Alvin Tong Shim

Born in Wailuku, Maui on November 10, 1923, Alvin Tong Shim was the second child and first son of Henry and Helen Shim. As a young boy, he earned money shining shoes, cleaning yards, selling newspapers, and selling fruits from the family trees. He attended St. Anthony's School on Maui until the sixth grade. In 1935, not quite 12 years old and dressed in his best outfit and lauhala hat, he traveled by boat to Honolulu to attend the then Kamehameha School for Boys, graduating in 1941. After graduation and deemed "not college material," Alvin attended vocational school for 10 months learning...