Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 5, 1 May 2014 — 1953-2014 Stella Burgess, longtime Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi culture director, infused pono into all practices [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

1953-2014 Stella Burgess, longtime Grand Hyatt Kauaʻi culture director, infused pono into all practices

By Lynn Cook

When Auntie Stella Burgess gently suggested protocol for an event, people listened, learned and put action to her requests. She passed away in February at age 61. On April 5 nearly a thousand friends, dignitaries, co-workers and family from across the state gathered for her ho'olewa ceremony at Po'ipū Beach Park. Beginning before dawn, the traditional ceremony included chants and protocol, with area hotels providing food, and fire and poliee volunteers joining in to ensure comfort and safety. Known for her amazing depth of knowledge, for 15 years she served as director of Hawaiian culture and community affairs at the Grand Hyatt Kaua'i Resort. Carla Thomas,

Hyatt's area director of human resources, . says, "Stella was rare in the hospitality industry in that she could deliver the corporate message to new hires and then I immediately immerse them in Hawaiian cultural training." I Burgess received numerous awards I and served on a multitude of committees, , all with a quiet grace and a firm hand, I infusing history and culture into everyI thing she touched. For many years she I was a key judge for the Hawai'i Tourism ' Authority's Keep It Hawai'i awards, quiI etly questioning eaeh entrant's ability to 1 support true protocol and cultural prac- • tices. As her dear friend, Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua Celebration of the Arts creator

and cultural adviser Clifford Nae'ole described it, "If something wasn't pono, Stella would give a scolding look and say, 'Don't make me stand up.' No one ever wanted to be on the receiving end of the look." Burgess was the source of inspiration for, and creator of the Hyatt's highly successful Na Hana Lima Festival. Her husband, James Kimo Burgess, and son, Keolu, were keys to the 13-man hālau Nā Kāne O Keoneloa, whieh she organized. Taught by the late Charles Ka'upu, the hālau was created to tell Kaua'i's stories, often gathering in the Hyatt's Serenity Garden, created in her honor. Margy Parker, longtime friend and former head of the Po'ipū Beach Foundation and Po'ipū Beach Resort Association, said: "Stella was truly extraordinary in the way she figured out how to share so many meaningful aspects of the Native Hawaiian culture among loeal residents and visitors. She simply embraced people, no matter where they eame from." ■ Lynn Cook is a loeal freelance journalist sharing the arts and euhwe of Hawai'i with a glohal audience.

Aunlie Stella Burgess. - Courtesy: Grand Hyatt Kaua'i Resort & Spa