Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 3, 1 March 1990 — Holoku Ball to honor three Hawaiian women [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Holoku Ball to honor three Hawaiian women

The gala Holoku Ball is the annual scholarship fundraising event of the Hawaiian Civic Club of Honolulu. This year's ball, with the theme "Ke Ali'i Hulu Mamo" will be held Sat. March 24, at 6 p.m. at the Queen Kapi'olani Hotel. The annual Holoku Ball began in the early 1920s. Proceeds are used to assist students of Hawaiian ancestry to pursue graduate and undergraduate college degrees in Hawai'i and on the mainland.

Eaeh year, one or more Holoku Ball honorees are selected by the club based on their contributions to the Hawaiian community. This year's honorees are three prominent and well-respected women from within the Hawaiian community: Agnes Cope, executive director of the Wai'anae Coast Culture and Art Society, ine.; Hoaliku Drake, newly-appointed director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; and Genoa Keawe, renowned musician and entertainer. The ball will feature music by the Royal Hawaiian Band, a Hawaiian buffet dinner, musical entertainment, a holoku parade and dancing, a craft fair and silent auction. Admission is $40 per ticket ($20 tax-deductible). Holoku Ball co-chairs are Haunani Apoliona and Ted Takai. Tickets may be obtained by calling Takai at 735-2894 or 7375677.

Holoku Ball honorees Agnes Cope For the past 20 years, Agnes Cope has been executive director of the Wai'anae Coast Culture and Art Society. A resident of the Wai'anae coast for 39 years, she is known to her community as a caring and generous kupuna whose contributions have led to an increased appreciation for and preservation of the culture, language and arts of na po'e Hawai'i. "Aunty Aggie," as many eall her, is a dual member of the Hawaiian Civic Club of Wai'anae (she is also a director) and the HCC of Nanakuli. She serves on the board of directors of Kahumana, the Moanalua Foundation (as treasurer); West O'ahu Employment Corporation (as vice-president); is trustee for the Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program; and is a published author. Cope is married to George H. Cope and they have three sons, two daughters and 12 grandchildren. She attended Farrington High School, Honolulu Business College and the University of Hawai'i where she studied education administration. Hoaliku Drake Hoaliku Lueia Drake brings to her new position as director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands both knowledge of DHHL (she was a Hawaiian Homes Commission member in 1983-

85) and outstanding experience in diverse areasof public service plus management ability. In her career she has been director of the Office of Human Resources for the City and County of Honolulu, a polieewoman investigator for the Honolulu Poliee Department, and a self-employed businesswoman, owner of Hoaliku's Na Mea Hawai'i. In 1980 she was named by Alu Like, ine. as outstanding Hawaiian woman in government; in 1978 the U.S. Dept. of Labor cited her for outstanding achievement as director of the Community Employment Training Act (CETA). She was named by the Honolulu City Council in 1979 for outstanding achievement for administration of Community Development Block Grant programs (CDBG) and was named outstanding polieewoman of the year in 1969.

She has been a member of numerous service organizations and community associations, including the Nanakuli Community Association, Wai'anae Civic Association, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, and was directly involved in the model cities program in Nanakuli. Drake is married to doseph W. Drake. Theylive in Wai'anae and have two children, Heila H. continued page 23

Hoaliku Drake

Genoa Keawe

Agnes Cope

Holoku from page 3

Wallaee and Henry H. Peters, a state representative and Bishop Estate trustee. She is sister to Agnes Cope. She attended St. Andrew's Priory, the University of Hawai'i and Montana State University. She received her B.A. from Chaminade College and B.S. from Central Michigan University. Genoa Keawe Dearly loved by fans of Hawaiian music for her "chicken-skin" style and thrilling high notes, Genoa Keawe has developed her inimitable style in the nearly 50 years since her professional debut in 1941.

Her musical interest and training began at the Mormon church in Laie when she was a child. When returning to school after luneh she would stop by a friend's house to listen to "Unele" Johnny Almeida's radio program. She never dreamed that in 1946 she would be singing for his band and building her Hawaiian repertoire. Genoa Keawe began her career by singing pop songs for dance bands in Honolulu who played for high school dances and graduations, and service clubs. During that period, she sang for George Hookano's 15-pieee orchestra. She has received many awards for her talent including the Grayson Award; and recognition from the state legislature. She was honored at a recent King Kamehameha Hula Competition when all the halau performed songs whieh she has recorded. She was named a "Dean of Hawaiian entertainment" with the "Letters of Literature" award. In addition to performing througout Hawai'i and on the mainland, Aunty Genoa has also performed in Japan, Switzerland, Russia and New Zealand. Of her large family, two sons, Gary and Sam Keawe-Aiko are also musicians and often perform with her.