Champ Ono was born in 1922 in Pu’unene on the island of Maui and was raised on the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company plantation. He attended college at the University of Hawaii, returning to graduate after the war in 1947, and then went to Springfield College for his master’s degree. Following his graduation, Ono relocated back to Hawaii to teach on the Big Island. In this interview, Ono discusses growing up on the plantation, the separation of the ethnic groups living there, sports and schooling, his experiences in the Hawaiin Territorial Guard, the Varsity Victory Volunteers, and the Military Intelligence Service, and teaching during and after the war.
