Pearl Harbor Child: A Child's View of Pearl Harbor--From Attack to Peace

Offers a child's view of the war efforts in Hawaii, from her family's move to Pearl Harbor and the impact of the December 7, 1941 attack through the end of the war.

Dorinda Makanaonalani Stagner Nicholson is the daughter of Pansy Kaula Akona and Ishmael W. Stagner. She was born 10/19/35 at Queen's Hospital, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Her Hawaiian mother was employed by Pan American World Airways in 1940, and the family moved to Pearl City to be near the Clipper Base. Her Scotch-Irish father was a postal employee at the Honolulu Post Office. The family was living at 443 Jean Street on the Pearl City Peninsula on December 7, 1941, only a few hundred yards from Battleship Row, the main target of the Japanese attack.

The family witnessed the bombing from their front yard, then was evacuated from the area. They, with their neighbors, spend the rest of the day hiding in nearby sugarcane fields. That evening, the military police moved the evacuees to a recreation hall at the sugar plantation at Waipahu. They lived there for several days before they were allowed to return to their homes.

All of the war years (1941-45) were spent as civilians living in the middle of the harbor. But the Navy wanted all civilians our of the harbor area, and her family eventually lost the fight to keep their home. In 1952, they moved to Halawa Heights above the harbor, with a clear view of the Arizona Memorial.

Dorinda began her schooling at Sacred Hearts Convent in 1941. After December 7th, the convent was converted to a military hospital, so she completed first grade at Sacred Hearts Academy. From grades 2-7, she attended St. Andrew's Priory in downtown Honolulu. From 8th grade to graduation, she attended Punahou, graduating in 1953.

Her mother, Pansy, was a hula teacher until her death in 1980. She taught in the Pearl Harbor area, mostly to military wives, for a period spanning almost 40 years. Dorinda was her assistant, and went on to dance professionally for the USO, also appearing with Kent Girard and Hale Momi girls at Don the Beachcomber's and the Officer's Club at the Navy base. She was chosen to be the hula dancer on "Campus Canteen", a weekly TV show produced by KONA-TV. She went on to attend the University of Hawaii, and during her freshman year, was selected Kapalapala Yearbook Queen, and the lead in the "Legend of Naupaka", directed by Nona Beamer. She was a finalist for Miss hawaii, and won KGMB's 'Flight to Fame" contest for her hula performance. The prize was a trip to Hollywood, which took her to the mainland for the first time.

While there, she flew to Missouri to visit her father's family in Independence.She became a flight attendant for Braniff Airways, then married Larry Nicholson in Kansas City. She also worked for United Airlines for several years. She and Larry are the parents of four sons, Jeff,Greg, Andy and Ryan.

Dorinda continued performing the hula on the mainland, and organized a hula troupe. She also continued her education, completing A.A., B.A., M.A., and EdS degrees in Psychology. She currently works as a therapist for Research Mental Health Services in Kansas City, where she is chair of the professional Staff Organization.

She continues to serve on the Ethnic Enrichment Commission of Kansas City, appointed by the Mayor of Kansas City as the representative from Hawaii. Pearl Harbor Child is her first book, now in its 4th edition. A new video, hosted by Dorinda, "EYEWITNESS STORIES of the PEARL HARBOR ATTACK" has just been released, featuring her story, plus four other Pearl Harbor Survivors, both civilian and military, offering a unique combination of viewpoints of the attack in 1941.