(Instrumental music) Kalaʻi Miller / Host:   Aloha, I'm Kalaʻi Miller, and welcome to Home is  Here.

Living in Hawaiʻi, you’ve probably heard   the name Clarence T.C.

Ching.

It may have been  because of a scholarship or charitable donation,   or maybe you’ve seen his name on a building.

But who was Clarence T.C.

Ching?

That’s what   we’re gonna find out.

(Instrumental music)   Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew:  My name is Raymond Tam.

I'm the nephew of  Clarence Ching.

My mother was his oldest sister.

He loved to play golf.

He used to play golf all  the time.

I never played with him.

But he used   to see me at Waialae.

And he used to laugh and  encourage me because I was not that good.

He loved   to travel.

He loved to go to Las Vegas.

Basically,  he loved his work, his family and the enjoyment of   life.

He was a very good, humble, successful man.

Catherine Ching / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter: My name is Cathy Ching,   and I am the granddaughter of Clarence Ching.

I remember hearing stories of him shopping at   JC Penney's, as opposed to Liberty House,  which was the big, right, department store   at the time.

I remember him not driving a  fancy European car, it was always a typical,   you know, American made kind of car.

A very modest kind of lifestyle too,   which I appreciate.

I mean, I can as an adult,  now, I see there's value in that, you know, in   that not entitlement that groundedness  which is very different now from a lot of   people.

And when they make a lot of money,  they want to spend it and show off and be   flashy.

But I recall him - remembering his  humble beginnings and not being like that.

Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew: My grandfather came in 1881.

They brought Chinese workers, coolies, to work  either in the pineapple field, the sugarcane   field or the rice fields.

And he was brought to  Hawaiʻi to work in the rice fields in Kauaʻi.

They provided a shack for him so that you can  understand how they lived.

This was a shack for   he and his wife in the hillside of Anahola,  Kauaʻi.

No running water, no electricity.

So it was a really tough beginning.

Catherine Ching / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter: They had 11 children.

My grandfather was number five, I believe.

Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew:  My grandmother had bound feet.

Back in 1880s, this the in China   it was fashionable to bind a  girl's foot.

It made them very   attractive because the people with the  big feet had to work in the fields.

But as a result, she couldn't run.

She could hardly walk.

She could hardly stand up.

And because she could not run after the  children, when my mother was born in 1905,   she was the oldest daughter and my mother  then became the matriarch to run the family.

They're very poor, but they recognize that  Clarence was very bright, unusually bright.

So in the eighth grade, they sent him to Honolulu  to attend Saint Louis School.

And that was 1928.

They all pooled together, all their monies.

The  nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, pooled   it together to pay the tuition to Saint Louis.

And then the whole family emigrated to Honolulu.

He went to Saint Louis, he excelled.

He  became president of his class.

And he became   a featherweight champion boxer.

Catherine Ching / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter: My grandfather only   graduated from high school.

He didn't go  to college.

He didn't have the opportunity.

Like many you know, immigrant families.

Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew:  He wanted to go to work, so that he could make  monies to support his four younger brothers   to get the same good education that he had at  Saint Louis.

So he worked to pay their tuition.

So Bernard, Herbert, Gilbert, and Leonard all  graduated from Saint Louis at various years.

He married Dorothy Tom.

And my aunt Dot had a  grocery store.

Was a mom and pop store in Damon   Tract.

And the one feature about the store was  they had a liquor license, and you could sell   beer, wine, whiskey.

So when World War II occurred  December 7, 1941, on the very next day, December   8, martial law occurred.

The military came in.

They rationed everything.

Rationed gasoline for   the car.

Rationed butter, rice, meat, chicken.

So in order to buy all these products,   you had little coupons.

And so, the head of the Damon Estate   was Sam Damon.

Sam Damon loved his whiskey.

And so  he would go to the Damon Tract store and Clarence,   Uncle Clarence made sure that he gave him all the  liquor and whiskey he wanted by using everybody   else's ration cards.

Sam Damon and Clarence  became the very, absolutely best of friends.

One day, Clarence was going to San Francisco.

I believe it was Pan American, and there was   all open seating.

And by chance, Sam Damon  was also going to fly to San Francisco.

And high over the Pacific, Sam Damon said  to Clarence, “You want to buy the ahupuaʻa   of Moanalua?

He says sure how much?

He said $9  million.

Clarence laughed.

He said, “You gotta   be kidding me.

I don't have I don't even have  $9,000.

I can't pay you.” And Sam Damon said the   three words that are so important in this case.

He  said, “Clarence, I trust you.” And with that, they   shook hands on an agreement of sale.

No lawyers  around.

No real estate brokers, no CPAs.

Just the   two gentlemen sitting together on a handshake,  the ahupuaʻa of Moanalua, from Tripler Hospital,   all the way down to John Rogers Airport.

And that's how he started in real estate.

He came back home, called his classmate  K.J.

Luke, became partners and together,   they developed all these lands.

(Instrumental music)   Catherine Ching / Clarence  T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter:  My grandfather was a rather  quiet guy, pretty taciturn.

He was also really humble and unassuming.

So in business, I think he, he wasn't the   one out there doing the promotion,  and you know, the sales or anything,   he was more lets take care of the details  and behind the scenes.

So he partnered with   another gentleman, prominent member of  that community, K.J.

Luke.

And I think   they probably had a good partnership because  one was more outgoing, you know, and then   the other one was a little bit more behind the  scenes and they had complementary skill sets.

Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew: They developed the airport industrial park,   they developed the Shafter subdivision, the  Tripler subdivision, the Moanalua Valley   subdivision, the Red Hills subdivision, the  Salt Lake subdivision and get the bank going.

He was on the cabinet for Governor  Burns, Mayor Neal Blaisdell, who was   also a Saint Louis graduate, and George  Ariyoshi, who succeeded Governor Burns.

And so, yes, he was very influential, he was  part of the group, but we was always in the   background and he was extremely successful.

So  he wanted to give back to the community.

So he   bought 20 acres of land, downtown Honolulu from  King Street, to Vineyard Boulevard, from Liliha   Street, to Aʻala Street.

Built 822 free standing  apartments, and donated it.

And he called it Kukui   Gardens.

The rents were very low and it afforded  something that was really needed in Hawaiʻi.

They donated it to charity, he formed a foundation  called the Clarence T.C.

Ching foundation to give   back to the community.

Catherine Ching /   Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter: I think my grandfather had a lot of foresight.

His plan was once the Kukui Gardens  was sold, the proceeds would go into   the foundation.

And I was told that he  actually thought the sale would be about   $20 million back then.

But it did sell for  $132 million dollars.

So that's the price of,   you know, the real estate in Hawaiʻi.

And I think he would be surprised but,   but proud of what the foundation has been able  to accomplish, and hopefully it's in perpetuity,   and we can continue doing the right things  and sending keeping that message out about   doing well and giving back to the community.

Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew:  Clarence died in 1985, the property  was sold in 2007 by the trustees.

I can tell you that when he formed his foundation,  the Clarence T.C.

Ching Foundation, in it,   he provided that all the funds from this  foundation will go to Hawaiʻi residents.

This is where he made his home.

This is  where he wanted all of his funds to go to.

Catherine Ching / Clarence  T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter:  It's basically helping those  who the disadvantaged, children,   families.

Education is a really big thing.

Healthcare is another big one, but it's it's   pretty broad, and it's more about the  need in the community.

And fortunately,   we have a lot of great nonprofit organizations  here doing wonderful things to help our community.

It's a blessing to be on the board to  be able to support these organizations   doing the good work that Hawaiʻi needs.

Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew:  He did not want to have the limelight.

I'm  sure if he were alive, I am not sure he would   love to see his name spread around like it  did.

But we thought it was very important   to the people of Hawaiʻi, that they have  a role model to follow.

To give also back   to the community.

Catherine Ching /   Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter: Honestly, I think he would be a little bit   surprised, umm maybe embarrassed.

I'm not sure if  it's a little too strong of word, to see his name   on different buildings, like the PBS building.

I think it is important for people in the state   of Hawaiʻi to just to hear about a story and  you know, someone being successful, but also   thinking about how he can leave a legacy and how  he can help the community.

I think that's key.

I   think more people need to do it in our community  and that will make Hawaiʻi a stronger place.

Raymond Tam / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Nephew: He was special, humble, compassionate,   honorable.

That's how I would describe him.

Catherine Ching / Clarence T.C.

Ching’s Granddaughter: Growing up, we would have these   extended family parties get, you know, dinners for  holidays, and all of that.

And because you know,   I was young at the time, I didn't have a lot  of opportunities to sit down and talk to my   grandfather, I wish I did.

You know, as you get  older, you really want to pick someone's brain.

But it's all about I think it's about integrity,  and doing what you say you're going to do.

And   building relationships, because that's in the  end, that's, you know, whether it's family   relationships, friends, co workers, that's what  makes a person you know, to have a fulfilling life   is to have healthy relationships, you know, that  are supportive.

And I think that that's really   resonated with me, as I try to live my life.

I think my grandpa would be very proud of how much   the foundation has been able to accomplish  over the years.

Because it really is about   doing what's right for the community.

And  we've been fortunate to be able to do that.

(Instrumental music) Kalaʻi Miller/Host:   Have you ever tried solving one of these?

It looks simple, but for most people,   it’s anything but easy.

Yet, in Hawai‘i, there’s a  group of skilled cubers who can solve one in mere   seconds.

Meet the Hawaii Cubing Community.

Yulee Okazaki/Hawaii Cubing Community:  The Hawaii Cubing Community is a group of people,  Rubik's Cube enthusiasts.

They're anywhere from   about six years old to over 50 years old.

Today is an official World Cube Association   competition.

The kids are doing speed cubing,  which is just trying to solve a variety of puzzles   in as fast as they can.

The main puzzle that  most people know is the three by three, that's   the main event so that whoever wins that at the  end, is crowned the winner of this competition.

Matty Inaba/ Speedcuber: I am Matty Inaba.

And currently I am   the North American champion for the three by three  Rubik's cube.

And I'm also ranked seventh in the   world for the three by three.

(cube clicking)   How I started, I was in Japan and I was at  a department store and my mom, she was like,   we were like browsing the store and I saw a  Rubik's cube on the shelf and and I asked her,   originally, she was like, “No, I don't want  to get it for you because you won't be able to   solve it.” And then I convinced her, she bought  it from me.

We brought it back to Hawaii.

And I   first learned how to solve it off of a YouTube  video.

And I just I got addicted.

(Laughs)   Algorithms are sequences of moves that are  designed to solve a specific pattern on the   cube.

And that's, that's the main way you can  get faster just learning how to solve different   patterns in the fewest moves possible.

When trying to do algorithms in a solve,   you can’t really – it’s too slow if you think  about the individual moves so what we do is we   use muscle memory, where we pretty much like  force our brain to associate this pattern   with movements with our hands.

Once you see it.

You just go.

TPS is turns per second.

That's how fast you  turn it.

Efficiency is the term for like,   how many moves it takes to solve it from the  scrambled state.

And the lower your move count is,   the better your efficiency is.

And an average  is how you rank competitors and individual   competition.

You do an average of five,  you take out the best and the worst time   and you get the mean of the middle  three, that's your average of five.

And when somebody says they won a competition,  they had the best average of five in that round.

Anthony Carrillo/Speedcuber: My name is Anthony Carrillo.

This   is my second year cubing, seventh competition.

It helps with pattern recognition, memorization.

And it helps like, kind of get stress off  because you're moving your fingers and stuff.

But I would say the best thing is, is about how  you can keep getting faster.

Because my first   solve time was like eight minutes.

And then I  got down to a minute six, then 58, 48, 34, 20,   10.

And yeah, you can just keep going down.

So it  makes it fun.

And then if you're in a competition,   it's also challenging, because then you have to be  faster than other people to make the last round.

David Akamine/Speedcuber: It's a great way to kind of in a weird way, give   my brain a rest from some of the other things that  I do, you know, with work and personal life, it's   kind of a way to focus that energy into something  different that I can do for fun, as well as set   goals for things you know, so it's kind of a  improvement along with the, almost a distraction.

Taitum Tanouye & Travis Dumaran/Speedcubers: What I like about the Hawaii Cubing Community   is that all the kids mostly, mostly kids from  around the island and the whole chain of islands,   they come here and so we all get to  meet each other and make new friends.

Travis Dumaran: Yeah, I think that's the best   thing about cubing communities in general that  you meet new friends, you encourage each other   and yeah, watch each other as they improve.

And, for me, I guess what cubing taught me is   just to never give up because, like, when you go  into the competition, it's a completely different   setting than when you're solving the cube at  home.

And you'll often mess up but eventually   you'll get there.

Yulee Okazaki:  What I would tell somebody who's interested  is first just show up to a meet up.

The Cubing   Community is really good about inviting new  members teaching them how to cube showing   them different algorithms and different tips about  how to improve, they're good about introducing you   to other cubers.

I think what I appreciate the  most about it is that it's a really supportive   community so that everybody we've met on the  mainland or somewhere else, like, we all come   together like family and so that there's never a  winner or loser even though there is a official   podium for the competition, as it everybody  cheers each other's successes so that you get your   personal best score, everyone's happy for you.

Matty Inaba:  If you're hesitant to get into Rubik's cubing,  I would just say, just get into it.

Because   everybody starts out somewhere.

(Clapping)   Announcer: Your   three by three podium.

Kalaʻi Miller/Host:   On Maui, a non-profit is taking  a different approach to teaching   Hawaiian language.

It’s taking students  out of the classroom and allowing nature   to help them learn.

(Instrumental music)   Kimokeo Kapahulehua/Kimokeo Foundation president: My name is Kimokeo Kapahulehua.

I'm   the president of Kimokeo Foundation.

Our school is called Ke Ala Kūpuna.

Ke Ala   Kūpuna is the pathway of our ancestors.

We teach Hawaiian Immersion.

We’re not   academic.

We work with practitioners, you know.

We just a program development on Hawaiian   Immersion working with nature  and working with the kūpuna.

The key thing was to preserve our language,  the vision and mission were to preserve our   language, preserve our culture, and then  preserve our customs that go with that.

The deep, hidden secret of us,  the Hawaiians is in the language.

I think for every child in Hawai‘i,  whether you're Hawaiian or non-Hawaiian,   it's important for them to know their own place.

We call it pūnana, where they're born.

If you go   pūnana, you're born from this place.

You  should know everything from the place.

I think it definitely grounds them.

And I  think that every person in Hawaiʻi have a   sense of place.

And we have a connection.

We have a connection to nā poʻe ka lani,   the people of the heaven, nā poʻe  ka moana, are the people to sea,   na poʻe honua, the people of the land.

We have  a connection.

We have a living connection,   you know.

So I think it's really key to them.

So they definitely come in an environment like   this, it’s all green.

Here you can hear the sounds  of the heaven, the wind, the sounds of the land,   the birds.

And kūpuna say: (Speaking in Hawaiian)  As we plant, we’re gonna grow with the plant.

Kūpuna say e kana ne au ai ia o ka uluas  we plant, we're going to grow with the   plant, you know?

So they definitely come in a  environment like this.

It's all green, you know.

(Birds chirping) Joylynn Paman:  Here at Ke Ala Kūpuna, we have  this wonderful resource of laʻi.

And it's important for the ʻōpio or our youth  to understand what it can be used for, and so   we like to have them first go through the patch  and help us clean the kī or the ti leaf plants.

And it's important to malama it and care for it so  that it can grow new leaves.

And once the leaves   are taken down, then we utilize those leaves for  many different reasons, whether it be a hokupu or   offering that is given to someone else, or  to make a lei laʻi, a ti leaf lay that the   kids know that they can use a simple resource  like this and create something very special,   and that the lei laʻi not only signifies the  sacredness or that protection that laʻi gives,   but it also is a way for them to share their  aloha with the person who wears the lei.

20 years have gone by so quickly being  surrounded by Uncle Kimokeo and all the many   things that he does, I'm just a small part of his  lifestyle.

But now that he's older and I'm older,   now I see with more wisdom that it matters what  we do in life, and time is so much more precious.

He still has a good 10 years plus in front  of him, and he is determined to continue on,   and so I do my best to make him proud,  make him know that he has done a great job,   at least with me and my family, and this  is kind of a important moment in our lives,   because we're at that transition stage right now  where he's ready to hand everything off to the   ones that he's entrusted over all these years.

One of the things Uncle Kimokeo always says is   holomua, holomua, you know, just go with the  flow.

Yeah, and it's so true.

We come into so   many obstacles in life that you just have to flow  like water, and if you don't flow a certain way,   then sometimes you gotta find that little  crack to move into a different direction,   and then life takes you off in that  direction, and you just go with it.

We teach not just today's generation, but we  teach the current generation so they teach   others in the future, and that's how you really  make an impact that lasts for generations.

Uncle   Kimokeo has taught me it's not about us, it's  about how we affect what happens in the future.

Kimokeo Kapahulehua: Kimokeo Foundation is to preserve, perpetuate,   educate with the Hawaiian language.

And with the  Hawaiian language is to preserve the culture,   its environment and its health, and that's what  we want to do with our children.

And call it   inclusive environment, inclusive culture.

So we  want them to know that today, you know that we're   all mixed blood.

So we want them to include  inclusive environment, the Portuguese side,   the Hawaiian side, the Japanese side, the Filipino  side.

So we're a little fortunate with that,   that we can combine that.

Joylynn:  My hope for the foundation is that it continues  the legacy that Uncle Kimokeo has created.

He's   laid the foundation, literally the kahua  of where we should go.

What matters is our   actions and that we show our Aloha for each other  by doing whatever we can to keep moving forward.

Kalaʻi Miller/Host: Mahalo for joining us.

Because   of you we are able to share stories that explore  our history, highlight innovations and inspire.

If   you would like to support our mission to advance  learning and discovery, go to PBS Hawai‘i dot org   and click on the donate now button.

For  Home is Here, I’m Kalaʻi Miller.

A hui hou.

Raymond Tam: I loved him because he always gave me soda pop,   ice cream, candy.

And I used to always tell my  mother and father, let's go see Uncle Clarence,   because he would always give me these goodies.

Kimokeo:  I think it's really great for them to connect,  to know that we all have similarities and we all   have differences, and I think they'll understand  that.

He moku ka waʻa, ka waʻa he moku, there's   an island in a canoe and a canoe in the  island, and we're all in that canoe.