Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 6, 1 Iune 2000 — Moses K. Keale Sr., retired OHA trustee, passes [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Moses K. Keale Sr., retired OHA trustee, passes

OHA's longest serving trustee, Ni'ihau-born Moses Keale, elected to five consecutive terms representing Kaua'i and Ni'ihau, died May 3. OHA Chair Clayton Hee remembered his colleague, mentor and friend in a eulogy delivered at Keale's services in Lihu'e, May 8. By Clayton H.W. Hee HAVE BEEN given a great honor to speak today by Diane Keale, the devoted wife of Trustee Moses Keale.Trustee Keale served OHA in order to make a difference for Hawaiian people. In the early years, OHA trastees like Trastee Keale had to use their own resources to travel to meet with beneficiaries; met in garages, patios or anywhere they could find space; and served with no salary. It was not until he had served for 14 years that in 1994 Trastee Keale was finally paid a salary for his service as an OHA trastee. The only official ever elected from Ni'ihau, Trastee Keale was raised the old Hawaiian way. As he onee said, "I recall my mother's words, 'always watch what you say."' At our meetings, he never forgot to give us a warm aloha and smile. He was always pleasant,

humhle and a gentleman, even with those who declared themselves to be his adversaries. He was very quick to see through the politics and to critically assess any situation. Yet at the same time, he could appreciate the group dynamics and work his way to the goal he believed in. Trastee Keale was always gracious, friendly, courteous, encouraging, appre-

ciative and supportive. He was traly a decent person. I first met Trastee Keale in 1990, after I had been elected to OHA. We shared a passionate belief that our 'ōlelo

'ōiwi is the essence of the Hawaiian culture and defines us as a people. We shared a profound desire to see our 'ōlelo survive. We shared a eommon vision that kamali'i could study in Hawaiian language as a medium and be competitive in any society, that studying in the Hawaiian language in Hawai'i was the same as studying in Japanese in Japan or learning in French as many children do all around the world. Like me, he hoped more students would be attracted to study in our beautiful language. He always and without question

would vote to support Hawaiian language programs. I know Trastee Keale would be very proud to know that a high school student of Nāwahīokalani'ōpu'u, a school purchased with OHA funds, who was brought up in the Hawaiian language similar to Trastee Keale, was recently selected as a Sterling Scholar, one of the highest achievements for a graduating senior. Despite his illness at the end, Trustee Keale was very proud of the settlement in OHA vs. DOE, where OHA in partnership with the DOE has eommitted to doubling the funding for the Kula Kaiapuni program for the next five years. This program now has more than 17 school sites and 1,800 students. Trustee Keale and I also shared a deep commitment to education for Hawaiian children. Long before I was elected, Trastee Keale had devoted his considerable energy and leadership skills to establishing an endowment from the OHA portfolio for the education of Hawaiian children. Trastee Keale saw education as a means to enrich and improve the quality of life, in whatever language medium one studied. When speaking with pride about OHA, Trastee Keale onee said that "our kupuna conferences have given us lessons in the lifestyle of our ancestors and have allowed us to relearn our culture. Our 'ōpio conferences have given us a ehanee to teach what we have learned." His was obviously a creative mind, his was obviously a big heart, his goals were consistently ambitious. He was a determined and proud man. He was an See KEALE on page 5

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KEALE

From page 1 example of the accomplishments one ean achieve with determination and hard work. In his youth, given the year of his birth, 1938, and the island of his birth, achieving success was a difficult journey. As he put it, "We were not rich, but we had everything." Trustee Keale was always concerned with the entitlements of OHA. He felt strongly that in order to prevail in achieving our entitlements, we had to be "ready for when the state finally says 'no more,' we trustees must bury our egos and pull together ... We must create a financial base that will carry us into the new century." He eounseled us, "Too often we have fought over past discretion, blamed eaeh other for mistakes, or dwelled on eaeh other's failures. All of this fighting only benefits those who are trying to restrict our benefits and entidements." He also said many times that "what is good for Hawaiians is good for all the people of Hawai'i, and what is good for all the people of Hawai'i is good for Hawaiians." He believed we should all stand united. Trustee Keale was uncommonly proud of his wife Diane and his family. Our memories of Trustee Keale will always be special to us. Let us pay tribute to his life and celebrate his life everyday. ■