Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 2, 1 February 2012 — Van Dyke remembered with laughter, tears, song [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Van Dyke remembered with laughter, tears, song

By Sarah Paeheeo

/ / ^^^^™here's going to be " " I laughing today." I Those are the I words Aviam S oiI fer, Dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, chose to begin the memorial service for Jon Markham Van Dyke, whose sudden passing Nov. 29, 2011, shocked both the loeal and international law eommunities. Indeed, the service held for Van Dyke the moming of Jan. 14 at the East-West Center was filled with laughter as friends, family, colleagues and associates shared their memories of the respected professor, lawyer and defender of civil and environmental rights. But it also was filled with tears and sadness for the void the

68-year-old's passing left. "We have lost a brilliant mind," said U.S. Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka, who fondly remembered Van Dyke as being "full of life" and as an admirable individual who "always stood up for what he thought was pono." "I will always remember his righteous spirit and miss his seasonedguidance," Akaka said. "He was tmly a Hawaiian at heart." As mueh as Akaka praised Van Dyke for his contributions to the Native Hawaiian community, he also shared personal stories about Van Dyke the family man, whom the Senator had the privilege to witness on many occasions when Van Dyke would visit with his eldest son, Jesse Broder Van Dyke. Jesse, who works for Akaka in Washington, D.C., also spoke of his father's passion for his work lobbying for human rights and environmental issues all over the world: "My favorite memories are traveling around the world together," Jesse said, relaying tales about how the two of them drank sake with law professors in Japan and snorkeled in Palau with the country's president. "He taught me the typical things - how to throw a base-

ball, how to shave, how to talk to girls," Jesse recounted with a smile. "But he also taught me about civil rights - how to lobby for those who cannot do so for themselves." "He was a genius who strived for peaee, justice and pono," said younger son Eric Broder Van Dyke. Others who spoke during the memorial also would attest that Van Dyke was a voice for the voiceless, a tireless advocate for social justice and equality: "Jon gave me my freedom," said Joyce Kainoa, who had been arrested for protesting military training on Kaho'olawe; she also was Van Dyke's first Hawai'i elient, in the 1970s. "He didn't look like a typical lawyer," Kainoa remembered describing how she was amazed this "hippie-looking man" from San Francisco would be willing to take on her case. "He was our strongest advocate and staunchest ally," OHA Chairperson Colette Machado said in her eulogy. "Not only did he help establish OHA, but he also generated time to make sure our kingdom would not be forgotten. As Native Hawaiians, we recog-

nize he created a legal framework for the future of our nahon." "He played a critical, indispensable role at a critical point for our people," said Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa in a statement read by Aaron Mahi. "He understood our history and what it would take to make sure the future would be different. He brought faimess to the legal environment." "Jon embodied the goals of the East-West Center - to strengthen relationships between the people of Asia, the Paeihe and the U.S. He championed the laws of the sea and the concept and reality of peaee. He was a tme Paeihe gentleman," said Mary Bitterman, President of The Bernard Osher Foundation and former Chair of the EWC Board of Govemors. "He was a master of the law and politics in eaeh arena ... (and) viewed law as an instrument of justice he could implore," said Professor David Caron of Berkeley Law School and President of the American Society of Intemational Law, whieh Caron said began its December meeting with a rare moment of silence in memory of Van Dyke. "Jon was very special," Caron

said. Van Dyke was a talented teacher who inspired thousands to pursue their passions. During her turn at the podium, Professor Mari Matsuda, a colleague at the Richardson School of Law, asked for those who had at any point in time gotten a "nudge of encouragement" from Van Dyke to stand, to whieh dozens of all ages and walks of life rose to their feet and applauded in appreciation of their beloved mentor. "If there was one thing Jon taught (us)," Matsuda said, "it was to walk quietly, litigate fiercely and love deeply." As promised, the day had been filled with mueh laughter; it also had been filled with heartfelt praise and adoration of an incredible life well-lived. To close, OHA Trustee Haunani Apoliona led the crowd in a medley of mele, giving eaeh individual a hnal ehanee to bid Jon Van Dyke a bittersweet Aloha 'Oe. M Sarah Paeheeo, a forrner writer and Assistant Regional Editor for MidWeek is an 0'ahu-based freelance writer.

Followus: /oha_hawaii | Fan us:G/officeofhawaiianaffairs | Watch us: YnufiTīrml /user/OHAHawaii A HE HO'OMANA'O s > IN MEM0RIAM }

Jon Markham Van Dyke's well-lived life is shown through the numerous awards, accolades and degrees he had received over the years, as well as photos, letters of sympathy from high-ranking officials, and a boxed Hawaiian flag given to his family by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. - Photos: Sarah Paeheeo

II ' Hl ■ ■■ ■— i m M ln foreground, OHA Chairperson Colette Machado; Joyce Kainoa, Van Dyke's first Hawai'i client; sons Jesse and Eric Broder Van Dyke; wife Sherry Broder; daughter Miehelle Broder Van Dyke; Aaron Mahi; Professor Seokwoo Lee of Inha University in Seoul, South Korea; U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka; and Mary Bitterman of The Bernard Osher Foundation.