Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 12, 1 December 2012 — Aloha ʻoe, Ruby [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha ʻoe, Ruby

There was hardly a dry eye in the Convention Hall of the JW Marriott hotel in Washington, D.C., this October when we honored those members of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at convention who transitioned in 2012 from this life to the next. There were many. When the roll was read, Ruby McDonald from the Kona Hawaiian Civic Club was one of many. Ruby stands out

because she not only was a KHCC member, she was for 32 years the face and voice of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for Moku O Keawe-West Hawai'i. Ruby was always proud to proclaim "Kaloko is my ahupua'a." Known as "Pua" to her 'ohana, she was keiki o ka 'āina to Kona 'Akau (North Kona). She was forever loyal to the land of her birth. If she could have taken Kona back to the good old days, to a time when life was slow and less complicated, she would have. OHA opened its doors in 1980. Ruby was our first hire on Hawai'i Island. When she left us so very quietly early on a Sunday morning in August, she was our longest-serving employee. I first met Ruby in 1983 as a freshman legislator. She needed help with a Kona issue. I forget what the issue was but with the help of friends in the state House, we resolved it quickly to her satisfaction. She was tenacious even then. Ruby was a koa ikaika (strong warrior), steadfast and dogged to the end. "No ean" was not in her world view. At Ruby's memorial service at the Keauhou Beach Resort in September, Ruby's dear friend Winfield Chang had this to share: "Oftentimes it's difficult to view the life of one of your best friends through your own personal lens. You tend to feel blinded by your own bias, although the experiences are based on actual occurrences you've shared

over the years." He shared first the accounts of others about Ruby: Gerri Bell, former superintendent of Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau and Kaloko-Ho-nokōhau: "Ruby was extremeīy intelligent ... a straight shooter ... she said what she meant and meant what she said." Sherry Evans, Anchorage Hawaiian Civic Club co-founder: "She leaves behind people whose lives have been enriched by hers with hopes of being remembered in the same way." Curtis Tyler, Hawai'i County Council former vice chair, described Ruby's passing as "a tremendous loss ofone ofour mosttrea-

sured resources." Hannah Springer, former OHA trustee and respected Kona kama'āina: Ruby "was truly keiki o ka 'āina and a woman ofKona." Finally Winfield had this to say about Ruby: "She was theface of the Office of Hawaiian Ajfairs in Kona for over 30 years assisting families and individuals alike in issues such as kuleana lands, eduealional and financial opportunities and a myriad ofother problematic

endeavors. Having volunteered in her officefor a number ofyears, I witnessed her earnest ejforts and due diligence in providing the Hcrwaiian community support anel empowerment movingforward in their lives anel reaching solutions anel consensus to perceived areas of dispute. She was always

■ i > i" forthright anel unapologetic in her viev,'s whether or not they conflicted with those edicts that camefrom Honolulu ... Rub y was indeed a self-made woman ... an ieonie figure in the Hawaiian community. ... Lastly, her lovefor the Kona Hawaiian Civic Club anel the Hawaiian civic club movement is legendary." On a beautiful Saturday morning at Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort and a somber Washington, D.C., evening at JW Marriott, we honored a dear sister and friend, Ruby Pua McDonald, who now soars with the angels. ■

LEO 'ELELE s TRUSTEE MESSSAGES /

www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org NATIVE HAWAIIAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENTS

Rūbert K. Lindsey, Jr. Trustee, Hawai'i

RUBY MCDONALD 1942-2012