Juliet Rice Wichman

Juliet Rice Wichman (née Juliet Atwood Rice; October 23, 1901 – November 5, 1987) was an American Hawaiian conservationist, botanist, and author. Wichman worked to preserve Hawaiian culture, flora, and fauna through the creation of the Limahuli Garden and Preserve and through writings about ancient Hawaiian agriculture. She co-founded the Kauaʻi Museum (Albert Spencer Wilcox Building) and served as its first director when it opened in 1960.

Early years and career Juliet Atwood Rice was born on October 23, 1901, in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii (now United States). Her parents were Charles Atwood Rice and Grace Ethel King, of a Kaua'i Kamaʻāina family. Juliet grew up riding horses on Kauaʻi and learning Hawaiian lore from her grandfather.

She attended Miss Ransom and Miss Bridges' School for Girls in Piedmont, California, and studied at Vassar College. Today, its remnants are located near a parking lot, and have been described as having "Tahitian" stonework; but the structure hasn't been dated.

In 1946, Wichman bought 1,000 acres on the north shore of Kauaʻi island. She cleared land and worked to restore the terraces used to grow taro by Native Hawaiians. In 1967, Wichman donated thirteen acres of land to the National Tropical Botanical Garden to establish the Limahuli Garden and Preserve. During World War II, Wichman co-founded the Hawaiian unit of the American Red Cross. When the museum opened in 1960, she served as its first director. their marriage was dissolved in March 1926 in Hawaii, and he remarried another in March 1927 in Philadelphia. Goodale died with three others in October 1927 on Lāʻie, Oahu, in an biplane crash in which he was piloting.

She married her second husband, Frederick Warren Wichman, in September 1927. Later they moved to Portland, Oregon, then Menlo Park, California.

She died at age 86 on November 5, 1987, in Hāʻena.

Legacy

In 1981, Wichman was honored as one of the Living Treasures of Hawaii by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii.

Formerly known as the Hawaiian Heritage Gallery, the Juliet Rice Wichman Heritage Gallery is located within the Kauaʻi Museum and displays items that belonged to the island's monarchs. The Juliet Rice Wichman Botanical Research Center at the National Tropical Botanical Garden is the hub of the organization's scientific and conservation operations. The Limahuli Garden she established provides educational tours and protection for the native environment.