Students should be polled
on trustees' effectiveness

Are the Bishop Estate trustees doing a good job? Why ask adults who might never have attended Kamehameha Schools? Why can't we, the students, be asked if our trustees, our teachers or our janitors are doing the best possible job?

In some students' views, the trustees are doing the best they can to educate not just 3,000 students, 9.5 months of the year, but thousands more in the summer, on the neighbor islands and in college through financial aid.

As for the trustees' salary, why did no one complain when they were getting less than $30,000 annually? Back then they had to take out loans to pay teachers, buy books and make it possible for the students of Kamehameha to learn. $843,000 per year is not enough.

Zachariah Stillman
Kapolei
(Via the Internet)

Charles Kuralt was good,
but Ernie Pyle was the best

Your July 7 editorial, "The end of the road," was one of many writings eulogizing Charles Kuralt that struck in me a memory of Ernie Pyle. The words "no peer" did it.

Ernie Pyle was born on Aug. 3, 1900 near Dana, Ind.. After a short stint in the Naval Reserve, he enrolled in Indiana University.

He left the university in his senior year to become a newsman. He became a roving reporter in 1935, traveling the country with no set itinerary and writing daily columns about unique persons, places and happenings.

During World War II, he wrote of the experiences of enlisted men, mostly in the Army. Although much of this effort was in the European Theater, he went to the Pacific in January 1945.

He was killed by a sniper bullet on the little island of Ie Shima on April 18, 1945. Buried there, his body was later moved to Okinawa and then to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

He is probably best remembered for his writings during the war years, but his earlier work, consisting of homey pieces about the little things that make America what it is, were somewhat similar to those of Charles Kuralt.

Perhaps the biggest difference was that Pyle's work was in print and was his own work, while Kuralt's work was via television and required the assistance of a support crew.

Kuralt may have been "without peer" in his televised reporting but, in my opinion, Pyle was at least his equal in his portrayal of Americana. A selection of his columns may be found in "Home Country," William Sloane Associates Inc., 1947.

Louis H. Trigg
Pearl City

Waahila Ridge enjoys
historical significance

Regarding the June 16 Star-Bulletin editorial which followed the announcement that Waahila Ridge qualifies as one of our country's most endangered historic places, it is not such a "puzzle" that it deserves this designation.

If you read chapter six of the book, "Manoa, The Story of a Valley," you will learn about "The Rebellion of 1895." After the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and the Hawaiian monarchy, a group of the queen's loyalists created a revolt against the new government. Outnumbered but determined, these men were forced to retreat into the mountains when their supplies and ammunition ran low.

The 50 remaining men climbed through the pass over Waahila Ridge and into Manoa Valley, where they fought in a final effort.

The rebellion was a turning point in Hawaii's history when the queen's loyal subjects fought for and lost their attempt to restore the crown.

This ridge area -- connecting Manoa and Palolo valleys, which took part in the monarchy's "last stand" -- is also where Hawaiian Electric now proposes to install its high electrical towers.

For these reasons, Waahila Ridge has great historic significance, and its desecration might be considered a serious affront to native Hawaiians.

Thalya De Mott

Disappearance of theaters
shows warped priorities

And then there were none. The Royal, Marina 1 and 2 and Kuhio 1 and 2 theaters have disappeared, morphed into restaurants and a retail flagship.

When Consolidated converts Waikiki 1, 2 and 3 into a movieless retail complex, residents and tourists alike will not be able to find a non-X-rated movie in Waikiki.

Oahuans will take it as another reminder that light-spending locals are not welcome in Waikiki except for big-bucks proms and wedding receptions.

Residents, visitors and Hawaii's business climate will again fall victim to the business community's bottom-line, greatest-profits-per-square-inch mentality. Merchandising mania continues to run amok, ruining Waikiki and tourism.

Yet these are the very same businessmen who have the audacity to blame government for all of their ills, and demand that taxpayer millions bail them out.

Richard Y. Will

---

Same-sex archive

---

Want to write a letter to the editor? Let all Star-Bulletin readers know what you think. Please keep your letter to about 200 words. You can send it by e-mail to letters@starbulletin.com or you can fill in the online form for a faster response. Or print it and mail it to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or fax it to: 523-8509. Always be sure to include your daytime phone number.