Fred, thank you, however, I never heard they use Lei for departure, it’s a greeting gesture???
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2528691/posts?page=208#208
I have also always been under that impression, and that would make the need to obscure the friendly relationship between OSenior and Stanley Armour, in 1959, all the more perplexing...and possibly indicate they knew each other very well before arrival.
My personal estimation is that O Senior did not come straight from Kenya to Hawaii. He came from the US mainland, and how long he was there and just where he might have been is another question.
According to this website:
Prior to jet services, most visitors arrived and departed by steamship. “Boat Day” was a gala affair and the harbor docks were always crowded with friends, hula girls, musicians and lei sellers. It was a ritual for departing passengers to wait until their ships passed Diamond Head and then to throw a lei into the sea. If it drifted back to shore, it meant that one was assured of returning. Also, by throwing their leis toward shore, visitors felt they were returning a portion of aloha they received while visiting.
http://www.alohavip.com/hawaiian-lei.cfm