In Hawaiian, the name Konaluhiole means ‘never weary’, and that’s certainly true of Playmate Kona Carmack. Born on the island paradise of Honolulu, Kona is of mixed Hawaiian, Chinese and Irish descent, and spent her teen years surfing in the Pacific Ocean. “I was always the only girl out there,” she reflects. “I hated it when the guys would try to cut me off!” Kona took the same can-do approach to North Carolina, where she studied marketing at USC and was discovered by a Playboy talent scout. “I majored in advertising,” she says. “It’s a business, but you can use your imagination – one thing I do have is a vivid imagination!” Readers didn’t have to use their imaginations to buy Kona as our Miss February 1996 – with her sweet face and petite, all-natural body, it was no stretch to name Miss Carmack our romantic Valentine’s Playmate. “Being raised on an island, I think it’s my destiny to travel,” says Kona. “Hawaii has a unique energy, and I belong there, but my ambition is to be able to do anything I want.” On that note, Kona went on to guest star on Baywatch, and after a move to LA and second degree in cinematography, she became a Hollywood production assistant. With hit shows like HBO’s Deadwood and Monk, our Miss February put all of her natural talents to good use. “I’m trying to keep the nonsense out of my life, because there’s a lot of nonsense out there,” says Kona. “I’ll go anywhere, any time!” Take us with you, Miss Carmack.