Author: unknown
Puka Puka Parades, September 1965, v. 18 no. 8
Death notice for Earl Finch, an honorary member of Club 100
Earl M. Finch, described by Governor John A. Burns as one “who couldn’t find it within himself to harbor animosity or enmity to his fellow man,” died on Aug. 26, 1965. He had suffered a heart attack several days before that.
Funeral services were held on Aug. 29 and was followed by burial at Diamond Head Memorial Park.
Earl, a native of Mississippi, became a “godfather” to the many AJ A servicemen stationed there during World War II.
One of the first Niseis to meet Earl in Mississippi was Richard Chinen (Med). He said this of Mr. Finch; – “We were fortunate to have known him because he was more like a father to us.
He stand out like a beacon in the dark in a state where the people looked upon the Niseis with suspicion.”
In Washington, U. S. Senator Dan Inouye was quoted as saying – “Here was a man who started his one-man civil rights movement 22- 1/2 years ago without fanfare, without demonstrations, without violence. And I think in many ways he was successful. We thank God that Earl Finch was there to greet us in Mississippi.
News accounts of 1944 and 1945 tell of Mr. Finch’ s generosity toward the returning disabled AJ A veterans, such as the time he took PFC Tamotsu Shimizu (A) of Ewa and T /Sgt. Robert Oda (Hq) of Honolulu on a night club tour of New York.
Governor Burns paid tribute to Earl Finch saying, “Earl was a shining example of the true spirit of “aloha.” He gave of himself freely to countless friends and to numerous charitable causes. We shall surely miss him.”