ENAbout
It was at 1:10 a.m. on December 8, 1941 that Punahou's war-time fate was decided. Trucks of the Corps of Engineers rolled up to the main gate and Mr. Berger, guard in the vicinity, was informed that the Engineers were taking over the school equipment.
Unlike other schools in Hawai‘i, Punahou's wartime experience would be unique, due to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ occupation of the campus until 1944. Safety tunnels were built below ground; buildings were repurposed; and classes were moved to nearby homes and the University of Hawai‘i. Student and faculty “war work” efforts included bond and stamp sales to raise money for the U.S. government (nearly $7 million worth) and working shifts in the pineapple fields to help preserve the Territory’s most important agricultural industry.
