William Mark Waddoups And His Kalaupapa Connection
The Hawaiian Journal of History
2017
51
Honolulu, Hawai'i
University of Hawai'i Press
2017
143-169
"FEW OUTSIDERS during the early twentieth century made the descent to the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement on Moloka'i more frequently or with more impact than William Mark Waddoups. Waddoups, a self-effacing farm boy, was born in 1878 and spent his youth on a modest farm in Bountiful, Utah, where he undoubtedly cultivated a strong work ethic discernible throughout his life. Concerning his childhood, William wrote, 'My boyhood experiences were little different to those of thousands of boys of our time raised as I was on a farm. . . . A constant source of wonder and interest were the trains which passed and re-passed our home several times daily. . . . These great trains, passing daily, inspired me with ambition to see the world and take my proper place in it.' His first opportunity to leave his rural farm setting and experience the outside world occurred when he left on a mission to Hawai'i at age 22." [Author]