By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

The untold story of President George W. Bush's visit to Hawai'i last week is about one of Adm. Bull Halsey's hats, the stiff-brim kind with scrambled eggs on it. Admirals wear hats like that aboard battleships.

It is not likely that Halsey wore this particular hat when he was on board the USS Missouri, his flagship as 3rd Fleet commander during World War II. Then again, who knows?

What we do know is that his hat went on display in a case beside the conference table in the captain's cabin of the museum battleship a few hours before the president sat there for a briefing on the military situation in the Pacific.

"I wasn't there, but he had to have seen it," said Mike Weidenbach, curator of the Missouri, who engineered

the nick-of-time arrival of Halsey's hat. "Quite a grand opening for a new exhibit, wouldn't you say?"

So here's the story of how far a curator will go to put some zing into his museum. The hat turned up on eBay recently and caught the eye of Lee Collins, a USS Missouri staff member, who told Weidenbach, who contacted the owner.

This was one Harry E. McCormick on the Mainland, who put the hat up for sale to help put his two kids through college. It is not clear where McCormick got the hat, but it had been donated by Halsey in the 1940s to the Army & Navy Relief Association.

"It looks new," said Weidenbach. "But it's signed and the insignia is embroidered on.

It may be that the admiral put it on once and then donated it to charity."

McCormick wanted about $5,000 for the hat, but nobody met his price. What better place for it than the USS

Missouri, former flagship of the famous fighting admiral? Since McCormick couldn't afford to give it away, Weidenbach cast about for a USS Missouri supporter to buy it.

That turned out to be Honolulu attorney Stuart Cowan. His favorite charities are the USS Missouri and the Scottish Rite Foundation for Children.

"I'm a Master of the Masonic Lodge," Cowan explained. "I've already given two antique cars to the USS Missouri Memorial Association — a '57 Thunderbird and a '71 Jaguar. The T-Bird sold for $21,000 and went to Austin, Texas.

"A fellow in Georgia bought the Jaguar for $20,000 and had it flown to his father, who is dying of cancer. His father had always wanted to own a classic Jaguar."

Cowan offered $4,900 for the hat, hoping friends would chip in later. McCormick accepted the offer. Then began a frantic race to get the hat to Hawai'i in time for Bush's visit. It arrived by FedEx the evening before Bush arrived.

Weidenbach rushed it to Cowan aboard the Missouri. They opened the cardboard box and placed the hat reverently in the display case in the captain's cabin where the steward formerly kept USS Missouri silver under lock and key.

The rest is history.

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.