Hawaii THREE GENERATIONS of political history in Hawaii came together yesterday.
legislators of years
past reunite
A spirit of hope for tomorrow's
Hawaii permeates gatheringBy Lisa Asato
Star-BulletinA House ceremony honoring the islands' past legislators reunited about 100 former representatives, some of whom served in the territorial House when sessions convened at Iolani Palace, and still others who were first elected to the House in the 1954 Democratic revolution, in which Democrats made significant inroads into elective office.
Among those honored yesterday was Hiram Fong, 94, who began his House career in 1939, two decades before statehood. Fong would go on to become the first U.S. senator of Asian ancestry and the first Chinese American in Congress.
Many prominent political figures got their start in the House. Some of those present yesterday were U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, former U.S. Rep. Pat Saiki, former Gov. George Ariyoshi, former Lt. Govs. Tom Gill and Jean King, and Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Clayton Hee.
"We are surrounded by a virtual who's who of Hawaii's finest and greatest sons and daughters," said Majority Leader Marcus Oshiro (D, Wahiawa). "Seated amongst us throughout this chamber are those whose work provided the solid foundation to build a great Hawaii."
House Speaker Calvin Say (D, Palolo) said that although the generations are separated by time, improved technology and more open government, "strong ties" still exist.
"Yes, we are faced with many major challenges this session," he said. "At times, finding a workable solution to these challenges is a daunting task. And yet, when I reflect on the challenges that many of our distinguished guests and past Legislatures faced, it is comforting to know that we are not in this alone. In a very real sense, we are following in the footsteps of our predecessors."
Stanley Hara, whose House career started with the 1954 political revolution, said seeing old colleagues reminded him of the "wonderful past" and "exciting days when we were young, full of life and wanted to see Hawaii become a better Hawaii."
"Those were the days that our (territorial) budget was 55 ... maybe 60 million dollars," he said. "Today we're talking billions. But we had a good, hard-working bunch that were really dedicated and wanted to bring Hawaii around to a new Hawaii."
Former Gov. George Ariyoshi said the reunion also reminded him of the years he, Hara and Inouye got started in 1954. "We wanted equal opportunities for all Hawaii's people," said Ariyoshi, who served in the House until 1958. "Most of us felt pretty strongly that competition ... and winning were very important in contrast to getting it because you happen to be a part of a group or happen to know the right kind of people. That was a large motivating factor in the 1954 election."
Ariyoshi, who later ran on the gubernatorial slogan "Quiet but effective," shied away from offering advice to present lawmakers but said his most important goal was keeping Hawaii's future in mind. "There has to be a vision," he said. "For me the future is very important, and doing it in the context of that future is very important, otherwise you're going to react to what happens now; but that reaction should be in the context of what you want Hawaii to be 10 or 15 years from now."
Freshman Rep. Blake Oshiro (D, Aiea) said he was inspired by what his predecessors did and what they went through. "It makes you appreciate where we're at and the direction we can go," he said.
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