Moving Past Statehood: The Remarkable Evolution of Hawaii
After Statehood in 1959, many State leaders, including Governor John A. Burns, was keenly interested in the future of Hawai’i. Or more specifically, the idea of that time was that a community and government partnership should plan for a future that is “best” for Hawai’i.
The 1960s became the unstoppable “go-go” decade for Hawai’i: economic growth driven by mass tourism growth and a wide range of new jobs, at Pearl Harbor Shipyard, finance, construction, hospitality, military bases, and airlines. The Big Agriculture-based “Big Five” multi-product/services corporations that dominated the Hawai’i economy from family businesses of the 19th century were increasingly not relevant in the “new” economy of that time. For example, Amfac amazingly did agri-business in sugar plantations and retail via a department store called Liberty House, plus hotel development.
In the late 1960s Governor Burns led a drive to establish the Hawaii Commission on the Year 2000, which ultimately led to the development of the Quality Growth Policy for the State of Hawaii. He was interested in what alternative futures could be projected for the State, just barely a decade old. (If Governor Burns was alive today, he would be very interested in China, Internet e-commerce, and renewable energy – amazingly, he led the creation of the East-West Center in the early 1960s.)
The host for this episode was Jay Fidell.
The host for this episode was Jay Fidell.
The host for this episode was Jay Fidell.