Bidding Aloha To Former Trustee J. Douglas Ing KSK’62 Page 4
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P U B L I S H E D F O R T H E K A M E H A M E H A S C H O O L S ’O H A N A
A Spirit of Aloha
Even after 36 years of serving the nation in the sometimes contentious world of Washington politics, former Sen. Daniel Akaka KSK’42 still oozes with aloha, having stayed true to his Hawaiian values throughout his illustrious political career
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or someone who, at first, did not want to attend Kamehameha Schools, he’ll go down in history as one of its most distinguished graduates. “I really wanted to go to McKinley, the reason being that all my brothers and sisters went there, and I had my heart set on it,” said former Sen. Daniel Akaka KSK’42, who returned home to the islands after completing his Senate term in January 2013. Akaka had been the student body president – and May Day king – during his ninth grade year at Kawänanakoa Middle School, and his leadership skills had drawn the eye of officials from Kamehameha Schools. “So when I graduated from Kawänanakoa, Mr. Banning came to see my father about me going to Kamehameha Schools,” Akaka said. “They called me in, and I told them, ‘No, I’m going to McKinley.’ Banning said Kamehameha can offer me this and they can offer me that – he told me everything about the school – and I still said no. I turned him down three times.” Akaka said financial considerations weighed heavily on his mind. “Even at that time, I wondered how my father was going to pay the $63.50 for my tuition to attend Kamehameha. My father didn’t have much money, and I didn’t want to put my family through that, especially when I could go to McKinley for free. “Finally, Banning came back and told my father, ‘We want your son, and he doesn’t have to pay a cent.’ Wow! At that, I thought well, if I don’t have to pay, I’ll go to Kamehameha. And that’s why I accepted.” Apparently, Kamehameha Schools was a fine judge of
young talent. Akaka would go on to graduate from the school, serve in the Army during World War II, earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Hawai‘i, teach at
Kamehameha Schools, serve as a state Department of Education teacher, principal and administrator, earn election to the U.S House of Representatives in 1976, then serve in the U.S. Senate
“If anybody told me during my high school days that I was going to become a senator, I would never have believed them,” said Akaka, who is as kind and humble of a man that
that, trying to plan our lives, but when Dec. 7 came, our lives were sort of set.” Akaka attended Kamehameha at a time when the school was known for its strict
“We call it a spirit of aloha, but really it’s a spirit of people loving each other, working with each other, and making things happen in the best interest of everybody.” from 1990 until 2012, being first appointed to the office when Sen. Spark Matsunaga passed away in April of 1990. The first person of Native Hawaiian ancestry to serve in the U.S. Senate, Akaka said he never dreamed he’d become senator during his days as a student at Kamehameha Schools.
you will ever meet. “There was no way I was going to become a senator – but things worked out and I became one. “Of course, the thing that really changed our lives during our generation happened on Dec. 7, 1941. Prior to that, the teachers would talk to us about going to college and all
military discipline, and he rose to the rank of lieutenant in the ROTC program. “When Dec. 7 happened, I went up on the dormitory roof to
Inside KS in the News
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Perpetuating Pauahi’s Gift
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Kupopolo Heiau Offers Unique Educational Opportunity 6 Where the Hawaiians Are
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Former Sen. Daniel Akaka KSK’42 is one of the most distinguished graduates in the history of Kamehameha Schools.