Post #691264 by No No on Sat, Aug 24, 2013 3:18 PM

What one must realize about this man was the fact that he was the antithesis of a "headline grabber" He quietly moved behind the scenes making things happen. He was a caring person who had a strong passion for furthering education as was demonstrated by the many philanthropic causes to which he donated millions. A keen sense of the great outdoors and a love for flora and fauna was enhanced by the tropics and their mysterious beauty. After successfully developing the Del Webb Townhouse in San Francisco, he expanded his hotel interests to Bora Bora, where over the water bungalows were an instant hit.
As an aside, when he saw all the beautiful children on the island smile, he was greeted with almost all toothless smiles.....too much sugar cane! He set about to correct that problem. A state of the art dental clinic was built and he invited his dentist friends to Bora Bora for a free stay. One catch....they must ply their trade. Soon there were no cavities an the island. No one was afraid to smile.
Then, it was on to Tahiti and the culmination of his tropical paradise vision. After extended negotiations with the French authorities, the green light was given to proceed. He gathered together his team and the work began.

"THE TEAM" consisted of the following players:

1. Architectural firm - Wimberly, Whisenand, Allison & Tong - Honolulu, Hawaii - George Whisenand AIA (boots on the ground)
2. General Contractor - Swinerton & Walberg, S.F. Calif.- Don Leyman - Site Construction Manager - "Tex" was the Supt. (got things done)
3. Interior Designer - Neil Prince - New York, NY - He put the ambience in every nook and cranny of the hotel.