Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 5, 1 May 1990 — Matsunaga worked for Hawaiians [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Matsunaga worked for Hawaiians

United States Senator Spark M. Matsunaga (DHawai'i) died April-15 after a long battle against cancer. During his service to Hawai'i in the House and Senate, Matsunaga sponsored many measures whieh benefit Native Hawaiians. A bill he recently co-sponsored with Daniel Inouye (D-Hawai'i) and whieh just passed in the Senate, will make it the policy of the United States to preserve and promote Native American languages, including m Hawaiian. While in the U.S. House of Representatives a* (1974) he was the pnneipal sponsor of the Native Hawaiian Claims Settlement Act. During his tenure in the House he was among the first to speak out concerning the need to preserve Hawaiian music. After his eleehon to the Senate in 1976, he and Sen. Inouye introdured legislation for a federal study of Native Hawaiian culture, needs and eoncerns whieh was published in 1983. Matsunaga was co-sponsor, with Inouye, of legisiation calling for improvements in the education of Native Hawaiian children. He sponsored

legislation to improve the health status of Native Hawaiians and also sponsored the establishment of a Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Center at Bishop Museum. Services for Senator Matsunaga were held in Honolulu Apnl 17 at Central Union Church following a lying in state at the Capitol rotunda during whieh many hundreds paid their last respects. The church services were attended by 11 members of Congress, Hawaii's Governor John Waihee, members of both houses of the Hawai'i legislature, all four county mayors, diplomats, trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, members of the business community, ' labor leaders and many hundreds of private citizenz. During his eulogy at the services, Sen. Inouye said that when a veteran's center is built in Hawai'i he will ask that it be named for Matsunaga. Apnl 18, a private service was held for the family followed by interment at the Nahonal Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. The senator's immediate family survivors include his wife, Helene Matsunaga, sons Keene and Matthew, daughters Karen, Diane, Merle, and three grandsons.

bparK MasayuKi Matsunaga