Maui’s critical role during WWII: Presentation at Kīhei-Wailea Rotary, April 15

Maui’s role during WWII was critical and evolving – from rest and relaxation, to training and planning. In this presentation at the Kīhei-Wailea Rotary Club, Dr. Scott Fisher will share the shifts as well as residents’ recollections of Maui following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack at Pearl Harbor. Attendees will learn the little-known role that Maui played in the lives of soldiers, sailors, and marines in the ‘island hopping’ campaign through the south and central Pacific. 

Dr. Fisher was born and raised on Maui. His fascination with history and the Second World War led him to enlist in the Marine Corps and serve in combat with the First Marine Division during the First Gulf War.

While in graduate school, Scott conducted an oral history project collecting residents’ recollections of WWII Maui. The project was funded through the Fred Baldwin Foundation and sponsored by the Maui Historical Society. Many of the stories shared in the April 15 presentation will be from this work.

For the past 22 years, Scott has worked for the Hawai’i Land Trust and currently serves and the Director or ʻĀina Stewardship where he leads the ecological restoration work across the Hawaiian Islands.

The presentation will take place at Kīhei Lutheran Church, located at 220 Moʻī Place in Kīhei. Social time and a light lunch will begin at 11:15 a.m., followed by the program from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Guests may also attend online via zoom. Link is on mauirotary.org. 

The Rotary Club of Kīhei-Wailea has been supporting the South Maui community since 1978 and the Lahaina recovery efforts since 2023. Their goal is to give back and give forward to the betterment of the community. 

RSVP to president@RCKW.org.