Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 5, Number 8, 1 August 1988 — Impressive Investiture for 1988 Aloha Week Court [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Impressive Investiture for 1988 Aloha Week Court

|| K/ng, Queen, Prince, Princess Ōffīcīāīīy lnstalled

Caesar Ku'uleikailialohawailauokekoaulumahiehiekealaonaonaopiikea Paishon IV and Nelanette U'ilani Lee took their places as king and queen of Aloha Week 1988 during colorful and impressive investiture ceremonies July 15 in Hawai'i Hall at Bishop Museum. Paishon's Hawaiian name ean be broken down this way for easier pronunciation: Ku'ulei-Kaili-Aloha-Wailau-O-Kekoa ulumahiehie-keala-ona-ona-O-Piikea (beloved one who snatches my love to the heights of heaven, to the water of Lau-O-Kekoa, enchanted by the sweet essence of life ascending.) In addition to being Hawaiian, Paishon is also of Portuguese and Chinese mixture. He works in the food and beverage department at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel. lt is interesting to note that Paishon is only the second prince who has returned to serve as Aloha Week king. He was a prince in 1976. Paishon is a 1974 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools and is married to the former Hope Lelia Puanani Handelsman, 1974 graduate of St. Andrews Priory. They have two children. Paishon also attended the University of Hawai'i and is a member of the Elks Club. Queen Nelanette U'ilani Lee (beauty of heaven) is of Hawaiian, Scotch and English ancestry. She is a switchboard operator and receptionist at the Hawai'i Visitors Bureau. The 1988 queen is a 1969 graduate of Kamehameha and also attended both the Laie and Provo campuses of Brigham Young University. She is the wife of Gaylord Toby Lee, detective with the Honolulu Poliee Department, and they are the parents of two children. She was the Lei Day queen for both the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawai'i in 1975. The new prince is Kris Kalani Kaopuiki, son of

David and Lily Kaopuiki of Hawai'i Kai. He will be an Uth grader at Kamehameha when school resumes later this month. Kris is of Hawaiian, Japanese, Scotch and English extraction. Young Kaopuiki, a member of the Hawai'i Kai Community Leagues, is interested in a biology major in college. He hopes to enter the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, University of Southern California or the University of California at Los Angeles. The 1988 princess is Celeste Homaikawaialohalani (bring in the heavenly waters) Stewart, daughter of Leslie and Stella Stewart of Waipio Gentry. Besides Hawaiian, she is also Chinese,

Korean and Caucasian. A 1988 graduate of MaryknoIl High School, she works part time as a Hawaiian Telephone Company operator. Celeste plans to attend Cannon's Business College. She has been a hula dancer for 13 years, the last seven with Kumu Hula Frank Palani Kahala's Ladies of Kahanakealoha. The investiture was another first class production by Wendell P. K. Silva, executive director of the Kalihi-Palama Culture and Arts Society Ine. Silva's expertise and knowledge of Hawaiian culture and heritage places him among the outstanding masters of Hawaiian programs. His strong and eloquent voice in telling the audience what is happening makes for a very eomfortable time. The Aloha Week king and queen and their court will reign over O'ahu Aloha Week festivities whieh begin Sept. 16. They will also appear at special functions throughout the state.

Shown here is the 1988 Aloha Week court from left to right, Prince Kris Kalani Kaopuiki, King Caesar K. Paishon IV, Oueen Nelanette U'ilani Lee and Princess Celeste Homaikawaialohalani Stewart.