Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 12, 1 December 1986 — Lee Elected to Third Term as AOHCC President [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Lee Elected to Third Term as AOHCC President

OHA's Keala ls New First Vice President

Benson Waldron Kealaokamalamalama Lee Sr. of the Pearl Harbor Hawaiian Civic Club won re-election to his third two-year term as president of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at the organization's 27th annual convention Nov. 13-15 at the Kauai FIilton and Beach Villas.

Lee, who was unopposed in his first two elections, narrowly edged Bruss Keppeler of the Hawaiian Civic Club of Honolulu by a margin of four votes, 114-110. In another convention election, Office of Hawaiian Affairs Government Affairs Officer Jalna Keala of Ali'i Pauahi HCC unseated Lily Pa (HCC of Hilo) for the first vice presidency. The vote count was 116-107. Miss Pa was immediately appointed by Lee as corresponding secretary along with the reappointment of Candace Hurley (Ahahui Kaiulani HCC) as recording secretary.

Two other candidates for elective office were unopposed. Kinau Boyd Kamali'i of Prince Kuhio HCC was re-elected second vice president and Betty Lou Stroup of the same club is the new treasurer after Irma Farden stepped down following 10 years of service. Mrs. Farden and her husband, Llewellyn, are moving to Hawaii to spend their retirement years. She was eommended and praised by both Lee and several of the other officers as well as by some of the delegates. The Association board of directors is composed of the various district eouneil presidents and directors along with president emeritus Dr. George Mills and immediate past president Whitney Anderson. They are: Oahu Council — Lila Medeiros, Queen Emma, president; Peter Ching, Pearl Harbor; Dawn Farm-Ramsey, Honolulu; and Dexter Soares, Kalihi-Palama, directors. Haweiii Council — Ann Nathaniel, Prince David Kawananakoa, president; Walter Victor Jr., Laupahoehoe. director.

Maui Council — Sonny Fernandez, president; William Char, Hoolehua, director. Kauai Council— Fred B. Conant, Hanalei, president; Lionel Kaohi, Kaumualii, director. The officers and board members were installed by OHA Trustee Moses K. Keale Sr., who represents Ni'ihau and Kauai beneficiaries. Keale was the kahu for the entire proceedings, giving the invocation before and after eaeh meeting of the assembly. Lee describes himself as the first grass roots president of the Association, having been born and raised on Hawaiian homestead land at Hoolehua, Molokai, where he graduated from Molokai High School in 1958 and later attended Church College of Hawaii whieh is now the Hawaii campus of Brigham Young University at Laie.

He and his wife, Antoinette (Toni), are charter members of the Pearl Harbor club where he served as president, first and second vice presidents, board member and ehaplain. Lee was also Oahu District Council president for three years. The Lees are the parents of two sons and a daughter who are all members of the Pearl Harbor club. Lee's goals as outlined in his brochure are: • Continue the importance of education for Hawai-

ians. • Keep the autonomy of the clubs. • Complete the study to create districts outside the State of Hawaii. • Hold a Con-Con to realign the constitution. • Continue to provide all things that are Hawaiian at the convention (traditions, meles, arts and crafts, language and issues). • Continue to support a recreation day at the convention.

• Encourage socializing of club members. • Maintain the feeling of ohana amongst clubs. • Increase membership. It was a well-paced convention whieh ran with little or no hangups. Peter Ching, president of the Pearl Harbor club who was the convention's sergeant-at-arms, ran a near-flawless operation with his committee. OHA's participation at the convention was quite prominent. In addition to Keale and Mrs. Keala, eonsider the following: • Betty Kawohiokalani Jenkins as chairperson of the Na Mea Hawaii Committee who was commended for

presenting an outstanding workshop. • Administrative Assistant Annelle Amaral as president and delegate from Ali'i Pauahi who also was active in committee meetings and on the floor. • Carmen (Boots) Panui, Kauai Community Resource Specialist, working day and night in the steno 4 pool and setting up OHA's display of five posters. • Ruby McDonald, West Hawaii Community Resource Specialist, a delegate from the Kona club.

• Christine Valles of the planning division as a delegate from Ali'i Pauahi and a participating member of the Historic Sites Committee. • Kenneth S. Haina, editor of Ka Wai Ola O OHA in his dual capacity covering the proceedings for the newspaper and being a delegate from Ahahui Kaiulani of whieh he is president. He also chaired the Association's Public Relations Committee. Jenkins, widely known throughout the Hawaiian community and the Department of Education from where she retired, is the OHA kupuna coordinator and a member also of Ali'i Pauahi.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Moses K. Keale Sr., at podium, administers oath of office to officers of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, from left to right, Benson W.K. Lee Sr., president; Jalna Keala, first vice president; Kinau Boyd Kamali'i, second vice president; Irma Farden, retiring treasurer standing in for her successor, Betty Lou Stroup; Lily Pa, corresponding secretary; and Candace Hurley, recording secretary.

Delegates from the King Kamehameha club, left, and Ahahui Kaiulani were among those participating in the proceedings at the 27th annual convention.