Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: We are a group of hardworking people at Leeward Community College and we try our best to do our jobs. The response in the Aug. 7 Kokua Line concerning destruction of many plumeria trees on campus was far from accurate. There were six or seven trees that were given to a nursery, which dug the trees out. The rest of the trees were to have been removed by the same company but for some reason, Lucy Gay had them all cut down. We should have the trees replanted on campus since there are many areas that can use them. Gay considered the trees rubbish trees, yet they were in place for more than 15 years. She consulted no one about giving away and destroying the trees. Tree removal at
college criticizedAnswer: Gay, director of LCC's Office of Continuing Education and Training, told Kokua Line the trees were removed as part of the renovation and beautification of old UH-West Oahu quarters for use by her office and either could not be saved, or were infested with whiteflies.
We asked the LCC administration for a response to your charges that they could have been saved.
In hindsight, perhaps the trees should have been replanted elsewhere, said Clifford Togo, director of administrative services. "I'm not sure why that wasn't done."
Togo said that facility and grounds maintenance at LCC ordinarily would have fallen under his jurisdiction, but he decided to give Gay "leeway as to what she could do" with landscaping because her office was going to be the sole occupant of that area.
There were plumeria trees in back of the portable buildings that were infested with whiteflies, "but I don't know if that's a good justification for them being pulled out," he said.
However, Togo noted there also were problems of leaves falling under the buildings, "which causes some hazard because they dry up and accumulate. So, unless they are maintained frequently, they can be a fire hazard."
Plumeria trees also would have had to be removed because the campus' long-range master plan calls for the area fronting LCC, along Ala Ike, to be landscaped with silver trumpet trees, he said.
Q: On the back of the dollar bill is a pyramid with an eye and Latin wording. What do the Latin words mean?
A: "Annuit Coeptis" translates as, "He (God) has favored our undertakings," according to the Federal Bureau of Engraving.
And that "refers to the many instances of Divine Providence during our government's formation." Meanwhile, "novus ordo seclorum" is said to translate to "a new order of the ages," signifying a new American era.
Other information gleaned from the bureau about the Great Seal you refer to: The Department of State is the official keeper of the seal. The most accurate explanation for the pyramid is believed to be "that it symbolizes strength and durability. The unfinished pyramid means that the United States will always grow, improve and build," according to the State Department.
Meanwhile, the "all-seeing eye" above the pyramid "suggests the importance of divine guidance in favor of the American cause."
Mahalo
To the trolley bus driver (Mililani route) and the employees of Tesoro Mini-mart in Mililani who helped my daughter on Friday, Aug. 13, when she had a diabetic seizure. Everyone stayed with her until the ambulance arrived. Praise Jesus for all these angels! -- June B. Ocreto
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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