Eugene Ichinose, ballroom dance force
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Ballroom dancing in Hawai'i lost its biggest booster Sunday with the passing of Eugene Ichinose.
Together with his late wife, Harriet, Ichinose founded the nonprofit Hawai'i Dance Association in June 1959 and was the driving force in getting the city to build a palladium at the Ala Wai Golf Course clubhouse. Now known as the Hawai'i Ballroom Dance Association, the organization has about 2,000 members and 16 chapters on O'ahu, two on the Big Island and one on Maui, said the association's longtime auditor Wilbert Sakamoto.
Ichinose
"His dream was to have ballroom dancing spread out in all the communities and definitely, I would say he was the one that made it happen in Hawai'i," Sakamoto said of Ichinose, who died at The Queen's Medical Center after a long illness at age 97.
Eugene's twin brother, the late "Sad" Sam Ichinose, was a prominent boxing promoter in Hawai'i. "The Ichinoses were fighters who grew up in Mo'ili'ili and went to McKinley High School," Eugene Ichinose Jr. said of his father, who outlived seven brothers and two sisters.
Eugene Ichinose, however, did his fighting in other ways.
He is best known for successfully leading the drive to build the second-floor dance palladium at the Ala Wai golf clubhouse. "In one word, he was definitely a leader, like a taisho," Sakamoto said. "His dream was to have that ballroom. He pursued it for years with the city and was the one who made it happen."
Harriet Ichinose, who died in July 1996, brought enthusiasm, grace and personality to ballroom dancing while her husband was the dance instructor, organizer and pitchman for the association.
At an August 1983 testimonial for Ichinose, Tom Ueno noted, "By organizing and training a large team of dedicated volunteers, Eugene has succeeded in offering (dance) classes to (HBDA members) at a very nominal cost. Through his dedication, hard work and hard-headedness, Eugene has succeeded in teaching dancing to more than 15,000 people throughout Hawai'i."
Ballroom dancing was his passion but Ichinose, a University of Hawai'i graduate, made his living as a jeweler. He was the owner of Uptown Jewelers and, at one time, also had one of the largest pig farms on the island.
When Ichinose won his 1991 Jefferson Award, HBDA member Lorraine Shirai told The Advertiser, "He's the publicity man for the association. He's the editor of the association's newspaper. He writes articles. He trains dance instructors and often pays for lunch for the volunteers out of his own pocket."
Ichinose is survived by sons Eugene Jr. and David, daughter Susan, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
His funeral is March 29 at 6 p.m. at Hosoi Mortuary.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
