SWANZY Beach Park, on the Windward Coast of O'ahu island, was named after Julie Judd Swanzy who donated the land to the City and County of Honolulu.
During the 1920s the local government was considering opening a public beach park. Mrs Swanzy, who lived about a mile from the proposed site in Kualoa - and who had inherited Kualoa from her father - was not happy at the thought of having such a development so close to her country home.
To protect her privacy, Mrs Swanzy - from one of the most prominent families on O'ahu - offered to donate five acres of beach land at Ka'a'awa if the original plan was shelved.
The offer was accepted on condition that Mrs Swanzy add another narrow strip of land about a mile down the beach for use as a park, and an additional acre inland from that for a school.
The larger gift of land was designated Ka'a'awa-nui Park, and was renamed Julie Judd Swanzy Park in 1950, nine years after her death. She had been notable for her work with Honolulu's Public Playground and Recreation Commission, of which she had been president for many years.
Mrs Swanzy's land was originally acquired by her grandfather, Dr Gerrit P Judd, who arrived in Hawaii in 1828 with American missionaries. He served in the court of Kamehameha III in many responsible offices including that of minister of finance.In 1850 he bought 627 acres in Kualoa from the king. It was the start of more than 140 years of one family's ownership of Kualoa's lands.
When Dr Judd died in 1873 the land passed to his son Colonel Charles Hastings Judd, then adjutant general of the kingdom's modest military forces under King William C Lunalilo.
Col Judd added more land to the family estate. Kualoa and its adjacent lands - totalling more than 4,000 acres - passed to his daughter Julie.
Born in Hawaii, Julie acquired her surname by marrying Dubliner Francis Mills Swanzy in 1887. At that time Swanzy was a relatively common surname in Ireland.
Mr Swanzy was managing director of sugar company Theo H Davies and Co and president of many of Hawaii's largest corporations.
The son of John and Margaret Francis Swanzy, the businessman had arrived in Honolulu in 1880, aged 30.
This article originally appeared in Planet Swansea which was published by the South Wales Evening Post.
During the 1920s the local government was considering opening a public beach park. Mrs Swanzy, who lived about a mile from the proposed site in Kualoa - and who had inherited Kualoa from her father - was not happy at the thought of having such a development so close to her country home.
To protect her privacy, Mrs Swanzy - from one of the most prominent families on O'ahu - offered to donate five acres of beach land at Ka'a'awa if the original plan was shelved.
The offer was accepted on condition that Mrs Swanzy add another narrow strip of land about a mile down the beach for use as a park, and an additional acre inland from that for a school.
The larger gift of land was designated Ka'a'awa-nui Park, and was renamed Julie Judd Swanzy Park in 1950, nine years after her death. She had been notable for her work with Honolulu's Public Playground and Recreation Commission, of which she had been president for many years.
Mrs Swanzy's land was originally acquired by her grandfather, Dr Gerrit P Judd, who arrived in Hawaii in 1828 with American missionaries. He served in the court of Kamehameha III in many responsible offices including that of minister of finance.In 1850 he bought 627 acres in Kualoa from the king. It was the start of more than 140 years of one family's ownership of Kualoa's lands.
When Dr Judd died in 1873 the land passed to his son Colonel Charles Hastings Judd, then adjutant general of the kingdom's modest military forces under King William C Lunalilo.
Col Judd added more land to the family estate. Kualoa and its adjacent lands - totalling more than 4,000 acres - passed to his daughter Julie.
Born in Hawaii, Julie acquired her surname by marrying Dubliner Francis Mills Swanzy in 1887. At that time Swanzy was a relatively common surname in Ireland.
Mr Swanzy was managing director of sugar company Theo H Davies and Co and president of many of Hawaii's largest corporations.
The son of John and Margaret Francis Swanzy, the businessman had arrived in Honolulu in 1880, aged 30.
This article originally appeared in Planet Swansea which was published by the South Wales Evening Post.
Swanzy Beach Park sign.
Swanzy Beach.
