Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 6, 1 Iune 1998 — Trustee Aiona Retires [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Trustee Aiona Retires

By Ryan Mielke ABRAHAM AIONA still remembers most of the details about his boyhood home in Kaimukī, O'ahu. It was the starting point of an enduring lifetime of service, success and challenge. On May 1 2, he closed another chapter in his life with his resignation from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees. For the last seven and a half years, he contributed to some of the largest strides in OHA's history of serving Hawaiians, such as his instrumental role in the state's payment to OHA of $129 million. It is a trust that he and the rest of the OHA trustees negotiated and put toward an investment strategy that has since grown the trust to more than $300 million. His career of helping and serving his community spans more than 47 years, from his years climbing through the ranks to become one of Hawai'i's first Hawaiian poliee chiefs to beginning his poliheal service in 1977 on the Maui County Council to deciding to run for an OH A seat in the late 1 980s. When elected to serve in one of the seats available in 1 990, he won with more votes than any other eandidate, leading the state. "I am proud of what we have aeeomplished," said Aiona, former ehaiiman of key committees such as Budget, Finance and Policy as well as former vice chair of the OHA Board of Trustees. "It has all been very rewarding and challenging." Yet it was not the positions or the titles that taught him what he has learned most. He said that it was the importance of being Hawaiian and being proud of his heritage. As new programs for Hawaiian culture and

Abraham Aiona, a motivating speaker and leader. language education blossom throughout Hawai'i, Aiona said he is delighted that many of the ad\ ancements and funding opportunities were taken while he was serving OHA's beneficiaries. But he also recalled a time when the calls for pride in one's native language were not as loud. "In our younger days, we were told not to speak Hawaiian," he said. "My parents were the same way. They spoke Hawaiian only to

eaeh other. They felt we should learn English and learn it well, to survive." Whenever his parents spoke Hawaiian, he said, he did not understand mueh of it. It wasn't until mueh later in life that he, like many others, discarded any negative feelings about learning the language. J "Right now, I ean understand J most of what people tell me, but I ■ still don't speak it very well," he ■

said. Education and constant improvement i of one's abilities is the only route to success, according to Aiona. "When I first eame on the board, I wanted them to eome up with an endowment fund. After meeting | with an attorney, Trustee (Moses) Keale and I decided to go with an 'Education Foundation' to broaden the scope of programs, etc." His efforts paid off as young Hawaiians were also provided training on caring for fishponds, planting taro and other traditional practices. While he has learned mueh about himself while at OHA, he said he also leamed a lot about what people ean do when they set their minds and hearts to the task. And that, he hopes, will eonhnue long after he is gone from OHA. "I would also like to

PHOTOS COURTESY: ABRAHAM AIONA

See AIONA on page 2

A career in the military gave Abe Aiona some of the discipline and skills he would rely on throughout his nearly half a century of pubfic service.

From page 1 ■ see a time when the media does not ; focus on faction versus faction but I instead on our positive actions work- ; ing together." Regardless of what the future brings for Abraham Aiona, his doctor will be happy that it will not mean commuting regularly to O'ahu to attend OHA meetings. "My doctor saw me on TV recently and said, 'When I heard that you were going out I was so happy.'" The commute to and from OHA has caused eon- | cern from his doctor as Aiona contin- ; ues to receive treatment stemming from serious injuries he received in a car accident in 1 959. His heahh and a need to spend more time with his family are his main priorities in life right now. he |said. "My wife has been a pillar of strength for me," he added. They will soon hit a milestone that many couples never see. On June 20, Aiona and his wife, Rose, will eelebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on O'ahu. While he has served his eommuni- I iy for nearly half a century. retirement life for Aiona actually means more of the same as he has committed himself to working with the Maui Botanical Advisory Committee. "1 have enjoyed my life," he said. As summer begins and OHA moves on with the business at hand. Abraham Aiona will be doing pretty mueh ; what has always brought him success f — serving his community and caring for his family. ■

Aiona