Charles Fern
Encyclopedia
Charles J. "Charlie" Fern (1888–1990), a barnstorming
Hawaii
aviator and newspaper pioneer, was a University of California, Berkeley
graduate and a World War I pilot. Fern lived to be 102.
, arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1919. With partner Ben Stoddard, they barnstormed in Honolulu at Kapi‘olani Park, where they flew passengers 10 minutes for $10 each. Fern’s plane, 20-gallon tank, two-cockpit, single-engine Jenny, was brought to the Islands on a Matson freighter. On February 1, 1920, Fern, who learned to fly in the Army Air Corps during World War I, carried the first paying passenger on an inter-island flight, giving him the distinction of being the first commercial pilot in Hawaii. In addition, on May 9, 1920, Fern made the first round trip between O‘ahu and Maui in the same plane and then flew on to Kaua‘i. He became known as “Mr. Kaua‘i" and was eventually inducted into the Hawaii Publishers Association Hall of Fame.
In 1927, he formed the first Kauai barefoot football league. In 1938, he built Kauai's first radio station, KOWY (renamed KTOH). During World War II, Charlie published the Cow Eye Sentinel, a weekly paper for soldiers stationed on Kauai. Eventually he became owner of The Garden Island, where he worked for 44 years, but sold the paper and radio station when he retired to Honolulu in 1966.
, nicknamed after him, also became a newspaper reporter, editor and, later, a White House speechwriter.
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
aviator and newspaper pioneer, was a University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
graduate and a World War I pilot. Fern lived to be 102.
Biography
Mr. Fern, who was raised in the Madison Barracks community in Sackets Harbor, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1919. With partner Ben Stoddard, they barnstormed in Honolulu at Kapi‘olani Park, where they flew passengers 10 minutes for $10 each. Fern’s plane, 20-gallon tank, two-cockpit, single-engine Jenny, was brought to the Islands on a Matson freighter. On February 1, 1920, Fern, who learned to fly in the Army Air Corps during World War I, carried the first paying passenger on an inter-island flight, giving him the distinction of being the first commercial pilot in Hawaii. In addition, on May 9, 1920, Fern made the first round trip between O‘ahu and Maui in the same plane and then flew on to Kaua‘i. He became known as “Mr. Kaua‘i" and was eventually inducted into the Hawaii Publishers Association Hall of Fame.
In 1927, he formed the first Kauai barefoot football league. In 1938, he built Kauai's first radio station, KOWY (renamed KTOH). During World War II, Charlie published the Cow Eye Sentinel, a weekly paper for soldiers stationed on Kauai. Eventually he became owner of The Garden Island, where he worked for 44 years, but sold the paper and radio station when he retired to Honolulu in 1966.
Family
In 1922 Fern married Mary Gillespie. A son, Mike Fern, went on to become an editor at The Garden Island. A great-niece, Charlene "Charlie" FernCharlie Fern
Charlene "Charlie" Fern is an American speechwriter and journalist who served as First Lady Laura Bush's personal speechwriter for six years, first at the Texas Governor's Mansion, then at the White House, until 2002. Fern's speeches included the first Presidential radio address delivered by a U.S...
, nicknamed after him, also became a newspaper reporter, editor and, later, a White House speechwriter.