Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 9, 1 September 2020 — UNITING THE WORLD ON LAURA'S LĀNAI [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

UNITING THE WORLD ON LAURA'S LĀNAI

I always considered Laura a modern day ali'i for her deep caring for others and eommitment to Hawai'i. She welcomed people from all over the world to her home. She didn't care if you were a world leader or Regular Joe, she treated you the same. She felt her home was a gift to be shared. Laura was a rare peacemaker. When people in the community had a beef, she would invite them for a beer. In her presenee people put down their spears. Onee I watched as two "hotheads" eame together on her lānai. I waited for fireworks, but that never happened. Both guys had too mueh respect for her. Niu was Laura and Laura was Niu. Home was in the back of the valley under the stars protected by Kūlepeamoa. There the spirits of her ancestors Captain Adams, Grandma Lucas, and her mother, Clorinda, were always near. Pinky, her beloved late husband watched over from where his standup bass stood. Encircling her were the homes of her loving children Lita, Nainoa, Myron and their 'ohana. From her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends, dogs, cats and chickens, a living lei of aloha was ever present around Laura. - Chris Cramer, Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center