The first known hash in the Hawaiian Islands was the first running of the Honolulu, Hawaii Hash House Harriers (H5) on 16 March 1978, and started from the Hee Hing Chop Suey shop (now Harpo’s) in Kapahulu. The H5 traces its roots back to the Bangkok H3 in Thailand where Castel Myers had been working, and found the hash to be great fun. So once he moved to Hawaii, all it took was to gather up some friends (Russ Hoylman, Hutch Hutchinson, Dave Benson, and Dick Hoyer) and a new era was born.
The H5 ran every other Tuesday evening in the early days, and the pack was small in those days with only a small handful of harriers participating. Trails were the focus back then, and the after run fun was more of a collected horseplay than an organized circle. Beer chugging was a common event, with winners collecting various prizes. The prize once was a live chicken, which ended up as a menu item at the Chop Suey shop. Dick Hoyer used to address the pack using his trusty fork, which always got a laugh.
Other notable hashers from the early days who are still on hand are: Dong, Chest Checker, Hard On-On, Joy Stick, and PMS. The H5 celebrated their 500th run on 21 January 1992.
News Articles
Rebels without a Pause - Honolulu Weekly - May 1, 1994
A
pastime that’s never old hash - Honolulu Star Bulletin - June 10,
2001