Park Is Dedicated To ‘Mr. Pearl City’
Friends, lawmakers and family gathered Oct. 29 to pay tribute to “Mr. Pearl City” at Manana Neighborhood Park in a community that the late Shigeo “Shige” Ushiro and wife Elaine helped build after settling there in 1968 with their four children.
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Pearl City Foundation and other community groups and friends honored the late Shigeo Ushiro Oct. 29 by renaming Manana Neighborhood Park for him and mounting a plaque in his memory. Among attendees at the blessing and dedication ceremony were (from left) state Rep. Gregg Takayama, City Councilman (and now elected state Senator) Breene Harimoto, Ushiro's widow Elaine and state Sen. Clarence Nishihara. Photo by Brandon Elefante.
The popular 4-acre park was rededicated Oct. 29 to Ushiro, complete with a Breene Harimoto-sponsored City Council resolution, a chorus of schoolchildren and a bronze plaque honoring his volunteerism and community leadership.
Much of the proof lies in a listing of his active involvement — Pearl City Foundation, Pearl City Community Association, Manana Community Association. He was a co-founder and leader of all three, but the kind of man who, friends say, would roll up his sleeves, get down to business and recruit others to do the same. Ushiro championed the swimming pool at Manana park, for example, spearheaded scholarship golf tournaments for Pearl City High students and was a master at selling barbecue chicken tickets.
Ushiro also was an advocate for public school students in his 31-year DOE career, primarily as principal of Highlands Intermediate School (1974-1986), where he was named principal of the year.
The plaque, which was paid for by personal friends, is mounted on the park wall.
It reads as follows: “Shigeo Ushiro Manana Neighborhood Park, Recognizing the Lifetime Contributions of Shigeo ‘Shige’ Ushiro, 19322010, Educator, Innovative Leader and Dedicated Supporter of the Pearl City Community.”
