Stender's contributions won't be forgotten

As a senior, I experienced many of the decisions of the Bishop Estate trustees, some beneficial and others not so beneficial.

Yet there is one positive influence that will always remain with me: former trustee Oswald Stender.

He has been the "trust" in trustee. He was a rainbow -- giving us hope, reminding us that things would be brighter and making sure that Pauahi's legacy will continue to live on forever.

For his noble sacrifice, he deserves recognition for all his hard work and dedication to the students of Kamehameha Schools. I will graduate with pride knowing that all will be pono because of his efforts.

Genelle Kahea Jucutan
Kamehameha Schools, Class of 1999
Pearl City

Trustee taught students most vital lesson

It's a new day here at Kamehameha Schools. Pauahi and her beneficiaries, teachers, administrators and staff are smiling. It's as if the big cloud that hovered over our campus is gone.

As we take a moment to reflect on the past two years, it's important that we remember one person, trustee Oswald Stender.

He had the courage to act on his convictions. He was unwilling to look the other way.

Against great odds and personal sacrifice, he started the wheels of justice turning.

As a beneficiary himself, his deep and abiding love for this institution is what motivated him to act. I and others believe that his work at Kamehameha is not done.

Through this controversy, I've wondered what lessons our students were learning.

There are many but prime must be the example of servant leadership. Our founder, Ke Alii Pauahi, was a servant leader; Os Stender was a servant leader.

I would urge the interim trust-ees to allow him to continue to serve when the time is appropriate.

Service before self is a powerful lesson.

Gail Fujimoto
Librarian, Kamehameha Schools

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Bishop Estate archive

Quotables "Most of the kids weren't really into Hawaiian things before, but because they're so far away from home, they're starting to really appreciate it." Renee Arakaki Doctoral student norThwestern university On the activities of NU's Hawaii Club, comprised of about 45 transplanted Hawaii students on the Illinois campus "I am not ashamed of my brother." Tom Tuinei brother of the late mark tuinei At the memorial service for the former Hawaii resident and Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman who died after ingesting a fatal combination of drugs, including heroin

May Day needs major marketing hype

There is so much talk of how tourism is waning, of locals losing interest in Waikiki and how so many local entertainers are not performing anymore. Well, check this out: May Day in Hawaii.

What May Day?

The streets were crowded with tourists looking for that special weekend of May Day events.

There should have been entertainers and musicians everywhere, and leis and flowers readily available in a promotional hype atmosphere.

Kalakaua Avenue should have been busy with May Day promotions including music, festivities and major retailing sales.

It's shocking to me, after touring the mainland for 14 years as an entertainer from Hawaii, to come home to such a lack of marketing interest to support tourism.

We spend millions to advertise elsewhere. Why not spend some of that money in Hawaii for these kinds of festivities?

I hope next year's May Day/Lei Day is celebrated with more attractive packaging. Is there anyone willing to help me?

Johnny Kai Lorance
President, Hawaii Music Awards

Cherry Blossom contest wasn't ready for change

This year, I looked forward to the 47th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival because of its chosen theme, "Winds of Change." I attended many of the events, including the public appearances of the Cherry Blossom Queen contestants, the fashion show and festival ball.

One of its touted changes was allowing women of part Japanese ancestry to be contestants. Personally, I believed the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce did a wonderful thing by implementing this, because our state is multi-ethnic.

However, I now feel that the HJJCC was not ready for this change.

In all honesty, I was disappointed at the outcome of the selected court.

I thought the hapa-haole contestant had a great chance of representing this year's theme. Being a part-Japanese woman myself, I felt a sense of shame that night because my own culture could not accept someone of mixed ancestry to reign as queen.

Why put such hope into these women if both the HJJCC and Japanese community refuse to give them the equal opportunity they deserve? Isn't this discrimination?

Kehaulani Ancheta

Questions abound on Kosovo situation

How many Americans know that the U.S. and its NATO allies have killed over 1,000 civilians in their continued bombardment of Yugoslavia?

How much longer are we going to allow these war crimes to continue?

Where were these warmongers when 500,000 Tutsis in Rwanda were being massacred by the Hutus with weapons supplied by the French government, when almost one million Serbs were the victims of "ethnic cleansing" and driven from their homes in Bosnia and Krajina by the Croats and Bosnian Muslims?

Why haven't we heard any of this? Could the reason be that much of the "free press" in America is owned by major players in the military-industrial complex, such as Westinghouse and General Dynamics?

Thomas C. Mountain
Kaneohe

Warnings about going to Sacred Falls

I was born in Laie 80 years ago and, in my teen years (the 1930s), I visited Sacred Falls several times with Hawaiian friends. They warned me about the peril of Sacred Falls.

They told me never to pick lehua blossoms, for that would bring rain and cause flash floods in the narrow gorge.

They said to keep one's voice down at Sacred Falls, because loud noises could loosen rocks on the walls of the deep, sheer and narrow canyon. The rocks could then fall on noisemakers.

They said that the park should warn visitors to be quiet, to prevent rocks from falling on them.

Carl Hamashige
Lihue, Kauai

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

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