UH dinner will honor
8 outstanding alumni

» Charles Araki, a professor emeritus in the College of Education at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. He was formerly a dean of the college, and is credited with stressing that teachers-in-training address the special challenges inherent in modern education. Araki also helped several nonprofit organizations, including the YMCA.

» Elmer Botsai, a nationally recognized expert in building diagnostics and professor emeritus at Manoa's School of Architecture. He has co-authored six books on building technology and also served as the architecture school's first dean. Botsai has provided consultation to a number of government agencies and community organizations. He was president of the American Institute of Architects and a recipient of the AIA Medal of Honor.

» Frederick Duennebier, a longtime professor at the Department of Geology and Geophysics. He was responsible for acquiring more than $10 million in research grants for the university to support graduate education and the development of sea-floor observatories off Hawaii. He is acclaimed for discovering a more accurate way of measuring seismic waves on the ocean floor.

» Robert Hiam, president and chief executive officer of Hawaii Medical Service Association, the state's largest health plan. Hiam is involved in several community organizations, including the Blood Bank of Hawaii and the Children's Discovery Center. He is also chairman of the board for the Pacific Health Research Institute.

» Carole Kai, a popular entertainer. She is founder and co-producer of the Carole Kai Bed Race and co-founded the Great Aloha Run in 1985, which has raised $6.2 million for more than 110 charities in Hawaii. Kai has served on several boards, including the Girl Scouts Council and the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawaii.

» Dr. Jong-wook Lee, director-general of the World Health Organization. Lee is the first Korean to lead the international organization and is credited with reducing the number of polio cases in the Pacific. One of his main goals this year is to provide anti-HIV drugs to 3 million people in Africa.

» Dr. Gary Okamoto, president and chief executive of the Queen's Health Systems. Okamoto is also an associate professor at UH-Manoa's John A. Burns School of Medicine. Under his leadership, the Queen's Health Systems supported the establishment of the UH Department of Native Hawaiian Health. Okamoto is also a past executive medical director of the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific.