Club History

The early days

The Kiwanis Club of Pearl Harbor was founded by Max Templeman who was a former member of the Kiwanis Club of Wahiawa-Waialua. The club was started because the members wanted a club located between the Wahiawa-Waialua and the Airport Kiwanis clubs. Other Kiwanis clubs in the state at the time included: Honolulu, Kaneohe, Waikiki (disbanded), Windward Oahu (disbanded), Kauai, West Kauai (disbanded), Kahului, Maui (disbanded), Hilo (disbanded), and East Hawaii.

Some of the charter members included Kenji Uejo, Scot Kubota and Frank Tong. After the club was chartered some members from Wahiawa-Waialua transferred over to Pearl Harbor including Jack Satow and David Bumanglag. 

Original sponsored youth clubs

In the early days of the club Pearl Harbor sponsored the Key and Keywanette Clubs from Campbell High School (both disbanded), the Key Club of Waipahu High School, the Key Club of Pearl City, and  the Key Club of Aiea High School. Pearl Harbor also became the sponsor of the Key Club of Leilehua High School and the Key Club of Mililani High School both of which were previously sponsored by Wahiawa-Waialua.

The Key Club of Pearl City High School was formed by a former member of the Key Club of Waipahu High School who transferred to the newly opened Pearl City High School. The Key Club of Aiea High School was one of the first co-ed Key Clubs in the state alongside the Key Club of Iolani School. Also former member of the Aiea Key Club and current Pearl Harbor Kiwanis member Lea Nakamura was the first female Division 22 Key Club Lt. Governor.

Signature projects

Some of the club's early signature projects included running the Ewa Carnival and an annual Key & Keywanette Club camp.

The Ewa Carnival was an annual event held on the Ewa city park located near the old Ewa sugar mill. Originally the event was run by the Ewa Community Association and when the Association was looking for another group to run the carnival Pearl Harbor stepped in. The Ewa Carnival had rides, games, food booths, plant sales, etc. 

The annual Key & Keywanette Club camp was held at Camp Erdman located on the North Shore of Oahu. It was a weekend event for education, fun, and fellowship for the approximately fourth sponsored youths and Kiwanians who attended. The beginning portion of the camp focused on discussions about Kiwanis, Key, and Keywanette Clubs and member and officer responsibilities. The rest of the days were spent participating in various games and outdoor events (swimming, hiking, etc.). Friday nights were spent around a campfire enjoying skits, games, and ghost stories. On Saturday nights a casino night and auction was held. The prizes were auctioned and sold using chips the students won during the casino night.