KKV’s Doubles Team - Vailima and Jerry Watson

Jerry and Vailima welcoming clients at the entrance to KKV’s shelter in the mid-1970s.

Vailima is pictured above at a hula festival in 1973 with her late father, Tauivi Moe, who she credits as a major influence in her life. Moe performed around the world with his brothers in a group they called The Royal Samoan Dancers.

Dressed in costume for Tavana’s Polynesian Spectacular.

Jerry and Vailima started KKV’s Tennis program in 1990 at Kalihi Valley Homes. The program was open to kids of all ages and was the most popular of the recreation programs they created. At KVH, the Watsons also organized community and resident meetings, recreational volleyball, late night basketball, and aikido. They worked hard to keep the kids active and engaged.

KKV’s kids get into position along the baseline at Kalihi Valley District Park.

The sign of a great doubles team in tennis is in the communication that occurs constantly throughout a match. Each person knows instinctively where to be, how to cover, and how to set up his or her partner. This powerful force exemplifies Vailima and Jerry Watson both on the court as KKV’s tennis coaches and off the court as they support the kids and families in their programs. Vailima still carries the stature and grace of a lifetime as a dancer and performer. Jerry is analytical and thoughtful with decades of studying anthropology and human culture. We celebrate their warmth and generosity that inspires all of us at KKV.

In 1975, the young couple began their long relationship with Kalihi. At the time, they were busy pursuing a variety of interests that indirectly led to their connecting with KKV. Jerry had studied Anthropology and Hawaiian Studies and Vailima was a featured performer at the new Waiakea Hotel in Hilo. Remarkably, they lived in a manner that we now consider “off of the grid”, growing guavas and Christmas trees. When the Watsons responded to a small advertisement in the newspaper seeking a “Resident Manager for a Community Program” on O’ahu, they could not have known to what extent their lives would be forever changed.

The ad had been written by KKV’s founder Joris Watland. “Jory” hoped to create a shelter for abused spouses and children, a type of facility that did not exist anywhere in Hawai’i. This concept resonated strongly with both Vailima and Jerry. Vailima’s father Tauivi Moe, a well-known Polynesian musician and performer, had raised his daughter to help others. After settling in Hawaii, Tauivi worked at the local YMCA as both a masseuse and custodian. When people couldn’t afford the low-priced rental units that the YMCA offered at the time, he would invite them home and give them three free meals a day so they could get back on their feet. “He used to say, ‘Vailima’ that’s your brother and that’s your sister, you have to take care of them.” She recalls,“He was a stickler for helping people.”

Jerry discovered that there were only nine shelters for women and children throughout the United States at that time. This started him on a fact-finding journey to gather information and advice before starting KKV’s - and Hawai’i’s first shelter. Their staffing model relied heavily on volunteers taking shifts to support the residents.
Vailima would begin her shift at 11pm, coming back after an evening performing in Waikiki. Frequently, there were late night intakes and she was there with a warm and radiant smile to welcome anyone who came. Until 1979, when the shelter was transferred to Child and Family Services, the Watsons provided a safe haven for countless women and children.

After the shelter was transferred, Vailima gave her time to support the Joint Military Family Abuse Shelter and to Punahou’s after school youth programs. Both she and Jerry raised two daughters and served the community in any way they could. At the same time, Vailima continued to perform, and for the next nineteen years, she was played a major role in Tavana’s Polynesian Spectacular showing nightly in the Banyan Courtyard of the Manoa Hotel in Waikiki. She also performed at Dukes in the Marketplace and at the Waikiki Shell. This elaborate show of music and dance was a fixture of the booming tourism industry in Hawaii and Vailima held center stage.

Their love for the kids was infectious. But the Watsons were also good coaches who demanded their players be on their best behavior. KKV’s Junior Tennis program became the feeder program for Farrington High’s team once that started in the 1990s. Vailima and Jerry brought the Farrington team to KKV to give them more experience. Vailima always made sure that the kids did their homework. Anyone who wanted to play had to maintain at least a 2.0 or better grade-point average. “These kids are our future,” she has always said and for this reason, the Watsons have devoted their time and given generously to make sure the kids thrive. “My father would say, ‘Lima don’t forget to be humble.’ I am who I am because of him,” Vailima reminds us.

We are so grateful for all the Watsons have given KKV. Mahalo to this doubles team both on the court and off!

Tell us your stories! We are looking for community stories about Vailima and Jerry and KKV’s Tennis program.

Please email us at information@kkv.net with your thoughts!