Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 8, 1 August 1992 — Deputy Administrator Stanley Lum retires [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Deputy Administrator Stanley Lum retires

A gentle and stable force that has helped empower the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is retiring August 17. Stanley Lum heeame OHA deputy administrator in 1989, and at the age of 62 says he's been planning to spend more time with his wife Betty, grandchildren and family for a long time. "It's time I stopped planning and started doing it," he says.

In the short time he's been with OHA, Lum has done mueh to further the cause of Hawaiians. Lum was part of a staff team along with Administrator Richard Paglinawan and Land Officer Linda Delaney who assisted the Board of Trustees in clarifying past due settlements owed the Hawaiian people by the state of Hawai'i for use of ceded land. This clarification resulted in an initial payment of $7.2 million to OHA in 1990. Lum recalled the meetings with the governor's team during that time. "I think those meetings really produced something," he said. "It contributed

to galvanizing other actions that OHA is initiating or involved in. It ean only go in one direction from now on and that's up." Delaney observes that one of Lum's strongest gifts is his "clear eommon sense approach" and ability to grasp the larger picture while being able to break it down into the many

parts that need to be done. Also known for his easy temper and sense of humor, especially in difficult periods, Lum's abilities set a high standard of performance for the officers and staff at OHA. He believed that if you raised the quality inside

OHA, it would increase the benefits to Hawaiians throughout the state. "He provides mueh of the stability here," according to Rona Rodenhurst, OHA education officer. "He's the nuts and bolts person, a real problem solver." Lum also included the five liaison officers on the neighbor islands into the agency plannine process.

"We're the people in touch with the people," said Carmen Panui, OHA Kaua'i liaison, "So we are able to offer a different perspective into the planning process. He made us part of OHA," she said, and "He taught us to laugh when things go wrong."

Paglinawan regretfully announced Lum's retirement July 21. "Eaeh of us working here has benefited from his eapahle administration, his unstinting dedication and seemingly tireless efforts on OHA's behalf," Paglinawan said. "Mueh has been done these past few years that could not have been done without him."

In the course of contributing to OHA, Lum says he gained a keener sense of his own Hawaiianess. "I iiow have a better appreciation of what was lost in 1893," he said. "It wasn't just the loss of a kingdom or land. It's the loss of Hawaiian thought, Hawaiian philosophy — all of the things that make Hawaiians a unique race of people. I don't think I would have eome to that level of understandine otherwise.

"When you work on behalf of clients and make certain things happen, that's when you really get to understand what the history is all about."

Stanley Lum