Robert Koji Onodera was born at 2PM on August 5th, 1937 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was the first child of Mary Yukiko Onodera and Kenji Onodera. His sister, Tamiko, was born three years later. Their first home was on Kukui Lane, in Honolulu. Later, the family moved to their house on Pacific Heights Road.

Bob was about five years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He saw the Zeros coming in low over Diamond Head and ran out to watch them fly over. He thought it was cool and exciting. His father, Kenji, was “freaking out”, running around the house in a panic, but Bob stood and watched the planes fly overhead.

Bob went to Kaimuki High School. He loved surfing and hanging out at the beach. His surfboard was made of solid redwood. It was 4 inches thick and over 9 feet long. It took two guys to carry it down to the beach and then they would take turns surfing on it.

Bob was in a band with his friend Saichi Kawahara. He played congas. He was also the band’s driver, since he was the only one who had a car, a Mini Cooper.

After he graduated from high school, in 1955, Bob attended University of Hawaii. There, he met friends who played music. His friend Nancy Yamachi sang and her husband Roy played the drums in a jazz group. Bob really fell in love with music, especially jazz. He played congas and guitar.

After two years at UH, Bob left for Chicago to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana.