilities	$62,967.00
Hawaii Housing Authority Central Office Building	$140,450.64
Honolulu Savings & Loan Co., Ltd.	$59,652.47
Oahu Country Club Additions	$42,416.14
Salvation Army's Waioli Girls Home	$454,211.58
Territory of Hawaii Water & Sewer Lines	$13,223.02
United States Army Johnston Island Communications Building	$159,653.14
United States Air Force Wheeler Ammunition Tunnels	$12,180.00
United States Navy Lualualei Sewage Disposal	$18,490.00
United States Navy Wahiawa Gulch Flood Damage Repairs	$30,251.00
Varsity Bowling Alley	$16,036.43

Gathering At Wo Fat Restaurant
Salvation Army Waioli Girls Home

1956 Office Staff

1956 Field Staff

1957
Waikiki Liberty House	$394,385.31
City & County of Honolulu Wahiawa Sewer Treatment Plant	$209,582.29
City & County of Honolulu Nuuanu Valley Sewers	$427,867.13
McInerny Store	$417,131.14
St. Louis Gymnasium	$212,934.90
United States Air Force Hickam Cold Storage Building	$312,504.32
United States Navy Keehi Lagoon	$881,225.00
United States Army Helemano Operations Building	$166,989.15
C.S. Wo Store Building	$340,302.88

Walker-Moody's 1944 Diamond T Cement Mixer

Walker-Moody's 1951 Plymouth Utility Wagon

TD-14 With Boom

McInerny Store

Office Party At Le Roys

St. Louis School Gymnasium

Walker-Moody's 1949 Diamond T Tractor Truck

Walker-Moody's 1949 International 5 Ton Dump Truck

1957 Company Christmas Party

Walker-Moody reached still another milestone in 1957. In December, the Advertiser announced, "Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd. made a low bid of $2,750,000 yesterday for construction of a major addition to Queen’s Hospital. The addition would be of three wings at the Waikiki side of the present main building, to house an emergency unit, a 30 bed nursery unit, an outpatient department, pharmacy, coffee shop, admitting and business offices, personnel offices, and employee locker rooms."

1958
Ciro's at Waikiki Beachwalk	$295,393.00
Aliamanu Elementary School	$780,106.58
Coconut Grove Hotel	$290,918.44
Church Collage Laie Sewer System	$232,477.43
HECO Archer Lane Warehouse	$16,485.85
HECO Nuuanu Ductline	$80,100.90
Queen's Medical Center Addition	$2,750,000.00
State Savings & Loan Association	$124,560.72
Terrazza Apartments	$285,497.50
United States Navy Opana Communication Facilities	$294,399.00
United States Navy Wahiawa Communication Facilities	$113,960.00
Wahiawa Methodist Church	$110,271.65

Walker-Moody's Case Loader-Backhoe	Walker-Moody's Hyster Lumber Carrier
Ciro's Waikiki Beachwalk	Queen's Medical Center Addition
Coconut Grove Hotel	Wahiawa Methodist Church
United States Navy Opana Communication Facilities	Opana Hairpin Turn
Aliamanu Elementary School	Walker-Moody's Austin-Western Gas Roller
Terrazza Apartments	Terrazza Apartments
Church College Laie Sewer System	Church College Laie Sewer System
Wahiawa Methodist Church	Wahiawa Methodist Church

Hawaii Timeline - 1958 - Pan Am's Boeing 707 opened international travel to the islands.

A new venture undertaken by Walker-Moody in 1958 was fabricated steel frame construction. As owners of the Hawaii franchise for Stran-Steel buildings, the company has steadily expanded its activities in this area. In 1960, Stran-Steel contracts amounted to $350,000.00. Stran-Steel buildings account for almost 30 percent of the company’s business. In 1966 and 1967, Walker-Moody was awarded Building of the Year Awards by the Stran-Steel Corporation. The award winning buildings were the Motor-Supply, Ltd., Auto Supply Center in Honolulu, and the Moanalua Carriage Shop, Ltd. Building.

Ross Moody

Most of the company’s Stran-Steel projects are in the commercial-industrial field and are built to the owner’s specifications with the design element handled by the contractor. Ross Moody has directed this part of the company’s work since its inception.

On October 18, 1958, Mrs. Sophie Walker passed away in Queen’s Hospital. She was 85 years old, and was active until the end as vice president of the company that her husband founded. At that time, her survivors included her six daughters, nine grandchildren, and sixteen great-grandchildren. After Mrs. Walker’s death, her children sold out their interests in Walker-Moody to the Moody’s and various company employees. Ross Moody became vice president of the company. Isao Matsuura was hired by the company as a bookkeeper in 1947. Over the years he became increasingly involved in the financial management of the company and in 1960, he was put in charge. His ability contributed greatly to the success of the company.

Walker-Moody's Bucyrus Erie 44B Diesel Crane	Walker-Moody's Bay City Model 18 Crane
Tire Service, Inc. Maui	Headquarters For The United States Fish & Wildlife Service At Kewalo Basin
Moanalua Carriage Shop, Ltd.	Stran-Steel Project
Hawaii Housing Authority Puahala Homes	Hawaii Housing Authority Puahala Homes
Hawaii Housing Authority Puahala Homes	Nuuanu Road Safety Meeting

Crane Boom Over Punchbowl & Beretania Streets

1959
Dominis Apartments	$46,076.41
Hawaii Housing Authority Puahala Homes	$433,473.57
T.H. Nuuanu Road	$545,312.06
United States Coast Guard Sand Island Facilities	$19,430.80

T.H. Nuuanu Road	T.H. Nuuanu Road
Dominis Apartments	Walker-Moody's Caterpillar D8 Bulldozer
T.H. Nuuanu Road	Walker-Moody Equipment On The Move

Hawaii Timeline - 1959 - Hawai'i becomes the 50th state of the United States.

In 1960, Ross Moody was in American Samoa checking on a potential project, when he met the Tuia brothers, Mala and Suma. They were born in American Samoa, but had lived in Hawaii before and during the war. They had worked in construction and had recently returned home to start a construction company. Soon after this, Walker-Moody and the Tuia brothers were in business together forming Samoa Construction Company. Ross spent several years there with his family, eventually returning to Hawaii, leaving the responsibility of continuing the company in the able hands of the Tuia brothers.

Through the years many projects were completed. Some of the major ones were for American Can, Star-Kist Tuna, and Van Camp Tuna in Pago Pago harbor. Other ventures included a block paint, tire recapping gas station (a venture with Motor Supply, Ltd. of Honolulu), and advertising. Lyle has continued this relationship with Samoa and had completed many projects there working with Poa Tuia, they both being second generation.

1960
Crockett Sales Co., Ltd.	$44,330.31
Grand View Tract Wahiawa	$70,173.52
Honolulu Iron Works	$897,845.27
Kamanaiki Subdivision	$201,115.00
Queen's Hospital	$3,571,605.93
Ritz Store	$357,589.00
Schumann Carriage Company	$8,354.32
United States Air Force Hickam Dormitory	$134,013.00
United States Air Force Kunia Annex	$146,697.60
Dan's Lumber Yard	$15,490.00
Isemoto Contractors	$18,911.00
Kulani Prison	$22,403.00
Motor Supply Co., Ltd.	$16,395.70
S.K. Oda, Ltd.	$19,200.00

Honolulu Iron Works	Ritz Store
Crockett Sales Co., Ltd.	Queen's Hospital
United States Air Force Hickam Dormitory	Walker-Moody's International TD 24 Bulldozer
Queen's Hospital Safety Meeting	Queen's Hospital
Queen's Hospital	Queen's Hospital
Walker-Moody's Gardner-Denver 315 Diesel Air Compressor	Walker-Moody's Huber 10 Diesel Roller

The $1,158,000 contract for Halawa Jail was awarded Walker-Moody in 1960. Other projects of 1960-61 included the University’s Faculty Housing on Dole Street, the Beaumont Woods Development in Manoa Valley, and a golf course at Pacific Palisades.

Probably the most significant project awarded to Walker-Moody during this period was the Arizona Memorial. Not a major undertaking in terms of dollars, the Memorial was important in intangible ways. Excerpts from the dedication booklet about the Memorial state: "A Memorial to the valiant men who gave their lives for their country on December 7, 1941, has been constructed just above the sunken hull of the USS Arizona. The construction of this Memorial is the result of years of planning, hard work, and the generosity and gratitude of many interested groups and individuals throughout the United States." It was an honor to be able to construct the Arizona Memorial and also e real challenge. A barge was purchased to support the crane, but it soon began to leak. It was careened (flipped over, a interesting operation) and the bottom repaired. A surplus LCM (landing craft mechanized) carried all materials to the site including concrete in buckets. It was named the "Cactus" was is the Arizona state flower. After a blessing at the site by Reverend Akaka, a minister from the Kawaihau Church, all went well.

"The Memorial is an enclosed bridge transversely spanning the hull of the USS Arizona. The structure is 184 long. It varies in width from 27 feet at the center to 36 feet at the ends, and varies in height from 14 feet at the center to 21 feet at the ends. The supporting structure consists of two post-tensioned concrete girders weighing 250 tons each and resting on 36 pre-stressed concrete piles…"

Arizona Memorial

"The USS Arizona Memorial presents a truly dignified and appropriate memorial to the brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice on December 7, 1941."

After the completion of the Memorial, Walker-Moody received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Navy. The letter accompanying the certificate cited, "Cooperation beyond the terms of the contract for the convenience of the Government and the general public…outstanding cooperation in the scheduling of construction work to meet a stringent deadline…the providing of a superior end product to that specified…savings of money to the Government…". The letter also noted that, "The Contractor’s effective and conscientious safety program resulted in a total of 17,587 man-hours of work without a single lost-time accident. This is more significant considering that all work was done over water and was accessible by floating craft only."

In 1949, the Territory of Hawaii established the Pacific War memorial Commission, an agency authorized to plan and raise funds for the erection of war memorials in the territory. The commission was composed of seven unpaid members who collectively represented the business community, Hawaii's civic leaders, and the Islands' Japanese-American veterans. In 1951 the commissioners arrived at a conception for an entire system of memorials. It would include sites and structures at Red Hill, the Marine parade ground, the main gate of Pearl Harbor Naval Station, the wreckage of the USS Arizona, and a connecting boulevard between Nimitz and Kamehameha Highways. The commission's plan called for a permanent platform over the ship. It would be connected by a ramp to Ford Island, where there would be an observation tower, archives, and a museum. A Territorial legislator speaking on the commission's behalf affirmed, "the Arizona is very much a factor in any memorial system that is desired."

The fist sign that an Arizona memorial might become a reality came in 1955. On December 7 of that year the Navy Club dedicated on Ford Island, near the Arizona, a ten-foot high basalt stone with a plaque dedicated to the memory of American servicemen killed in the December 7, 1941 attack. It was the first permanent memorial at Pearl Harbor.

After legislation was obtained for the Navy to accept funds from an agency other than the federal treasury, the Pacific War Memorial Commission began active fundraising to build the USS Arizona Memorial that we see today. The goal for the memorial was $500,000.

In terms of donations from private sources, the first major national exposure the Arizona Memorial fundraising drive received was undoubtedly the December 3,1958, national telecast of "This Is Your Life." Hosted by television personality Ralph Edwards, each week the program centered on a different individual, usually a celebrity. The guest shared the stage with Edwards as former acquaintances spoke from off-stage about shared experiences with the guest of honor. An emotional reunion would usually follow as the acquaintance emerged after speaking. The December 1958 broadcast was timed to coincide as closely as possible with the anniversary of the attack. It featured, more than any one individual, the battleship USS Arizona. Admiral Fuqua, as senior surviving officer, stood in as the main guest. Appeals for contribution to the memorial fund were a prominent part of the program. Fuqua maintained a controlled military demeanor throughout the show, but clearly it was a time of high emotion. The response was stunning. Contributions began to pour in immediately. During the single month from December 16 to January 15 more than $78,000 was received. In all, the commission identified more than $95,000 in donations that were attributable to the broadcast.

In late 1960 the memorial fund was still well short of its $500,000 goal. The editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, George Chaplin, volunteered to help by writing about 1,500 letters to the editors of daily papers across the nation. He asked then to help the fund drive by publishing stories about the Arizona Memorial project and ask their readers to send contributions to the fund. Among those papers that responded was the Los Angeles Examiner. Top popular music star Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, read the Examiner editorial and immediately telephoned Chaplin with the offer of a Presley benefit performance in Hawaii for the Arizona Memorial to coincide with Presley's scheduled movie location work in Hawaii. Parker's single condition, and in this he was inflexible, was that all ticket proceeds must go directly to the memorial fund. He insisted that any overhead be covered from other sources. The March 25, 1961, concert was a sellout, with seat prices ranging from $3 to $100. For the accountants, too, the show was a smashing success. When the proceeds were finally tallied, the memorial fund was $64,696.73 richer and the Memorial was lodged more permanently in the public consciousness.

Other major contributions to the fund included a gift from the Fleet Reserve Association, a national organization of active duty and retired Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps personnel, in the amount of over $40,000. Through active lobbying by Hawaii representatives and senators, the fund also received a congressional appropriation of $150,000.

The Navy began site preparation in early 1960 after the PWMC released $250,000 for the project. In October the Walker-Moody Construction company won the contract to build the memorial, which eventually cost slightly more than $500,000. The memorial was dedicate on Memorial Day 1962.