Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 3, 1 March 2016 — Moha 1942-2016 Sen. Gil Kahele [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Moha 1942-2016 Sen. Gil Kahele

ByTreenaShapiro

Hours before his death, state Senator Gilbert Kahele had his mind on his constituents, signing bills to protect land at Kapua Bay, establish an airport authority and provide funding for a college of aeronautical science at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo. These acts demonstrated a eommitment beyond what might be expected for a leader remembered by his colleagues as wise, gracious and steadfast, and the epitome of aloha. If the aerospace college becomes a reality, it could bear Kahele's name. "This is more than the Senate's way to recognize the good work of the late Senator," said Sen. Brickwood Galuteria, who cosponsored a resolution to name the college the Gil Kahele Aero Technology Campus. "This is a memoir that reflects the way he operated, bringing people together to plan and build for a better Hawai'i. And you ean see that in the resolution, it brings together various groups to develop a plan for the Hilo eommunity and the state of Hawai'i." Sen. Kahele, 73, died Jan. 26 at The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu. He was 73. Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chairman Robert K. Lindsey, Jr., said Kahele had been an active member of the Hawai'i Island legislative delegation since he was appointed - and later elected - to the state Senate. "Senator Kahele will be remembered as a favorite 'Son of Miloli'i,'" Lindsey said. "I will always remember his huge smile, his love and compassion for people, his love for his beautiful family, and his thoughtfulness, as well as the way he cared for those struggling to make ends meet. E hiamoe mālie, my friend. Aloha." Jobie Masagatani, Chairwoman of the Hawaiian Homes Commis-

sion, said, "Senator Kahele was the true embodiment of a native Hawaiian leader - humble in his approach and steadfast in his advocacy. He was a strong supporter of our Keaukaha and Pana'ewa homestead communities, never missing an opportunity to congratulate a new homesteader in person and shake the hands of the construction workers who built the home." Kahele, a Marine Corps veteran and longtime director of public works for the Pōhakuloa Training Area, was appointed to represent Hilo, Puna and Ka'u in the state Senate in 2011 by then-Gov. Neil Abercrombie. District boundaries were redrawn the following year and Kahele was elected to represent Hilo. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz honored Kahele in a speech on the Senate floor in Washington, D.C., recalling the 2014 election when parts of Hawai'i County were unable to vote because a Category 4 hurrieane had hit the southern part of the island. A day after the primary, the election was incomplete, but more significantly, the people of Puna

were without power and water and debris littered the roadways. "And so we went to work," Schatz said in his speech. "Not gathering votes, but gathering provisions. Not walking door-to-door to campaign, but literally standing on the road, handing out blocks of iee for the folks in Puna. We did this every day for a week, with Gil and the Kahele 'ohana, until a sense of normalcy was eventually restored. For their family, this was just what you do if you're a person like Gil Kahele, born in a grass shack, in the fishing village of Miloli'i, a Native Hawaiian who servedhis country, his state, his eommunity, his family, the best way he knew how - with aloha." On O'ahu, state lawmakers remembered Kahele with a public memorial on the Senate floor and a motorcade tribute that stopped at the Capitol, where the flags were dropped to half-staff and Ke Kālihi Nui (Hawaiian feathered standards), kani pu (eoneh blowers) and the Kanikau (mourning chant) honored the late senator. The motorcade then stopped at the National Cemetery of the Pacific for a flag folding ceremony. On Hawai'i Island, a motorcade tribute toured many sites special to Kahele and a final "Evening of Aloha" was held on Feb. 8. Gov. David Ige appointed Kaiali'i Kahele, a major in the Hawai'i Air National Guard, to his late father's Senate seat on Feb. 16. "My father led by example, and community service was part of my life for as long as I ean remember. I am honored to carry on his legislative initiatives," Kaiali'i Kahele said in a release announcing his appointment. "In addition, I intend to focus on job creation by strengthening workforce opportunities and small business in Hilo and the state, and I will continue to be a strong advocate for Hawai'i Community College and UH-Hilo." ■

j HE HO'OMANA'O ^ > IN MEM0RIAM / /J

Sen. Gil Kahele. - Photo: Courtesy