Maile Rachel Hale, among the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is remembered as an intelligent woman with a sense of humor and quiet grace. A bright future from the
isles dimmed by NYC attacksMAILE RACHEL HALE / KAISER ALUM
AND WTC VICTIMSEE ALSO: OBITUARIES
By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com"I don't think there's a gentler, kinder soul than Maile," Diane Ueki, a librarian at Hale's alma mater, Kaiser High School.
Hale was attending a seminar at Windows on the World restaurant atop the World Trade Center when the terrorist attacks occurred.
Hale, who was 26, also was remembered as a bright student -- she graduated in 1993 as valedictorian and went on to attend Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., where she majored in chemistry.
"Her talent for science and business was phenomenal," said Vickie Kirihara, who taught Hale's advanced placement chemistry class at Kaiser.
College roommate Kimberly Gilbert described Hale as a talented woman who had various interests.
"She was probably one of the few chemistry majors at Wesleyan who spent time both manipulating plastic molecular models as well as improvising dance performances on stage -- or in the kitchen," Gilbert said. "If you stopped by her room, you might find her listening to Hawaiian music, reading a book for literature class or carefully figuring mathematical equations with precise strokes of her pencil."
Soon after graduation, Hale moved to Boston where she worked as an administrative assistant for Boston Investor Services.
Within two years, Hale became vice president and chief operating officer of Boston Investor Services, overseeing $5 billion to $10 billion in assets, friends and family members said.
She planned to attend graduate school after a successful start in her career.
Though Hale's work was demanding, her "wonderful sense of humor pervaded everything she did," said Boston Investor Services President Ted Wendell.
"Even in the most frustrating moments, the chuckles and giggles would emerge," Wendell said.
Throughout her life, she influenced others to appreciate life and always practiced the spirit of aloha.
"She made me want to be a better person, just by standing next to her," said her sister, Marilyce.
Hale is survived by her parents, Rob and CarolAnn Hale of Honolulu; sisters Marilyce Hale and Martha Hale Farrell; brother-in-law Shawn Farrell; grandfather Nathan S. Hale and aunts, uncles and cousins in Hawaii and on the mainland.
Donations may be sent to the Labaree Scholarship Endowment Fund, c/o Williams-Mystic Program, P.O. Box 600 Mystic, CT 063500-0990 or the Rotary Club of Honolulu Foundation, c/o Royal Hawaiian Hotel, 2259 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu 96815.
