A half century and five months ago, the statehood bonfire was a bonfire like no other in Hawai'i.

On March 12, 1959, a pile of logs and lumber 60 feet high, 50 yards in diameter and saturated with 2,000 gallons of kerosene was set ablaze on Sand Island at 7:25 p.m. and burned until 4 a.m. The fire marked the passage of Hawai'i's statehood bill by the U.S. House of Representatives, a day after the U.S. Senate had done the same.

Many still remember the blaze, but not as well as the few who had a hand in organizing it.

One of them was Michael Topolinski, who was the assistant fire chief at the Fort Shafter Fire Department, which later was moved to Tripler.

The Lions Club, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fort Shafter crew under the command of Topolinski were part of the International Statehood Bonfire event.

The Lions on O'ahu planned the event and the collection of materials and logs from not only Hawai'i but from all over the globe. Many logs came from the other 49 states and from as far as Germany and Australia. The Corps of Engineers helped build the huge pile of wood, using trucks, bulldozers, cranes and a helicopter. Commanding officer Col. Loyd Crawford set fire to the pile and lit up the night. Topolinski and his crew were on hand to monitor the blaze.

Topolinski managed to pull three partly burned logs from the flames for souvenirs. He cut them into 98 pieces and numbered them. Each piece was inscribed: "50th State Bonfire, Hawaii, March 12, 1959," with the recipient's name and a small photo of the fire pasted in the center.

The first souvenir piece was sent to President Dwight Eisenhower. Topolinski later received a letter from the president thanking him for the celebration and souvenir. Topolinski mailed the 98 pieces all over the United States, Canada, Hawai'i and even to the queen of England, who sent him a letter of thanks.

Topolinski, who retired in 1974, is now 88 and his recollection of the statehood bonfire is as clear as if it took place yesterday.

He said 75 percent of his fire crew were young men who came from the 100th Battalion and 422nd Regimental Combat Team and had joined the units right after the war.