And what is truly remarkable, here is this man, probably in his late ’50s, with the much younger Japanese wife, had been paid by the organization of the ladies, had been appointed to that job of superintendent of the Waikiki, newly renamed Waikiki Zoo. The zoo previously had been called Waikiki Zoo, Kapi’olani Park Zoo, never Honolulu Zoo. So Lewis was appointed director or superintendent, they called it, of the Waikiki Bird Park. Less than three months on the job, he organized, through the WPA, he prepared plans for aviaries. He submitted plans for 16 beautifully done aviaries, eight of which are still in existence, that were built with WPA money, and he left on a shoestring, a little bit of money from the city fathers to purchase birds. Not many, not much, mostly money from the ladies. And he and Mrs. Lewis went down to collect birds in Southeast Asia for four whole months. Four months, collecting birds, gathering them up on the Japanese ships.
