Interview with Harold Look

Abstract

Harold Look, eldest son of Tai Chan and Violet Look, was born in 1927, in Honolulu, Oʻahu. His father was an employee of American Can Company. Harold Look grew up in Pālolo Valley where he could hike and pick wild fruit. He had a newspaper route and caddied at a nearby golf course. During summers, he helped at his uncle’s piggery and worked in the pineapple industry at a cannery and at American Can Company. An alumnus of St. Louis School, he completed his studies in general agriculture at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1950. While still a college senior, he held jobs at the Moanalua Dairy and the Pineapple Research Institute. Following college graduation, he worked first on Molokaʻi, then Lānaʻi. On Lānaʻi, he was hired as a potential assistant superintendent in research. When he was not offered the permanent position but offered a lesser job, he opted not to continue employment. He leased and operated for seven years a piggery that was no longer run by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. While still operating the piggery, he was recruited as a substitute teacher. In 1957, he and wife Janet left Lānaʻi for Oʻahu so that he could pursue a degree in education. For almost three decades, he served as principal at various elementary schools.