Nah, just kidding! I’m 100% Chinese-American!

On Saturday, though, I was made an Honorary Member of the German Benevolent Society of Honolulu at their August meeting!

Certificate of Honorary Membership presented to Katherine Crosier. The GBS Board and its membership would like to thank you for your selfless devotion to the Society and its mission of helping the less fortunate. You and Carl sacrificed countless hours to benefit the German Benevolent Society, and we are forever grateful. Danke schön.

This was a complete surprise to me and quite a bit overwhelming!

You may not know that the Germans were an important part of the history of Hawaii—there were three Germans aboard Captain Cook’s ship when he sailed into Honolulu Harbor in January 1778. Merchant Heinrich Hackfeld began the firm later known as American Factors Ltd. or Amfac, which still exists in the islands (they used to own the Liberty House department stores which are now Macy’s.) Paul Isenberg was a businessman and sugar plantation owner. In the late 1800s, Amfac brought 1,500 contract workers and their families from Germany to work on its plantations.

These two families were also responsible for founding the Lutheran Church of Honolulu in 1900—The Hackfelds and Isenbergs each donated $25,000 (an unheard-of sum in those days) to build a church and import a pastor and pipe organ from Germany. Such generous donations by the founders, their relatives, and friends meant plate offerings were unnecessary for the first 40 years of the church. Services were held in German until World War II.

The Germans have made important contributions to the musical scene in Hawaii as well. An important name in Hawaii history was Henri Berger (1844-1929), who was the founder of the Royal Hawaiian Band, the oldest municipal band in the United States, in addition to the Honolulu Symphony (which is now the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra). Berger was the composer of the state anthem, Hawai’i Pono’i, and was at one time the organist of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Berger befriended the future Queen Liliʻuokalani, a composer in her own right. Berger arranged the songs she wrote, performed by the brass band. The queen named Berger the “Father of Hawaiian Music”. From 1893 to 1903, the bandmaster worked with the Kamehameha Schools to develop its music program. (Wikipedia)

The German Benevolent Society was founded in 1858 and incorporated in 1889 to care for sick and indigent Germans in Hawaii. Over the years many church members were also members of the German Benevolent Society, and GBS meetings were held at the church. One of my first memories of a GBS meeting took place in Isenberg Hall and was presided by Willie Gramberg, who also happened to be a key church leader. Every August we used to have a GBS picnic at Kalama Beach Club and played games. I remember there used to be an annual German Christmas service, with the service completely in German, followed by a German Christmas dinner in Isenberg Hall. This service now has evolved into German Vespers on New Year’s Day, although it no longer is sponsored by GBS.

The GBS has contributed to many projects at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu (where I was organist for 35 years), including both Beckerath pipe organs, Meals on Wheels, the concert series and other outreach projects.

From the late 70s to 2014, my husband Carl was the treasurer of this organization. He attended their monthly board meetings and I tagged along to the annual and summer meetings as an Associate Member (non-German). We brought our keyboard to the Christmas luncheons and Carl played Christmas carols. Over the years I also helped them with their database and other computer needs, plus I typeset Bernhard Hörmann’s book, The Germans in Hawaii, which GBS published.

Ever since Carl died in 2014, though, I haven’t been getting any GBS mailings or been to any meetings, although I have kept in touch with Kathleen Gartrell, their secretary, when she’s had computer problems.

So, it was a bit of a shock to be recognized by the Society—but what was heartwarming was to see so many familiar faces. So many people came up to tell me how much they missed Carl. They also asked about my son, Stephen, because he used to come to all those GBS meetings with us starting when he was an infant—all those years! When Robby Ostrem, the GBS president, introduced me, he also announced that I was a new grandmother—and people were thrilled. Kathleen had even brought pictures of my grandson to show everyone.

P.S. LCH’s director of music and liturgy, Scott Fikse, became a new member of GBS at Saturday’s meeting!

Here is Malia Ka’ai-Barrett with the Royal Hawaiian Band, singing Henri Berger’s Hawai’i Pono’i, the state anthem.