Long time local newspaper reporter Burl Burlingame has died.
He’d been a newspaper writer for more than 35 years.
First for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and then with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser after the two papers merged in 2010.
In 2012, Burlingame left the paper to work as a research specialist at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
His family told us he died at his Kailua home Friday, March 15.
He was 66 years old.
Burlingame was a globally respected military- and aviation historian, consulting on dozens of books and historical documentaries and movies.
His widow Mary Poole-Burlingame says, “he appeared on camera for the History Channel, Nova , Smithsonian, Ollie North’s old “War Stories” show. He was interviewed for documentaries and radio shows by many others, Japanese, British, New Zealand. You are bound to see him somewhere on TV around Dec. 7.”
He was commissioned to create scratch built models for the Army Museum at Ft. DeRussy, the old Maritime Museum, the old Pacific Aerospace Museum at the airport, precursor of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
He also helped build and paint models for the Arizona Visitors center.
His company Pacific Monograph, published his military history books and those authored by others.
He wrote the definitive book on the Japanese submarine attack on Dec. 7, 1941. “Advance Force – Pearl Harbor.”
A lifelong model-builder, his company also produced model kits, decals, and other accessories for model kits.
He was an ukulele player and vocalist for the local band Motley Uke, alongside newspaper colleagues Jeff Clark and Nancy Christenson Clark.
Burl Burlingame was part of the KHON2 Pearl Harbor: Untold Stories in Heroism. Click here to watch
