New Acquisition: The Joe Fumio Konno Collection

We are pleased to announce the newest addition to our permanent collections, the Joe Fumio Konno Collection, which includes 16mm and 8mm motion picture film reels shot by Konno in the 1950s-1960s. Konno was one of the first television news cameramen in Hawaiʻi working for the Maui News, KULA Television (later KHVH and now KITV) and KHET (now PBS Hawaiʻi). Konno’s production credits include “The Pau Hana Years” (KHET 1966-79) and “China Visit” (PBS Hawaiʻi 1977).

Janel Quirante, Leslie Konno, Joe Konno and Mary Bitterman

Mr. Konno met with Archives’ staff recently and reminisced about his friendship with Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni. He recalled travelling to Washington DC in 1965 to cover President Johnson’s inauguration. Giugni met him at the train station and brought him to Senator Inouye’s house and offered him a chance to shoot exclusive photos of the the Senator and his new baby. Konno declined and explained to Giugni that he should also invite newsmen from AP and UPI as this would encourage good public relations with the national media. The next morning Konno woke to see a front page article and photograph of Senator Inouye sitting in a rocking chair with his baby — an image that reached a much wider audience than Konno’s exclusive could have.

Janel Quirante, Heather Giugni, Joe Konno, and Mary Bitterman

The Joe Fumio Konno Collection complements the Archive’s collection of another of Hawaiʻi’s television news pioneers, the Ted Shibuya Collection, and offers a unique glimpse into the early years of Hawaiʻi’s television history. The collection is currently closed to researchers as Archives staff works to catalog the materials and prepare them for public access.