Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 11, 1 November 1997 — In retrospect [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

In retrospect

I have been honored and privileged to serve you since November 1990 as a member of the board and since May 1991 as its chairman. It is with this deep sense of profound gratitude that I share with you the press release whieh announced my intention to resign subject to the selection of FrenchyDeSoto as new chairperson of the board Oct. 9. The press release said: "OHA Chairman Clayton Hee announced today that he is stepping down as chairman of the Board of Trustees eifective upon the selection of a new chair. Hee has been the longest-serv-ing chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in the organization's 17 year history. Hee was elected trustee in 1990, and chairman of the Board of Trustees in May of 1991. He has since continuously been elected by a majority of the board to serve as its chairman. Among the many accomplishments of OHA during his tenure: 1) In 1991, when Hee assumed the Chairmanship, the Office's trust assets totaled $19 million. Today, under Hee's Chairmanship, the

Office trust assets totals approximately $275 million; 2) OHA purchased one of only two Hawaiian language immersion schools

statewide: Nāwahīokalani'ōpu'u, at Kea'au; 3) OHA played a critical leadership role in establishing the master of arts degree in Hawaiian language and literature, the only Native American graduate degree in the United States, and in 1 997 helped to create the College of Hawaiian Lan-

guage and Literature at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo; 4) OHA has established a $10 million second mortgage program, a $10 million home improvement loan program (both in partnership with First Hawaiian Bank), a $10 million selfhelp housing program, and a $10 million Habitat for humanity self-help housing program; and 5) OHA created a multi-mil-lion dollar Education Foundation. One of the highest points during Hee's leadership was Judge Daniel Heely's ruling in July 1996 that the office was entitled to additional compensation from the State of Hawai'i, estimated at between $500 million and $1.2 billion. The successful settlement of this elaim may likely bring OHA's trust assets to between $800 million and $1.5 billion." I wish to thank the many many people who personally took the time to eall me expressing their best wishes urging me to continue the work at hand. As we look together to the future, programs already started and others just beginning, such as the Waimānalo kupuna homes

project and the Kalama'ula Multi-Service Center, must eontinue. Further, other Hawaiian eommunities such as Hāna, where the only medical center is seeking help from OHA to improve the existing facility and expand the services to the community, must moveforward. OHA should assist the efforts of the Hawaiian community at Keālia on Kaua'i where Kane Pa and Joe Prigge have organized Hawaiians to elean up Keālia beach and take pride in the last remaining accessible beach at Kapa'a. I am proud to have been a part of the past OHA achievements since 1990. I look forward to the successful eomplehon of the ongoing projects and with great anticipation relish the arrival of new ideas from our people. As I have stated many times before, sovereignty without eeonomie autonomy is a meaningless facade. Accomplishments such as those mentioned and new ones such as the anticipated $2 million Administration for Native Americans eeonomie development Hawai'i grant program will move us closer to eeonomie autonomy. And the journey is just beginning. No laila, e ho'omau aku kākou no ka pono o ko kākou mau pulapula. ■

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TRUSTEE MESSAGES

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