The Walker-Moody Story
In the 1880's, a young man named John Walker came from Scotland to Hawaii. Like so many other immigrants to the islands, he came not knowing what awaited him. He had no resources other than his own adventuresome spirit, wits, and determination. He discovered that Hawaii offered opportunities to a young who more than compensated for his inexperience with intelligence and industriousness.
 John Walker |
John Walker founded his own company shortly before the turn of the century and proceeded to build it until the time of his death in 1928. It was one of Hawaii's largest and most respected construction firms. Examples of his work abound in Honolulu and elsewhere, many of them remaining to this day among the islands' most prominent structures. The company John Walker founded continues under the name Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd.
This, then, is the story of a century's achievement in building Hawaii, past and present.
John Walker was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, May 7, 1859, to John and Kathleen Walker. His mother died when John was but two years old. Thereafter, John, his brothers, and sisters lived with their maternal aunt.
A story has been handed down in the Walker family that, as a young boy, an older brother whose position as Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace apparently made him an authority in these matters subjected John to constant correction regarding the social graces and deportment. Being a strong-minded individual even then, John did not appreciate his elder brother's efforts. This may have added incentive to his decision to leave Scotland.
Having corresponded for several years with a cousin in Hawaii, and having received favorable reports, around the year 1885, John made the momentous decision and sailed for the Hawaiian Islands. His cousin, William G. Walker, who had emigrated from Scotland several years previously, lived on the Big Island and worked at a sugar plantation in Ookala. With his help, John found work in the Ookala area at Kaiwiki Plantation, owned by Theo Davies, Ltd. In 1884, John Walker is listed as a plowman with Hakalau Plantation Co. in the Husted's Directory of Honolulu and Hawaiian Territory.
Hawaii Timeline - 1893 - To counter sluggish Hawaiian sugar sales to the U.S., which were severely restricted by a hefty tariff imposed by Congress, sugar planters plotted to end the monarchy with a U.S. takeover. Annexationists overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani. At the time, U.S. President Grover Cleveland called the coup "not merely wrong, but a disgrace." Nonetheless, a Provisional Government was established and was later replaced by the Republic of Hawai'i.The sugar industry in Hawaii was just beginning a period of tremendous expansion. The need for labor, skilled and otherwise, and for men capable of filling management positions was growing accordingly. As matters turned out, William Walker stayed to eventually become the manager of Ookala Plantation, a position he held for 19 years, until his death in 1909. John Walker, for reasons of health, was forced to return to Honolulu.
In the course of his work at Kaiwiki, John contracted a severe case of typhoid fever. After a lengthy stay in the plantation hospital, much of it in delirium due to high fever, he recovered and was informed by his doctor that he absolutely must leave the area. A second attack might prove more than he could withstand.
The Davies Company offered him employment in Honolulu and he accepted. With Davies, he gained experience in a variety of jobs, including some related to his future in construction, such as the building of Kuhio Beach seawall. Husted's Directory of Honolulu and Hawaiian Territory lists John Walker as a warehouseman with Theo H. Davis & Company in 1890.
 John & Sophie Walker |
Early in the 1890's, John met an attractive young German girl, Sophie Klussman. She had emigrated from Germany at the age of 10 in 1883 with her parents, Dietrich and Dorothea Klussman. Sophie spent her girlhood on Kauai, where her father worked for a sugar plantation. On one of her visits to see friends in Honolulu, she met John Walker. On August 24, 1893, they were married. Sophie was 20 years old; John was 34, nearly 15 years her senior. At the time of his marriage, John was earning the princely sum of $110.00 per month.
John and Sophie moved into a house, which John built himself, on Kewalo Street near Wilder Avenue. A roomy, comfortable home and it was filled with growing children. After working for Theo Davies, Ltd. for nine years, John entered into the contracting industry for himself in 1895.
In 1898, Hawaii was annexed by the United States and in opposition to the annexation; a short-lived revolt was launched by some of the staunch Royalists in the Honolulu community. Sophie Walker used to tell her children how she gathered up Kathleen, little Sophie, and Dorothy while pregnant with her fourth child Mae, and run into the field next door and hide in a keawe thicket while bullets were flying.
Hawaii Timeline - 1898 - At the urging of Theodore Roosevelt and others, The United States annexes Hawai'i and creates the Territory of Hawai'i. Later in the year, the U.S. acquires the Philippines and Guam. The U.S. Navy begins to eye Pearl Harbor as a strategic Pacific base to guard against an expansionist Japan. John Walker In Front Of The Old Hilo Hotel At The Time Of The Overthrow Of The Monarchy (John Is The Third From The Right) |
At the same time, John Walker was arrested on the general theory that all British citizens would, at least potentially, be supporters of the Royalists. He spent part of a night in jail before the British Consul secured his release. Years later George Lycurgus of the Volcano House, on meeting one of the Walker girls for the first time, astounded her and others present by booming out "Your father and I spent the night in jail together!"
As a result of Annexation and the passage of the Organic Act on April 30, 1900, immigrants from countries other than the United States who had resided in Hawaii for five years prior to 1900, were able to apply for U.S. Citizenship. John Walker, one of the first to apply, became a U.S. citizen on August 8, 1900.
A Business Is Born
In 1895, John Walker started his own contracting business. One of his first projects was the stone masonry for the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Annex. His earlier experience in stonework in Scotland came in handy. Other projects soon followed including Japanese Methodist Church, Sacred Hearts Church, and the laboratory for the Pacific Guano and Fertilizer Company. John Walker is listed as a contractor, under cut stones, concrete and cement sidewalks in the 1900-1901 volume of the Husted's Directory of Honolulu and Hawaiian Territory. His specialty is given as "cut stone, concrete, and cement sidewalks" with his office and residence at the corner of Piikoi and Young Streets.
There were few residences and only one other business, a Chinese Store, in the neighborhood. Piikoi itself was a narrow dirt road, flanked on the Diamond Head side with acres of open fields where people pastured their cows and horses.
Within a couple of years, the Walkers built a large house on the corner of Piikoi and King Streets. Mr. Walker belonged to the "old school" he built things to last. Every house he built had a fully excavated cellar and a solid concrete foundation. Many years later, the family vacation home on the beach at Lanikai was the only house in the area to survive intact the 1945 tidal wave.
Hawaii Timeline - 1900 - Pineapple plantations become lucrative businesses and earlier waves of laborers are augmented by Puerto Ricans, Koreans, and Filipinos. Working conditions were poor and wages were minimal. However, inadvertently, ethnic cultures were preserved by plantation operators who set up plantation camps according to ethnic groupings. Cultural diversity will remain one of the cornerstones of the island way of life.
In the early 1900's, the city of Honolulu was engaged in modernizing its streets and replacing dusty footpaths with broad sidewalks. The following paragraph appeared in the Hawaiian Annual of 1900:
"Official notice had been published requiring property owners to construct concrete sidewalks throughout the city, as far out as Thomas Square, according to specifications. This public improvement is in progress, to be followed by the re-macadamizing of many streets."
John Walker aggressively pursued this business and soon his sidewalks proliferated throughout the city. Unlike modern sidewalks, his were a very dark gray due to the addition of charcoal, and were given a smooth, almost polished finish. One of his more noted clients was Queen Liliokalani.
In the succeeding years, Walker's sidewalks multiplied throughout the city and many of them labeled for prosperity with the name John Walker etched in the curbstones. Today, however, few examples remain. A lifetime employee of the Walker Company, Kenichi Shiraki, recalls that in his youth the name John Walker was virtually synonymous with sidewalks. So well known was the name the unemployed men, when asked, "Who are you working for”, often answered, "John Walker”. In other words, they were pounding the sidewalks looking for work. The two-story building at Piikoi and Young housed the company offices on the first floor and the Shiraki Family on the second floor.
Yonataro Shiraki had emigrated from Japan as a contract laborer, but after a few months at Ewa Plantation, became very ill from the brackish water there. Upon recovering, he left the plantation, found a job in Honolulu as a cook, and then met John Walker. From about 1900 until his retirement in 1930, Yonataro and his wife lived above the Walker company offices. The seven Shiraki children were born there. Each of the five boys worked for the Walker Company, four of them for most of their careers.
Yonataro was employed by Walker as a handyman, construction worker, caretaker, and mule driver. He was responsible for the Walker's horse and buggy and the company mule team. One of his jobs was to hitch the mules to a big dray to various job sites. Men and mules were the prime sources of power in those days.
Kenichi Shiraki, Yonataro's third son, remembers as a small boy helping his father clean the stables and feed the animals. Also, feeling proud that the Walker mules were considered the finest team in the city. Kenichi's childhood memory of John Walker was of a stocky man of medium height, "not tall but big", with a great moustache and a loud booming voice. His father used to tell him what a good man John Walker was, always kind to the men who worked for him, very strict about the quality of their work, but fair also.
The men worked from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., six days a week. On Saturday mornings, John Walker would set up a table by the back steps of his house and give each man his week's wages in cash. Since he employed no timekeeper, each man was assumed to have put in a 48-hour week unless he volunteered otherwise, and each were paid on that basis. Before the days of overtime, disability compensation, or unemployment, a worker was paid a flat hourly rate, which was around 35 cents at that time, for the time actually on the job. If the weather, illness, or a family emergency prevented a man from working, he simply had the time deducted from his pay. In many instances, however, Mr. Walker advanced money to a trusted employee to help tide over a crisis.
For many years, Mr. Walker spent most of his time at the construction sites, supervising and working right along with the men. He would travel from one job to another on a bicycle. As the company prospered, he began using a horse and buggy, and later, the family automobile.
One of John Walker’s first jobs other than sidewalks was the Alakea Slip in Honolulu Harbor. The $168,000.00 contract was a large one for a young company. The 1906 Public Works Department Report stated, “Next to the construction of the Nuuanu Dam, the extensive improvements to the Government property along the Honolulu Harbor front…form the most important public works undertaken during the present administration”.
Two other Public Works contracts awarded to John Walker in 1905 were for a new electric plant building in downtown Honolulu, and new oil tank at the Beretania Street Pumping Station. Between these projects and continuing sidewalk construction, the company began making money and, equally important, a reputation for high quality and efficient work.
One of the most crucial factors in construction work was then – and still is – the ability to figure costs and make realistic, accurate bids. Mr. Walker developed his own system – one that was unconventional, but worked effectively. His daughters recall their father sitting at the huge dining room table surrounded by plans, drawings, and papers, working with figures, while several children fought, played, chattered, and generally created havoc around him. It seems that John Walker was an exceptionally patient man and one with unusual powers of concentration.
By 1905, there were seven children, six girls, and one boy, in the Walker household. In order of their births: Kathleen, Sophie, Dorothy, Mae, John, George, Barbara, and Flora.
 First Business |
Within a couple of years, the Walkers built a large house on the corner of Piikoi and King Streets. Mr. Walker belonged to the "old school" he built things to last. Every house he built had a fully excavated cellar and a solid concrete foundation. Many years later, the family vacation home on the beach at Lanikai was the only house in the area to survive intact the 1945 tidal wave.
Hawaii Timeline - 1900 - Pineapple plantations become lucrative businesses and earlier waves of laborers are augmented by Puerto Ricans, Koreans, and Filipinos. Working conditions were poor and wages were minimal. However, inadvertently, ethnic cultures were preserved by plantation operators who set up plantation camps according to ethnic groupings. Cultural diversity will remain one of the cornerstones of the island way of life.
In the early 1900's, the city of Honolulu was engaged in modernizing its streets and replacing dusty footpaths with broad sidewalks. The following paragraph appeared in the Hawaiian Annual of 1900:
 Sidewalk Sample |
John Walker aggressively pursued this business and soon his sidewalks proliferated throughout the city. Unlike modern sidewalks, his were a very dark gray due to the addition of charcoal, and were given a smooth, almost polished finish. One of his more noted clients was Queen Liliokalani.
In the succeeding years, Walker's sidewalks multiplied throughout the city and many of them labeled for prosperity with the name John Walker etched in the curbstones. Today, however, few examples remain. A lifetime employee of the Walker Company, Kenichi Shiraki, recalls that in his youth the name John Walker was virtually synonymous with sidewalks. So well known was the name the unemployed men, when asked, "Who are you working for”, often answered, "John Walker”. In other words, they were pounding the sidewalks looking for work. The two-story building at Piikoi and Young housed the company offices on the first floor and the Shiraki Family on the second floor.
 Sidewalk Article |
 1971 - Anapuni Street |
Yonataro was employed by Walker as a handyman, construction worker, caretaker, and mule driver. He was responsible for the Walker's horse and buggy and the company mule team. One of his jobs was to hitch the mules to a big dray to various job sites. Men and mules were the prime sources of power in those days.
Kenichi Shiraki, Yonataro's third son, remembers as a small boy helping his father clean the stables and feed the animals. Also, feeling proud that the Walker mules were considered the finest team in the city. Kenichi's childhood memory of John Walker was of a stocky man of medium height, "not tall but big", with a great moustache and a loud booming voice. His father used to tell him what a good man John Walker was, always kind to the men who worked for him, very strict about the quality of their work, but fair also.
The men worked from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., six days a week. On Saturday mornings, John Walker would set up a table by the back steps of his house and give each man his week's wages in cash. Since he employed no timekeeper, each man was assumed to have put in a 48-hour week unless he volunteered otherwise, and each were paid on that basis. Before the days of overtime, disability compensation, or unemployment, a worker was paid a flat hourly rate, which was around 35 cents at that time, for the time actually on the job. If the weather, illness, or a family emergency prevented a man from working, he simply had the time deducted from his pay. In many instances, however, Mr. Walker advanced money to a trusted employee to help tide over a crisis.
For many years, Mr. Walker spent most of his time at the construction sites, supervising and working right along with the men. He would travel from one job to another on a bicycle. As the company prospered, he began using a horse and buggy, and later, the family automobile.
One of John Walker’s first jobs other than sidewalks was the Alakea Slip in Honolulu Harbor. The $168,000.00 contract was a large one for a young company. The 1906 Public Works Department Report stated, “Next to the construction of the Nuuanu Dam, the extensive improvements to the Government property along the Honolulu Harbor front…form the most important public works undertaken during the present administration”.
Two other Public Works contracts awarded to John Walker in 1905 were for a new electric plant building in downtown Honolulu, and new oil tank at the Beretania Street Pumping Station. Between these projects and continuing sidewalk construction, the company began making money and, equally important, a reputation for high quality and efficient work.
One of the most crucial factors in construction work was then – and still is – the ability to figure costs and make realistic, accurate bids. Mr. Walker developed his own system – one that was unconventional, but worked effectively. His daughters recall their father sitting at the huge dining room table surrounded by plans, drawings, and papers, working with figures, while several children fought, played, chattered, and generally created havoc around him. It seems that John Walker was an exceptionally patient man and one with unusual powers of concentration.
By 1905, there were seven children, six girls, and one boy, in the Walker household. In order of their births: Kathleen, Sophie, Dorothy, Mae, John, George, Barbara, and Flora.
A Hand in Hawaii's History
In 1907, the Hawaiian Legislature appropriated $20,000.00 for the construction of a royal tomb and monument. The contract for the major part of this project was awarded to John Walker. This was the first of many buildings constructed by John Walker, which are historically significant.
Queen Lili'uokalani outlined the plans in a letter to the Governor. Half of the money was to go for a monument to King Kalakaua, Lili'uokalani's brother, and his wife, Queen Kapiolani. The monument would consist of a round granite pillar, 24-feet high, resting on a solid granite base. The rest of the money for a tomb for Lili'uokalani, her family, Mr. Cleghorn the father of Princess Kaiulani, and the remains of the kings brought from the Big Island years before by King Kamehameha IV. In July 1909, Walker & Company commenced work on the crypt. In June of the following year, the tomb, built in the shape of a Greek cross, was completed.
On the evening of June 25, 1910, an elaborate ceremony was held to transfer the royal remains to the new underground vault. Many Hawaiian chiefs and their retainers were present, dressed in the ancient feather capes of their respective ranks. Accompanied by ceremonial torches and chanting, the coffins were carried from the old mausoleum and set in place in the vault. Later, Walker workmen cemented the alcoves and faced the whole interior with marble slabs. The completion of the royal tomb and monument marked the end of the Walker Company’s first decade.
The company had prospered sufficiently by 1910 to allow John Walker the luxury of a trip to Scotland. This was his only trip back to his childhood home, nearly 25 years after his arrival in Hawaii. Soon after returning from Scotland, Mr. Walker was awarded the contract for a large reservoir on the rocky hill behind Punahou School. This was the first of several reservoir projects, including the one in Nuuanu Valley, which the company built for the Public Works Department.
A year later, the company started construction of Sacred Heart Catholic Church opposite Punahou School on Wilder Avenue. The church remains today essentially as it was built, and presents an excellent example of the hollow tile process invented by John Walker. The tile, which simulates lava rock, was made by hand in the company yard. Sheet metal forms were hammered in such a way the when the concrete was tamped in and dried, it took on a rough, lava-like surface. The "Walker" tile was used extensively in Honolulu’s buildings during this period. Mr. Walker secured a patent on the process and until the advent of poured and reinforced concrete construction, the company continued to manufacture this type of tile for its own use. In 1913, he expanded his business activities to include the presidency and management of A.B. Johanson Mill Co., Ltd. which specialized in doors, sash, blinds, and moldings. He also became vice president of Honolulu Contractors & Draying Co., Ltd. (HC&D), and is listed as such in Husted's Directory of Honolulu and the Territory of Hawaii.
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On the evening of June 25, 1910, an elaborate ceremony was held to transfer the royal remains to the new underground vault. Many Hawaiian chiefs and their retainers were present, dressed in the ancient feather capes of their respective ranks. Accompanied by ceremonial torches and chanting, the coffins were carried from the old mausoleum and set in place in the vault. Later, Walker workmen cemented the alcoves and faced the whole interior with marble slabs. The completion of the royal tomb and monument marked the end of the Walker Company’s first decade.
The company had prospered sufficiently by 1910 to allow John Walker the luxury of a trip to Scotland. This was his only trip back to his childhood home, nearly 25 years after his arrival in Hawaii. Soon after returning from Scotland, Mr. Walker was awarded the contract for a large reservoir on the rocky hill behind Punahou School. This was the first of several reservoir projects, including the one in Nuuanu Valley, which the company built for the Public Works Department.
 Sacred Heart Catholic Church |
Portrait of a Perfectionist
At some point after coming to Honolulu, John Walker developed an abiding interest in the culture of the hibiscus, the flower of Hawaii. In the garden of his King Street home and in the lot adjacent to the company office were many hibiscus varieties, which he originated. Over the years, he created some 2,500 new varieties. Cuttings from his hibiscus collection were sent to many parts of the world.
John Walker accomplished a feat of cultivation that was considered a milestone event among hibiscus growers. After years of experimentation, he was the first person to succeed in growing a double white hibiscus. This won him an impressive silver trophy from another hibiscus enthusiast, Dr. Gerrit Wilder. Evidently, Mr. Walker pursued his hobbies as whole-heartedly as he did his business interests.
Considering Walker’s interest in plants, it seems fittings that his company was awarded the contract to build the island’s Plant Inspection and Quarantine Buildings. This was in 1917 at a cost of around $13,000.00. If that figure seems unbelievably low today, remember that fifty years ago many people, John Walker included, were buying sizable plots of land near downtown Honolulu for as little as $2,000.00. Mr. Walker’s landholdings included the area where the State Capitol now stands.
Throughout his life, he invested money, when he had it to spare, in land—fee simple land only and never on credit.
As the number and size of the company’s contracts grew, Mr. Walker sought someone who could share in directing the construction work and financial interests of the company. In 1920, Alfred W. Olund became associated with John Walker and in 1922, became a partner of the firm.
Of Swedish descent, Olund was born and raised in Minnesota. After earning his engineering degree, he immediately went to work in the construction field. By the time, Mr. Olund joined the Walker Company; he had acquired 20 years of varied construction experience on the mainland and in Hawaii, and was considered a brilliant engineer.
At the end of December 1920, John Walker was awarded a $132,000.00 contract to build a Laboratory Building for the College of Hawaii, which later became the University of Hawaii. The building was of reinforced concrete throughout. One of the problems connected with this project was described in the Public Works Report for 1921; "On making excavations, it was discovered that a considerable portion of the building would rest upon adobe soil, which makes a very unstable foundation. Therefore, an earth augur was devised and holes 11 inches in diameter were drilled to a solid bearing varying in depth from 9 to 25 feet. These holes were filled with reinforced concrete forming a pile cast in place...42 piles were cast."
This is a good illustration of the care, which John Walker habitually took to insure the stability and quality of whatever he built. Excerpts from a letter written by Mr. Walker during this period gives further evidence of his determination to maintain the highest of construction standards. This following is a letter addressed to a fellow contractor who shall be nameless:
Hawaii Timeline - 1920 - Olympian Duke Paoa Kahanamoku (1890-1968) puts Hawai'i in the spotlight with gold metals, as he did with his 1912 Olympic medal for the world record in the 100-meter freestyle and as he would again in 1924 and 1928.
"On the 26th day of November 1920, I signed a contract with the City and County of Honolulu to build a reinforced concrete slab over the Ward Street drain...I gave you a 50% interest in this job....
"On the first two days of the start of this contract, I helped you to organize the workmen and get the job started right. Since then, and until the present time, you were given all your own way with the exception that on one or two occasions I called your attention to details and methods whereby you could save a whole lot of labor and accomplish more work...and on numerous occasions having more men on the job than you could work to advantage, etc., all of which advice you took no notice of whatsoever...."
"...In building the forms to support the concrete slab, which required far more skill and care than any other part of the job, you plainly showed your lack of interest, although the class of labor which you had to do this end of the work with needed all the instruction and advice that you could give them. Almost every time that I passed along the job during this part of the work, you were either sitting down taking little or no interest in what was going on, or you would be fooling away your time talking to someone else a long way from where the men were working..."
"In view of the above facts and with all due respect, I cannot allow you to handle any work on any of my contracts on your own initiative."
Very truly yours,
John Walker
John Walker accomplished a feat of cultivation that was considered a milestone event among hibiscus growers. After years of experimentation, he was the first person to succeed in growing a double white hibiscus. This won him an impressive silver trophy from another hibiscus enthusiast, Dr. Gerrit Wilder. Evidently, Mr. Walker pursued his hobbies as whole-heartedly as he did his business interests.
Considering Walker’s interest in plants, it seems fittings that his company was awarded the contract to build the island’s Plant Inspection and Quarantine Buildings. This was in 1917 at a cost of around $13,000.00. If that figure seems unbelievably low today, remember that fifty years ago many people, John Walker included, were buying sizable plots of land near downtown Honolulu for as little as $2,000.00. Mr. Walker’s landholdings included the area where the State Capitol now stands.
Throughout his life, he invested money, when he had it to spare, in land—fee simple land only and never on credit.
As the number and size of the company’s contracts grew, Mr. Walker sought someone who could share in directing the construction work and financial interests of the company. In 1920, Alfred W. Olund became associated with John Walker and in 1922, became a partner of the firm.
Of Swedish descent, Olund was born and raised in Minnesota. After earning his engineering degree, he immediately went to work in the construction field. By the time, Mr. Olund joined the Walker Company; he had acquired 20 years of varied construction experience on the mainland and in Hawaii, and was considered a brilliant engineer.
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This is a good illustration of the care, which John Walker habitually took to insure the stability and quality of whatever he built. Excerpts from a letter written by Mr. Walker during this period gives further evidence of his determination to maintain the highest of construction standards. This following is a letter addressed to a fellow contractor who shall be nameless:
Hawaii Timeline - 1920 - Olympian Duke Paoa Kahanamoku (1890-1968) puts Hawai'i in the spotlight with gold metals, as he did with his 1912 Olympic medal for the world record in the 100-meter freestyle and as he would again in 1924 and 1928.
"On the 26th day of November 1920, I signed a contract with the City and County of Honolulu to build a reinforced concrete slab over the Ward Street drain...I gave you a 50% interest in this job....
"On the first two days of the start of this contract, I helped you to organize the workmen and get the job started right. Since then, and until the present time, you were given all your own way with the exception that on one or two occasions I called your attention to details and methods whereby you could save a whole lot of labor and accomplish more work...and on numerous occasions having more men on the job than you could work to advantage, etc., all of which advice you took no notice of whatsoever...."
"...In building the forms to support the concrete slab, which required far more skill and care than any other part of the job, you plainly showed your lack of interest, although the class of labor which you had to do this end of the work with needed all the instruction and advice that you could give them. Almost every time that I passed along the job during this part of the work, you were either sitting down taking little or no interest in what was going on, or you would be fooling away your time talking to someone else a long way from where the men were working..."
"In view of the above facts and with all due respect, I cannot allow you to handle any work on any of my contracts on your own initiative."
Very truly yours,
John Walker
The Walker & Olund Years
On April 1, 1924, the company was incorporated under the name Walker & Olund, Ltd. The business section of the Honolulu Advertiser carried the following announcement:
"Under the firm name of Walker & Olund, Ltd., a new contracting concern was authorized yesterday to organize with a capital of $35,000.00 by Edward S. Smith, acting territorial treasurer. The stock will have a par value of $100.00 a share, and the company is privileged to extend the capitalization not to exceed $75,000.00."
"Officers of the new organization are: John Walker, President; A.W. Olund, Vice President and Treasurer; U.J. Rainalter, Secretary; and the Henry Davis Audit Company, Ltd., Auditor."
The Affidavit of Incorporation filed March 28, 1924, lists the subscribers for shares of Walker & Olund:
At the end of 1924, the Public Works Department awarded to Walker & Olund the largest contract the firm had undertaken up to that time. This was a contract to build the Hawaii Territorial Office Building on King Street. The first unit, completed in 1926, was a one-story reinforced concrete building to house all of the territorial departments, records, and archives. Walker & Olund then built the second unit; a central tower of four stories, installed the sidewalks, and graded the grounds around the building. The total contracts for the Territorial Office Building amounted to over $450,000.00, a very impressive sum in those days. Construction of a new Territorial Mental Hospital ay Kaneohe was begun in 1926. Walker & Olund were the contractors for most of the hospital complex, with contracts totaling over $772,000.00.
Transporting workers and materials from Honolulu to Kaneohe and back each day was quite an undertaking. Gasoline-powered trucks were in use by then, but they were not long on horsepower, and the Old Pali Road was a steep and winding two-lane affair. Often in bad weather, the trucks were forced to turn around at the Pali and head back to Honolulu.
Walker & Olund worked steadily from 1926 to 1934 on the hospital complex, with as many as 100 men working there at one time. They built several ward buildings, an administration building, a doctors’ cottage, a rooming house, a laundry and power house. They also installed the sewage and water distribution system, fenced the site, and laid the concrete sidewalks.
When the company began work on the first buildings at Kaneohe, the whole area was infested with mongoose. This caused the construction workers considerable grief. No matter how well they hid their lunches the mongoose devoured everything by lunchtime. Fred Robello, an early employee of the company who eventually became truck foreman in charge of all equipment, was a truck driver at the time. He recalls that the workmen’s solution to the mongoose problem was to put on blue hospital shirts to get in line with the patients. This worked well, until one day Dr. McIntosh, the hospital administrator, noticed some "patients" with whom he was not familiar. Evidently, he took it as a good joke, but nonetheless, the men had to go back to competing with the mongoose for lunch.
Masaichi Shiraki, second of the five Shiraki boys, started working for Walker & Olund in 1925 as a timekeeper. He was the first timekeeper the company employed. The large number of employees the company’s work required had made Mr. Walker’s "honor system" obsolete.
Hawaii Timeline - 1927 - Matson placed the deluxe passenger ship SS Malolo into service between San Francisco and Honolulu, timing the inaugural voyage with the opening of the new Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.
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"Officers of the new organization are: John Walker, President; A.W. Olund, Vice President and Treasurer; U.J. Rainalter, Secretary; and the Henry Davis Audit Company, Ltd., Auditor."
The Affidavit of Incorporation filed March 28, 1924, lists the subscribers for shares of Walker & Olund:
| John Walker | 150 | $15,000.00 |
| A.W. Olund | 150 | $15,000.00 |
| U.J. Rainalter | 1 | $100.00 |
| I.N. Gratz | 1 | $100.00 |
| Russell V. Roberts | 1 | $100.00 |
| 303 | $30,300.00 |
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Walker & Olund worked steadily from 1926 to 1934 on the hospital complex, with as many as 100 men working there at one time. They built several ward buildings, an administration building, a doctors’ cottage, a rooming house, a laundry and power house. They also installed the sewage and water distribution system, fenced the site, and laid the concrete sidewalks.
When the company began work on the first buildings at Kaneohe, the whole area was infested with mongoose. This caused the construction workers considerable grief. No matter how well they hid their lunches the mongoose devoured everything by lunchtime. Fred Robello, an early employee of the company who eventually became truck foreman in charge of all equipment, was a truck driver at the time. He recalls that the workmen’s solution to the mongoose problem was to put on blue hospital shirts to get in line with the patients. This worked well, until one day Dr. McIntosh, the hospital administrator, noticed some "patients" with whom he was not familiar. Evidently, he took it as a good joke, but nonetheless, the men had to go back to competing with the mongoose for lunch.
Masaichi Shiraki, second of the five Shiraki boys, started working for Walker & Olund in 1925 as a timekeeper. He was the first timekeeper the company employed. The large number of employees the company’s work required had made Mr. Walker’s "honor system" obsolete.
Hawaii Timeline - 1927 - Matson placed the deluxe passenger ship SS Malolo into service between San Francisco and Honolulu, timing the inaugural voyage with the opening of the new Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.
Three New Landmarks
Concurrently, with the Kaneohe Hospital project, Walker & Olund contracted to out up several important buildings in Honolulu. The first of these, built in 1927, was a new main office building for the Bank of Hawaii. Located at the corner of King and Bishop Streets, the bank building was a landmark for 40 years, until its destruction in 1968. The stately Spanish-style four-story building was constructed of concrete block, with a tile roof, tall round-arched windows, and a portico with pillars.
In the same year, Walker & Olund built the Honolulu Stadium. On May 21, 1927, the Advertiser gave the opening of the stadium a two page spread under the headline, "Stadium’s New Ball Park Is One of Finest of Its Kind in the Country; Steel, Concrete Grandstand Cost $40,000." The article declared, "Honolulu fans today will be introduced to a brand new ball park, when the gates at the Stadium are thrown open to receive all visitors, who will be shown one of the most complete and up to date plants in the country…."
The following year, Walker & Olund began the construction of Honolulu Hale, better known as City Hall. The amount of the contract exceeded $714,000.00. Today Honolulu Hale continues to house the offices of the Mayor, the City Council, and the principal staff agencies. Constructed of reinforced concrete with the familiar red tile roof and stucco exterior, the building is distinguished by carved stone work on columns, balconies, and entrances, done by Italian sculptor Mario Valdastri. Downtown Honolulu in 1928 still contained a good deal of open space as is evident from a record book kept of work on City Hall. The first entry, dated August 8, 1928, notes: "Started working on City Hall. Cutting down trees as shown on plan. Clearing brush."
Fred Robello recalls that lunch breaks on the job at City Hall were enlivened by a little penny-ante gambling. Perched on 4" x 4" beams at the top of the elevator shaft, he and other workmen would be enjoying their game when invariably a policeman would appear down below. There would then follow a fast scramble as money, cards, and dice were whipped out of sight. In the process, the men frequently picked up a collection of splinters in hands and legs.
"Excavation so far shows hard coral…Boom on shovel broke at 10:45 a.m. Must be replace….
"Laying out and excavating front wall footings…Mr. Olund, Mr. Rothwell, Mr. Walker on job…unearthed old decayed coffin and fragments of skull…
"Blasted at noon…not much good. Took proper precautions to warn the public while blasting. 50 lbs. tin of dynamite, to be used on job, buried in sand pile with red flag…Using 2 guns to break coral, one drill for powder…slow progress on account of hard coral…
"Used blasting mats - - Cautioned powder men to use every possible means to cover shots and to use as little as possible for results. Not to hurry and take a chance of any kind…Mr. Walker here 9:30 a.m. Helped with grades…
"Complaint came this morning that one pane of glass was broken in window of Kawaihau Church, caused by fragments from blasting. This does not seem very likely; yet we are replacing same…"
 |
The following year, Walker & Olund began the construction of Honolulu Hale, better known as City Hall. The amount of the contract exceeded $714,000.00. Today Honolulu Hale continues to house the offices of the Mayor, the City Council, and the principal staff agencies. Constructed of reinforced concrete with the familiar red tile roof and stucco exterior, the building is distinguished by carved stone work on columns, balconies, and entrances, done by Italian sculptor Mario Valdastri. Downtown Honolulu in 1928 still contained a good deal of open space as is evident from a record book kept of work on City Hall. The first entry, dated August 8, 1928, notes: "Started working on City Hall. Cutting down trees as shown on plan. Clearing brush."
 Honolulu Hale |
 Honolulu Hale Dedication |
Fred Robello recalls that lunch breaks on the job at City Hall were enlivened by a little penny-ante gambling. Perched on 4" x 4" beams at the top of the elevator shaft, he and other workmen would be enjoying their game when invariably a policeman would appear down below. There would then follow a fast scramble as money, cards, and dice were whipped out of sight. In the process, the men frequently picked up a collection of splinters in hands and legs.
"Excavation so far shows hard coral…Boom on shovel broke at 10:45 a.m. Must be replace….
"Laying out and excavating front wall footings…Mr. Olund, Mr. Rothwell, Mr. Walker on job…unearthed old decayed coffin and fragments of skull…
"Blasted at noon…not much good. Took proper precautions to warn the public while blasting. 50 lbs. tin of dynamite, to be used on job, buried in sand pile with red flag…Using 2 guns to break coral, one drill for powder…slow progress on account of hard coral…
"Used blasting mats - - Cautioned powder men to use every possible means to cover shots and to use as little as possible for results. Not to hurry and take a chance of any kind…Mr. Walker here 9:30 a.m. Helped with grades…
"Complaint came this morning that one pane of glass was broken in window of Kawaihau Church, caused by fragments from blasting. This does not seem very likely; yet we are replacing same…"
The Double Legacy of John Walker
On the morning of September 30, 1928, John Walker suffered a stroke while at his beach house in Lanikai. He was taken to Queen’s Hospital, where he died October 2. His obituary listed the surviving family members as "the widow and seven children, the latter being Mrs. Malony (Kathleen), wife of Lieutenant George Malony, U.S.A., now in Tientsin, China; Miss Sophie Walker, Mrs. U.J. Rainalter (Dorothy), wife of the secretary of the Hawaiian Trust Company; Mrs. Connell (Mae), wife of Lieutenant Byron J. Connell, Navy Aviation and Co-Pilot with John Rodgers of the historic flight to Hawaii; John G. Walker, and the Misses Barbara and Flora Walker, now attending the University of California at Berkeley."
Mentioned also were some of the firm’s more important projects, including the Territorial Office Building, Honolulu Hale, Piers 8, 9, 10 and 11, the Kaneohe Hospital, the St. Louis College buildings on River Street, and annex to Bishop Museum, the Japanese Methodist Church, Sacred Heart Church, secondary buildings at Punahou, and the College of Hawaii’s Laboratory Building.
Among the most touching tributes to John Walker’s life and work came from those who deeply appreciated the beauty he had created through his cultivation of the hibiscus. Under the title, "He Created Beauty", the following appeared in a local newspaper.
"In the death of John Walker, last Tuesday, Honolulu lost a man who, quiet and unassuming though he was, was one who could truthfully be called one of our best citizens. If John Walker had never done anything else, his work in creating hundreds of not thousands of new varieties of hibiscus would entitle him to the gratitude of the people of Hawaii. It is largely due to his work along this line that Honolulu has a beauty peculiarly its own…."
The Star-Bulletin carried a memorial written by Mr. Fred Giles of the Salvation Army, which said in part:
"…What infinite delight the national flower has brought to numerous thousands; had it continued in its original setting of eight indigenous varieties, the hibiscus would have established itself as a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but multiplied, through pollenization and cross pollenization, into its present status of 6,000 varieties, it has gathered to itself a pleasing popularity that extends to the far reaches of the earth. And here it is that the hand of John Walker is seen. For 30 years he has transferred his pastimes to his garden, and 2,500 of the 6,000 varieties of hibiscus owe their existence to the whole-hearted devotion and ingenuity of this man…"
On December 4, 1928, a special meeting of the stockholders of Walker & Olund was held. The capital stock was recorded as: A.W. Olund, 150 shares, J.G. Walker and Sophie K. Walker, Executors of the Will of John Walker, deceased, 150 shares; and U.J. Rainalter, J.G. Walker, and R. Shiraki, 1 share each. The following resolution was adopted:
"WHEREAS John Walker, President and Director of Walker & Olund, Limited since its incorporation was, on October 2, 1928, taken from us by death
RESOLVED, that we, the stockholders of the Company record our personal sorrow and our deep sense of the loss to Walker & Olund, Limited and to ourselves, and that we pay tribute to the memory of our honored associate as a wise counselor and loyal friend, a man who will be deeply missed by many…"
Following her husband’s death, Sophie Walker was named vice president and a director of the company.
Mentioned also were some of the firm’s more important projects, including the Territorial Office Building, Honolulu Hale, Piers 8, 9, 10 and 11, the Kaneohe Hospital, the St. Louis College buildings on River Street, and annex to Bishop Museum, the Japanese Methodist Church, Sacred Heart Church, secondary buildings at Punahou, and the College of Hawaii’s Laboratory Building.
Among the most touching tributes to John Walker’s life and work came from those who deeply appreciated the beauty he had created through his cultivation of the hibiscus. Under the title, "He Created Beauty", the following appeared in a local newspaper.
"In the death of John Walker, last Tuesday, Honolulu lost a man who, quiet and unassuming though he was, was one who could truthfully be called one of our best citizens. If John Walker had never done anything else, his work in creating hundreds of not thousands of new varieties of hibiscus would entitle him to the gratitude of the people of Hawaii. It is largely due to his work along this line that Honolulu has a beauty peculiarly its own…."
The Star-Bulletin carried a memorial written by Mr. Fred Giles of the Salvation Army, which said in part:
"…What infinite delight the national flower has brought to numerous thousands; had it continued in its original setting of eight indigenous varieties, the hibiscus would have established itself as a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but multiplied, through pollenization and cross pollenization, into its present status of 6,000 varieties, it has gathered to itself a pleasing popularity that extends to the far reaches of the earth. And here it is that the hand of John Walker is seen. For 30 years he has transferred his pastimes to his garden, and 2,500 of the 6,000 varieties of hibiscus owe their existence to the whole-hearted devotion and ingenuity of this man…"
On December 4, 1928, a special meeting of the stockholders of Walker & Olund was held. The capital stock was recorded as: A.W. Olund, 150 shares, J.G. Walker and Sophie K. Walker, Executors of the Will of John Walker, deceased, 150 shares; and U.J. Rainalter, J.G. Walker, and R. Shiraki, 1 share each. The following resolution was adopted:
"WHEREAS John Walker, President and Director of Walker & Olund, Limited since its incorporation was, on October 2, 1928, taken from us by death
RESOLVED, that we, the stockholders of the Company record our personal sorrow and our deep sense of the loss to Walker & Olund, Limited and to ourselves, and that we pay tribute to the memory of our honored associate as a wise counselor and loyal friend, a man who will be deeply missed by many…"
Following her husband’s death, Sophie Walker was named vice president and a director of the company.
A Variety of Projects and Problems
One of Hawaii’s oldest business establishments, C. Brewer and Company, Ltd., engaged Walker & Olund to build a new head office building in downtown Honolulu. Work began on October 7, 1929. Located at the corner of Fort and Queen Streets, the C. Brewer building remains today a lovely and gracious example of the architectural style popular in this period. A detailed record of the construction of the C. Brewer building includes vivid descriptions of a few mishaps along the way:
"New Ford truck doesn’t seem to be holding up. Generator froze. Fan belt rubbing on water hose and rear end powerful lot of noise…"
"Cable on bucket of Universal Shovel broke. Bought 68 feet of half-inch cable. J. Whaley, a laborer, had a piece of steel from cable break off and fly in his eye and was sent to Dr. Morgan and from him to hospital."
"New Ford truck rear end busted on level road without any load. Sent to Universal Motors to make good."
"Received photos of stone Moiliili Rock No. 1 - - Disapproved. Kaimuki stone approved with modifications…"
"B. Hiyashi (the engineer) saw Sheriff for permission to blast and he says doesn’t need permission as the entire responsibility rests with us. While blasting broke three windows in Inter-island office."
Ben Hiyashi, today head of his own contracting firm, began his construction career in 1926, as an engineer for Walker & Olund. He was much involved in the work on the C. Brewer Building and recalls how painstaking the work on the stone exterior was. Each lava rock had to be fitted, set, and joined exactly according to strict specifications. Frequently parts of the stone work had to be torn down and done over, due to the Japanese masons’ lack of experience with that type of stonework.
Across the street from the C. Brewer site was the Hackfield Building, which was later called American Factors. The exterior of the Hackfield Building was of squared-off lava rock in a style called "ashlar". This was done by Portuguese masons who were expert in this style, and it was this skill the Japanese masons were trying to master.
The old Hackfield Building was torn down years ago, but the C. Brewer Building remains just as it was built, a charming anachronism amid the modern towers of downtown Honolulu.
In the next few years, Walker & Olund constructed a variety of projects: new offices and showrooms for Universal Motors, a pumping and aerating station in Nuuanu Valley for the Board of Water Supply, the engine and aircraft overhauling plant at Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station, and the Pali Cutoff portion of Kamehameha Highway.
In 1931, Mr. Olund announced his candidacy as a Democrat for the election of the Territorial House of Representatives. The Advertiser, under the headline, "Olund Enters Race for Seat in the House - - Local Contractor Will Run on Democratic Ticket", quoted Olund as saying, "there should be at least a healthy minority in the Legislature or at least a 50-50 break". Hawaii was heavily Republican at that time and for a highly successful businessman and a Caucasian at that to run on a Democratic ticket was no everyday occurrence. His bid was unsuccessful, however.
John Walker’s only son, John George Walker, died of a heart attack in 1932, just four years after his father. Still a young man, he had been actively engaged in the company’s work. He left a wife and one child. Mr. Olund was thereafter solely in charge of the construction work of the company and the daily business decisions, advised by Mrs. Walker as vice president.
In the years 1932-34, the Walker & Olund Company contracted for, among other projects, the completion of the Kaneohe Hospital complex. The Navy awarded the company a $146,000.00 contract for new storage facilities for aviation parts at Pearl Harbor. Walker & Olund constructed the 141 by 263 foot building and installed the water, sewage, and drainage piping necessary for service lines to the new storehouse. The minutes of the annual meeting of stockholders in 1934, list Sophie Walker as holding 299 shares, A.W. Olund and U.J. Rainalter with one share each. Mr. Olund apparently had turned over to Mrs. Walker all but one of his shares in the company.
Hawaii Timeline - 1936 - The Hawai'i Clipper, a Martin M-130 flying boat with private compartments, sleeping berths and gourmet dining, made the first San Francisco Bay to Honolulu flight in 21 hours, 33 minutes with seven customers paying $360 each way.
In 1936, the Public Works Department awarded Walker & Olund a road building contract for $144,000.00 for the construction of the portion of Kamehameha Highway running from Aiea Depot to Pearl City. With the completion of this section, Kamehameha Highway connected Honolulu and Wahiawa.
In 1936, the Public Works Department awarded Walker & Olund a road building contract for $144,000.00 for the construction of the portion of Kamehameha Highway running from Aiea Depot to Pearl City. With the completion of this section, Kamehameha Highway connected Honolulu and Wahiawa.
The year 1939 was a crucial one for Walker & Olund. The previous year’s financial statement reflected an overall loss in earnings and the Board of Water Supply job promised to make 1939’s statement even gloomier. Mr. Olund, due to internal problems, was asked to resign. Several of Walker & Olund’s key employees left the company at the same time, partly out of loyalty to Mr. Olund and partly because they realized the firm was in financial trouble.
Mrs. Walker and the other company directors searched for someone capable of pulling the firm back together. They found this person in Max Moody. Announcements were circulated stating: "effective contracts will be in charge of Mr. Max W. Moody. Mr. A.W. Olund had resigned to continue the contracting business with other interests".
 C. Brewer Building |
 C. Brewer Building |
"Cable on bucket of Universal Shovel broke. Bought 68 feet of half-inch cable. J. Whaley, a laborer, had a piece of steel from cable break off and fly in his eye and was sent to Dr. Morgan and from him to hospital."
"New Ford truck rear end busted on level road without any load. Sent to Universal Motors to make good."
"Received photos of stone Moiliili Rock No. 1 - - Disapproved. Kaimuki stone approved with modifications…"
"B. Hiyashi (the engineer) saw Sheriff for permission to blast and he says doesn’t need permission as the entire responsibility rests with us. While blasting broke three windows in Inter-island office."
Ben Hiyashi, today head of his own contracting firm, began his construction career in 1926, as an engineer for Walker & Olund. He was much involved in the work on the C. Brewer Building and recalls how painstaking the work on the stone exterior was. Each lava rock had to be fitted, set, and joined exactly according to strict specifications. Frequently parts of the stone work had to be torn down and done over, due to the Japanese masons’ lack of experience with that type of stonework.
Across the street from the C. Brewer site was the Hackfield Building, which was later called American Factors. The exterior of the Hackfield Building was of squared-off lava rock in a style called "ashlar". This was done by Portuguese masons who were expert in this style, and it was this skill the Japanese masons were trying to master.
The old Hackfield Building was torn down years ago, but the C. Brewer Building remains just as it was built, a charming anachronism amid the modern towers of downtown Honolulu.
In the next few years, Walker & Olund constructed a variety of projects: new offices and showrooms for Universal Motors, a pumping and aerating station in Nuuanu Valley for the Board of Water Supply, the engine and aircraft overhauling plant at Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station, and the Pali Cutoff portion of Kamehameha Highway.
In 1931, Mr. Olund announced his candidacy as a Democrat for the election of the Territorial House of Representatives. The Advertiser, under the headline, "Olund Enters Race for Seat in the House - - Local Contractor Will Run on Democratic Ticket", quoted Olund as saying, "there should be at least a healthy minority in the Legislature or at least a 50-50 break". Hawaii was heavily Republican at that time and for a highly successful businessman and a Caucasian at that to run on a Democratic ticket was no everyday occurrence. His bid was unsuccessful, however.
John Walker’s only son, John George Walker, died of a heart attack in 1932, just four years after his father. Still a young man, he had been actively engaged in the company’s work. He left a wife and one child. Mr. Olund was thereafter solely in charge of the construction work of the company and the daily business decisions, advised by Mrs. Walker as vice president.
In the years 1932-34, the Walker & Olund Company contracted for, among other projects, the completion of the Kaneohe Hospital complex. The Navy awarded the company a $146,000.00 contract for new storage facilities for aviation parts at Pearl Harbor. Walker & Olund constructed the 141 by 263 foot building and installed the water, sewage, and drainage piping necessary for service lines to the new storehouse. The minutes of the annual meeting of stockholders in 1934, list Sophie Walker as holding 299 shares, A.W. Olund and U.J. Rainalter with one share each. Mr. Olund apparently had turned over to Mrs. Walker all but one of his shares in the company.
Hawaii Timeline - 1936 - The Hawai'i Clipper, a Martin M-130 flying boat with private compartments, sleeping berths and gourmet dining, made the first San Francisco Bay to Honolulu flight in 21 hours, 33 minutes with seven customers paying $360 each way.
In 1936, the Public Works Department awarded Walker & Olund a road building contract for $144,000.00 for the construction of the portion of Kamehameha Highway running from Aiea Depot to Pearl City. With the completion of this section, Kamehameha Highway connected Honolulu and Wahiawa.
In 1936, the Public Works Department awarded Walker & Olund a road building contract for $144,000.00 for the construction of the portion of Kamehameha Highway running from Aiea Depot to Pearl City. With the completion of this section, Kamehameha Highway connected Honolulu and Wahiawa.
The year 1939 was a crucial one for Walker & Olund. The previous year’s financial statement reflected an overall loss in earnings and the Board of Water Supply job promised to make 1939’s statement even gloomier. Mr. Olund, due to internal problems, was asked to resign. Several of Walker & Olund’s key employees left the company at the same time, partly out of loyalty to Mr. Olund and partly because they realized the firm was in financial trouble.
Mrs. Walker and the other company directors searched for someone capable of pulling the firm back together. They found this person in Max Moody. Announcements were circulated stating: "effective contracts will be in charge of Mr. Max W. Moody. Mr. A.W. Olund had resigned to continue the contracting business with other interests".
The Moody Style
Max Washington Moody was born February 22, 1903, in Fay, Nevada. His parents, George and Elizabeth Hammond Moody, later moved to California, where he spent most of his youth. He graduated from Santa Monica High School and the California Institute of Technology. After earning his B.S. in civil engineering, he went to work as a draftsman for the Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico.
On September 2, 1925, he married Elva Jean Smith in Santa Monica.
From 1925 to 1927, Max Moody was employed by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads as an engineer, working on highway construction in various parts of California. In 1927, he became a partner in the California Lawn Sprinkler Company. Their work involved installing irrigation and sprinkling systems throughout Southern California and Arizona. The company was small and Moody and his partner worked right alongside the men digging trenches, sometimes by hand, and threading and laying pipes.
As the national economic situation deteriorated in the early thirties, the demand for sprinkler and irrigation systems declined. In addition, after six years, Max Moody was feeling somewhat bored and frustrated with the sprinkler business. He began watching the bid advertisements at the local post office. One day in 1933, he came across a bid notice advertised by the Navy for the installation of a complete irrigation system and some landscaping at the naval ammunition depot in Lualualei, Hawaii. Considering his experience, the job sounded like something he could handle. He sent for the plans, studied them, and mailed off a bid of $46,880.69.
Since Max Moody had never been to Hawaii and could not afford a trip over to look at the job he was bidding on, he was taking a bit of a gamble, to say the least. He received the Navy’s notice to proceed on February 16, 1934. He also was informed that his bid was just over half the amount submitted by the next lowest bidder, a local contractor.
The contractor was required to put up a bond, which was another problem. Max Moody applied to his father who mortgaged his own home and loaned his son the money. Max then booked passage for Hawaii for himself, his wife, and their two children, Janis and Ross. In addition, he took two men who had worked with him in the sprinkler business, Arville Bean and Mac McGookin, and their families. No one involved in the gamble had at that point the faintest notion what he or she were getting into.
The three families sailed for Hawaii on the Malolo early in 1934. Upon arriving and getting the families settled in the Blaisdell Hotel in Honolulu, Mr. Moody rented an automobile and drove out that same day to Lualualei. The suspense he must have experienced is easily imagined. Never having seen a keawe tree before and not knowing how difficult they might be to uproot, he was confronted with acres and acres of keawe and underbrush which he had contracted to clear.
Mr. Moody installed his family in a rented house in Nanakuli, and hired the workmen he needed from among the community’s residents. As the work progressed, it became clear that he would do well just to break even on the job. Luckily, other contracts came along, most of them Navy jobs. In 1935, Max Moody built a motion picture theater for the Naval station and massive foundations for the Lualualei radio station towers - a job which represented a complete departure from his previous work.
His son, Ross Moody, recalls that once a week the three families drove into Honolulu in an old truck for a day of shopping and errands. The road from Nanakuli to Honolulu being what it was, the trip was an all-day affair and an exciting event for those from the rural community. In those days, there was no electricity in that part of the island. Everyone used kerosene or gas lanterns. Other amenities and conveniences also were lacking. All in all, the Moodys, as recent arrivals from the mainland, felt somewhat like pioneers.
Max Moody remained in Nanakuli working on various contracts for several years. The Lualualei complex was gradually expanded with the addition of houses, roads, etc. During this time, Mr. Moody frequently used the services of Chester Clarke, who operated a quarry and owned a large and complicated diesel-electric shovel.
The shovel operator, John Nichols, had a hot temper and an uncanny ability to handle the unpredictable machine. Through this association the three men, Max Moody, Chester Clarke, and John Nichols, became lifelong friends.
Ross Moody’s first job working for his father was as a water boy during the construction of a tunnel at Lualualei. His job was to carry water to the men working back in the tunnel. Max Moody recalls feeling more than a little anxious about this job, as his experience at tunnel building up to that time was nonexistent. Apparently, no one else knew very much about tunnel construction either in those days. It was a case of learning by doing. There was one incident Ross Moody recalls during the construction of the tunnel at Lualualei. The tunnel had a cable car to lower men and equipment to the pump gallery. One day the cable broke and the car loaded with equipment hurdled down the track. Max was alone at the bottom and heard it coming. His only escape was to jump behind the concrete car just as the car shattered against it sending debris and equipment over his head.
Over the next few years, he contracted to build a number of tunnels for the Navy and the Board of Water Supply. He also laid railroad tracks for the Navy, built some housing and a power plant, and continued to freelance as a contractor. Meanwhile, the family moved from Nanakuli to a home in Kalihi Valley.
 Max & Elva Jean Moody |
From 1925 to 1927, Max Moody was employed by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads as an engineer, working on highway construction in various parts of California. In 1927, he became a partner in the California Lawn Sprinkler Company. Their work involved installing irrigation and sprinkling systems throughout Southern California and Arizona. The company was small and Moody and his partner worked right alongside the men digging trenches, sometimes by hand, and threading and laying pipes.
 Max Moody |
Since Max Moody had never been to Hawaii and could not afford a trip over to look at the job he was bidding on, he was taking a bit of a gamble, to say the least. He received the Navy’s notice to proceed on February 16, 1934. He also was informed that his bid was just over half the amount submitted by the next lowest bidder, a local contractor.
The contractor was required to put up a bond, which was another problem. Max Moody applied to his father who mortgaged his own home and loaned his son the money. Max then booked passage for Hawaii for himself, his wife, and their two children, Janis and Ross. In addition, he took two men who had worked with him in the sprinkler business, Arville Bean and Mac McGookin, and their families. No one involved in the gamble had at that point the faintest notion what he or she were getting into.
 Ross & Janis Moody |
 Diamond Head Out Of The Malolo |
 The Moodys On The Malolo |
 Max & Elva Moody In Hawaii |
 Max Moody & Family At Pali Lookout |
 Ross Is Up Front |
 Pearl Harbor Battleships |
 Looking Towards Sandy Beach |
 Just A Day At The Beach |
 Max And Family |
 Pali Lookout |
 Ross Checking Out The Big Island |
 Ross & Janis Moody On A Bulldozer In Nanakuli |
 Ross Camping In Backyard In Nanakuli |
 Clearing Lualualei |
 Road Houses Lualualei |
 Moving Rocks |
 Max Moody In White Shirt Checking Job |
Ross Moody’s first job working for his father was as a water boy during the construction of a tunnel at Lualualei. His job was to carry water to the men working back in the tunnel. Max Moody recalls feeling more than a little anxious about this job, as his experience at tunnel building up to that time was nonexistent. Apparently, no one else knew very much about tunnel construction either in those days. It was a case of learning by doing. There was one incident Ross Moody recalls during the construction of the tunnel at Lualualei. The tunnel had a cable car to lower men and equipment to the pump gallery. One day the cable broke and the car loaded with equipment hurdled down the track. Max was alone at the bottom and heard it coming. His only escape was to jump behind the concrete car just as the car shattered against it sending debris and equipment over his head.
 Family Girls For Day At The Beach |
 Meeting Friends At Sea Plane Honolulu |
 Erecting Antenna at Lualualei |
 Installing Ground System |
Weathering the Storm
As noted earlier, the Walker & Olund Company was in financial difficulty when Mr. Moody became manager in 1939. The building for the Board of Water Supply continued to cost the company money, and there were a number of accounts receivable on which the company was unable to collect. Work on projects already contracted for continued through 1940. The company was still in a rather precarious position financially when, in 1941, Mr. Moody became president as well as manager, and the company name was changed to Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd. The following notice was published in the local newspaper:
"The firm of Walker-Moody Construction Co., Ltd., formerly doing business as Walker & Olund, Ltd., is one of the oldest contracting companies in the islands."
"Its construction of the new Water Board Building, which formally opens tonight, is only one of its important projects carried to successful completion."
"This firm was started in 1895 by John Walker for the construction of sidewalks, and gradually expanded so that at the present time it is thoroughly equipped to handle any kind of job."
"Among some of the large contracts within the last 10 years are:
At the present time, the organization has over 100 employees working on 10 contracts…amounting in all to nearly a million dollars."
 Walker-Olund Piikoi Street Office |
 Notice - Max Moody to become new president of Walker-Olund |
"Its construction of the new Water Board Building, which formally opens tonight, is only one of its important projects carried to successful completion."
 Diamond Head |
 Ross, Janice & Mom In Hilo Hawaii |
 Ross & Janice Looking For A Raise |
 Kona Hawaii |
 Hilo Hawaii |
| Territorial Office Building | $456,000.00 |
| Pier II | $620,000.00 |
| Territorial Hospital | $590,000.00 |
| City Hall Honolulu Hale | $756,000.00 |
| C. Brewer Building | $333,000.00 |
| Navy Storehouse Extension | $140,000.00 |
| Kamehameha Highway Section | $190,000.00 |
| University Science Building | $129,000.00 |
| Navy Cold Storage Building | $250,000.00 |
At the present time, the organization has over 100 employees working on 10 contracts…amounting in all to nearly a million dollars."
| 1938 (As Walker-Olund) | |
| Kaimuki Park | $2,126.00 |
| Kokokahi | $1,863.00 |
| Libby, McNeil and Libby | $10,737.00 |
| H.P. Lanai | $4,443.50 |
| Universal Motors | $11,350.12 |
| Spaulding Residence | $6,509.52 |
 |
 Erecting Power Poles |
| 1939 (As Walker-Olund) |
|
| University Home Economics Building | $70,220.23 |
| Kaimuki Park Improvements No. 4 | $2,409.34 |
| Honolulu Iron Works A & C Hangar | $8,240.00 |
| Egholm Residence | $6,798.33 |
| Associated Oil Company | $19,467.61 |
| Commercial Pacific Cable Company | $4,680.00 |
| Uluniu Women's Club | $6,266.72 |
 Pali Lookout Towards Kaneohe |
 Ross & Janice In Honolulu |
 Walker-Olund I.D. Badge |
| 1940 (As Walker-Olund) |
|
| Bostwick Apartments | $22,667.00 |
| Ala Moana Sewage | $77,769.00 |
| Cold Storage Building Pearl Harbor | $241,700.00 |
| McKesson Robbins | $6,052.00 |
| Board of Water Supply Building | $232,688.77 |