Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 8, 1 August 1993 — William Richardson to get Lei Hulu Mamo award [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

William Richardson to get Lei Hulu Mamo award

William Shaw Richardson, former Chief Justice of the Hawai'i State Supreme Court and newlyretired Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate trustee, has been selected as the 1993 recipient of the prestigious Lei Hulu Mamo award. Richardson, or "CJ" as he is widely known, was chosen by the members of the Hawaiian Civic Political Action Committee (HACPAC) in recognition of his many years of exemplary public service, his high professional achievement, and for his many personal contributions to the Hawaiian commuity. He joins past Lei Hulu Mamo recipients U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka; former state Rep. George H. Mills; former Territorial and

state Sen. Richard Lyman; former state Rep. Joseph Leong; state Rep. Henry Peters and last year's recipient Judge Walter M. Heen. The lei hulu mamo traditionally was a lei of only the finest yellow mamo (Hawaiian honeycreeper) feathers whieh was worn as 'a symbol of highest esteem in Hawaiian society. Because only a few of these feathers could be removed from eaeh bird caught, they were among the choicest to be found. Thus those who wore them in a lei were known to be special indeed. Richardson played a key role in the rise to power of Hawai'i's Democratic Party. He served one term as Lt. Governor with Gov. John Bums, and was then named Chief Justice of the Hawai'i State

Supreme Court. He was the first State Supreme Court Justice of Hawaiian ancestry. During his 16-year tenure on the bench, the Richardson Court

relied heavily upon Hawaiian laws and practices, rather than

ruling solely by Western case law, in deciding legal precedents in the state. This practice not only guaranteed a native Hawaiian influence modern laws of Hawai'i, but it helped spark an interest among Hawaiian scholars to leam as mueh as possible about traditional Hawaiian laws so they might be applied today. From the Supreme Court, he was appointed to a 10-year term as a trustee of Kamehameha Schools/Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate. His years there were marked by continued expansion of the Schools' educational programs and a broad-based diversification of the institution's assets. He retired on Dec. 31, 1992. Richardson will be honored at a banquet on Friday, Sept. 10 at

Paradise Park. State Supreme Court Associate Justice Robert Klein will be the keynote speaker. Cocktails begin at 6 p.m. with a Hawaiian buffet to follow at 7 p.m. The public is invited; tickets cost $35 eaeh and may be purchased from HACPAC members or by calling banquet co-chair Momi Jones at 521-9353. The Hawaiian Civic Political Action Committee researches and shares information about legislative issues affecting the Hawaiian community, and promotes Hawaiian legislative participation. Lei Hulu Mamo awardees must be of Hawaiian ancestry and have been elected to public office.

William S. Richardson