The Dalde’s on Lanai

By Irene Tippon-Seawright

Pictured with Anastacio and Trinidad (Caluya) Dalde are their children: Joice, "Sonny", Myrtle, Benjamin and Irene

Anastacio Dalde, a handsome and suave Visayan man, organized a “one-of-a-kind” Lana’i women’s string orchestra in the 1930’s. The bass player was an attractive Ilocana girl by the name of Trinidad Caluya.  A romance blossomed and soon they were married at the Sacred Hearts Catholic Church on Lanai in October 1939.

As far as I can remember, our parents better known as “Tacio and Trining,” were business-minded.  I vividly remember a picture of our dad in the front yard of our home at Caldwell Avenue.  He posed as a salesman, smartly dressed in a custom-fitted suit with a hat and a brief case. Dad sold tailor-made men’s suits and hats. I also remember our mother’s stories of when she was a youngster, helping the family’s income by selling goodies made by our grandmother Caluya. Thus it groomed her to become a sales person selling women’s dresses, hats and Avon® in our family owned barbershop in the 1950’s to early 1960’s.

In the 1920’s, the main employment on Lanai was working for Dole Pineapple Company who cultivated pineapples and made Lana’i known as the World’s Largest Pineapple Plantation.  Dad was not only a field hand; he was a luna or supervisor. To me, our dad was gifted and special because he was bilingual. He not only spoke English.  He spoke three dialects of the Filipino language–Visayan, Ilocano, and Tagalog. His multi-linguistic ability was a valuable asset to the company because most of the Filipino employees spoke either Ilocano or Visayan and it was necessary for the luna to be able to communicate in English on an administrative level and speak the language of those who worked in the fields.

While raising five children (Irene, Myrtle, Benjamin, Anastacio Jr. “Sonny”, and Joice “Darlene”), Dad and Mom were actively involved in many community activities including the Cub Scouts of America, Men’s Baseball League, Little League and many Catholic Church activities. Dad was also a member of the Lion’s Club and our parents were members of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1958, a rare opportunity was offered when the Dole Pineapple Company decided to lease its multi-entertainment entity to a private businessman. That was the beginning of Dalde’s Enterprise. This was our father’s ultimate dream… to be a true entrepreneur.

Dalde’s Enterprise consisted of Lanai’s bowling alley, a billiard parlor, a snack bar and the movie theatre.  Our mom’s sister, Lurita Viduya, Sr. aka Loretta, worked as a cashier at the theatre in the evenings, mom’s brother, Benny Caluya, was the projectionist at the theatre, while his wife Carmen was the usherette.  Mom’s younger sister, Flora (Garalde) Narito worked in the snack bar at the bowling alley with our mother. It turned out to be a very successful family  venture.

In the 1960’s,  mom and dad retired from operating the various  businesses and  moved to California.  They spent their retirement years traveling and enjoying their grandchildren and great grandchildren on the mainland. Dad, an avid LA Dodger fan, attended many games at the Dodger’s Stadium and witnessed the Dodgers play and win the 1981 World Series. Some of the highlights of their travels were to the Philippines, to the l986 World’s Fair (Expo ’86) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, camping throughout the Western states and numerous visits to Santa Anita Track and to Las Vegas, Nevada. They celebrated 50 years of marriage bliss until dad died in late 1989 and subsequently, mom died in 1996.  Today, their survivors of  five children, 13 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren, strive to perpetuate and carry on the legacy of our beloved Tacio and Trining Dalde.

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