Excerpts: Foreword

Written by Gladys Brandt, former Kamehameha girls' school principal and "Broken Trust" essay co-author

Editor's note: Gladys Kamakakuokalani Brandt died Jan. 15, 2003. She was 96.

I AM BLESSED to have been part of the Kamehameha Schools ohana as far back as the early years of the twentieth century, when my father was the first, and for many years the only, Hawaiian member of the faculty of the Kamehameha School for Boys. As a little girl, I lived on campus with my hanai mother -- Ida May Pope, the girls' school principal. ... Many years later, I was privileged to serve as the girls' school principal and then director of secondary education of the combined schools.

STAR-BULLETIN / 1997
Authors of the "Broken Trust" essay: Walter Heen, Samuel P. King, Gladys Brandt, Charles Kekumano and Randall W. Roth.

My interest in and sense of responsibility toward the Schools did not end with my retirement in 1970. I continued to support Kamehameha Schools to the best of my ability. My efforts included chairing the ill-fated "blue ribbon" panel for trustee selection and co-authoring the "Broken Trust" essay. I did not enjoy my role as a critic, but I felt I had little choice. The resulting turmoil was painful but necessary.

The media did well in covering daily news items during the controversy but were not able to place the issues and events into a historically and culturally meaningful context. During my own life, and during the life of Hawaii in my time, there have been great changes in what it has meant to be Hawaiian. This book will show this long view.

Renewal at Bishop Estate was possible only because good and industrious men and women articulated common goals and then worked tirelessly and honorably to accomplish those goals. They did not seek leadership positions out of ego or a desire for self-gain, and they did not wilt in the face of adversity or threats to their personal interests. Such acts of moral courage and civic responsibility should be held up as sources of pride and as models for the keiki o ka aina (children of Hawaii).

I am pleased that this book's royalties will go toward early childhood education. That, for me, is a particularly worthy cause.

WANT TO COMMENT?

The Star-Bulletin welcomes reader responses to this week's excerpts from the new book "Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement and Political Manipulation," by federal Judge Samuel P. King and trust law professor Randall W. Roth.

A selection of the responses we receive by this Thursday will be published in the Insight section next Sunday, March 5. We prefer letters of no more than 200 words, but longer responses also will be considered for publication. Letters must include the writer's name, address and daytime telephone number.

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