Lloyd Osborne - President 1975-76

Lloyd Baker Osborne 1909 - 2001

Born in Newtonville, Mass Lloyd Osborne graduated from Phillips-Exeter Academy and Yale University, where he was captain of the swim team. He led an all-star US swimming team on a Pacific and Japan tour in 1931.

After earning his mechanical engineering degree, he passed up the 1932 Olympic tryouts in order to enlist as a Naval Aviator. He earn his wings in Pensacola in 1933. He was in the first squadron to land and take off from the world's first aircraft carrier, the U.S. Langley, a converted Navy oiler.

He worked as a mechanical engineer for Martin Aircraft in the design department before joining Pan Am. Martin Aircraft built the first 3 M130 Pan Am Clippers. One of his passengers while flying in the Caribbean was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was transferred to the Pacific and flew the Pan Am Clippers from Alameda, California to Honolulu and then on to Hong Kong.

He returned to Navy duty in 1941 as a junior officer at Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack on Dec 7. During the War he earn two combat Bronze Star Medals as Commander of an Air Control unit during amphibious operations at Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. He was later on the staff of Adm. Chester Nimitz.

After WWII, a unique type of air service called ‘flight seeing’ came into being. On April 2, 1946, Osborne started Hawaiian Air Transport Service Ltd, “a deluxe charter and tour service.” It provided non-scheduled service to all Territorial airports and provided special tourist sight-seeing flights to the Neighbor Islands, and charter services as required. After operating for about 4-years, Hans Mueller took over the certificate and expanded that operation into Hawaiian Air Tour Service (HATS,) a full-fledged flight-seeing operation. He was manager of the Kona Light and Power, Personnel manager of Hawaiian Dredging's Midway Island project. On August 13, 1959, over a thousand people gathered near the Sears’ end for the grand opening of Ala Moana Center. Lloyd Osborne was there; he was the center’s first general manager.

He and his wife ran the Glass Shack, which manufactured lamps and other decorative objects for 15 years. He was on the board of 'Iolani School for 25 years. The accomplishment that Joanie is most proud of is not her swimming, but the role she played in establishing Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park in Kona. Joanie lived in Kailua-Kona in the 1950s. During this period, she served on the Governor’s commission to save historical sites. Through her efforts, and others, the park was eventually created.

Lloyd joined EAH in 1961 and served as President in 1975. He also served as President of Kaapuni Community Association.

Joan (Joanie) Dowsett Osborne, born July 26, 1916, was the daughter of Herbert and Laura Dowsett; she was a descendant of Gerrit Parmele Judd, a missionary physician in the Third Company of American Protestant missionaries to the Islands. Judd later resigned from the mission and became an advisor and translator to King Kamehameha III.

Joanie was a member of the Punahou School class of 1933, attended the Schools at Dobbs Ferry in Westchester, NY and Tufts University of Occupational Therapy.

Although Joanie was a swimmer from an early age, marriage and childrearing interrupted her swimming until her mid-fifties. It was as senior swimmers that inspired Joanie to join competitive swimming with Lloyd in the Masters Swim events.

In 1984, at the age of 75, Lloyd set two national records, the 200-meter butterfly in 4:51:77 and the 200-meter individual medley in 4:01:34. He has numerous other accolades in swimming (from the 1970s to 1990s.) His last, in 1992, was 1st Place in 400 freestyle (8:08:40;) he was 82.

He swam competitively, he told a reporter in 1985, because he wanted to stay healthy enough to make one particular financial transaction: “I’d like to write a check dated Jan. 2, 2000.” (He made it.)

During 14 years of competition, Joanie was listed in the US Masters National Top Ten Times in 174 events: ranking first in 53 events; second in 29; third in 20; and fourth in 22. She has held 28 pool event USMS National Records, one Long Distance National Record and four Master’s Age Group World Records.

The accomplishment that Joanie is most proud of is not her swimming, but the role she played in establishing Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park in Kona. Joanie lived in Kailua-Kona in the 1950s. During this period, she served on the Governor’s commission to save historical sites. Through her efforts, and others, the park was eventually created.

The Osbornes had a house on Kailua Beach. Most folks who surf or walk the beach will recall a flagpole standing proud and tall near the edge of the beach. The surf spot “Flagpoles” is right offshore.

That was the home of Lloyd and Joanie Osborne and their family. On July 4, 1969, to honor both his nation and his state, and to salute other states and countries he had visited, Lloyd put up the 30-foot flagpole himself.

Lloyd died April 19, 2001 at the age of 92; Joanie, his wife of 63 years, died July 20, 2014, missing her 98th birthday by six days.