Early Life and Education
Katherine Fusae Hamano was born in Honolulu on January 30th, 1947 to Wilbert and Grace Ige. She was the first of four girls to arrive for them, including Shirley Fujimoto, Linda McCloskey, and Eleanor Ige. She attended Washington Intermediate and McKinley High School, where she graduated in 1965. She then went on to the University of Hawaii, where she received her degree in Education as well as her fifth year teaching certificate. At that time she said you either became a teacher or a nurse, so she picked teaching as she loved kids, crafts, and teaching!