Hawaii-2012-HR192-Introduced

WHEREAS, the real beauty of our island–state lies in its people whose lives are manifested with respect for ancestry and cultural origin, and who honor their heritage by a life of service to the broader community; and

WHEREAS, Hannie Anderson, Douglas Pooloa, and Edith Van Gieson have made life-long commitments to honor the Hawaiian culture in paddling, tradition in art, and legacy in music which are preserved and shared among many generations in the State of Hawai'I; and

WHEREAS, Hannie Anderson had been with the Waikiki Surf Club since 1951, before becoming one of the founding members of Na Wahine O Ke Kai in 1975; and

WHEREAS, Hannie Anderson has been race director for the Na Wahine O Ke Kai Molokai to Oahu Canoe Race since its beginning in 1979, organizing the 41-mile crossing from Molokai to Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki; and

WHEREAS, Hannie Anderson continues to contribute to the Hawaiian sport of paddling as race commissioner for the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association after having given so much of her time and energy to so many entities, including being president of the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association; and

WHEREAS, Douglas Pooloa Tolentino flourished at the junction of many cultures as the son of Angelina Brown Tolentino and Clarence Pooloa Tolentino, practicing the things he learned as a child of a multilingual and multicultural household in all of his interactions with friends, acquaintances and strangers; and

WHEREAS, Douglas Pooloa Tolentino has contributed his art to the 2012 Legislative Hawaiian Caucus after many years of contributing his talents to so many entities in the State of Hawaii and the Hawaiian community; and

WHEREAS, Douglas Pooloa Tolentino has perpetuated through his artistic gifts the many significant experiences and diverse oral histories of his closest friends and mentors, which include Leilani Fernandez, Edith McKenzie, Lorna Prendergast, Irmgard Farden Aluli, Frank Palani Kahala and Kahauanu Lake; and

WHEREAS, Douglas Pooloa Tolentino has always honored the ano, the intrinsic style, of the dualistic tradition of Hawaiian peoples’ understanding of kuleana, acknowledging both the privilege and responsibility of honoring the past as a contemporary Hawaiian artist, musician and genealogist; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is greatly enriched by the contributions of dedicated individuals who make our island home a better and healthier place in which to live and work and Edith Van Gieson, a co-founder of the Leeward Kai Canoe Club, is one such person; and

WHEREAS, Edith, together with her late husband Henry, established the Nanakuli-based club in 1967; and

WHEREAS, She and their three children- Ryan, Rena, Myron and their families-have devoted close to a half-century to fostering cultural pride and promoting sportsmanship on the Wai'anae Coast; and

WHEREAS, in June, the club will host at Nanakuli Beach the 45^th Annual Father's Day Regatta for the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association; and

WHEREAS, Wai'anae Coast residents have long benefitted from the Van Gieson family's commitment to cultivating canoe paddling as a wholesome and challenging sport for people of all ages, and under the direction of Head Coach Ryan Van Gieson, the club currently serves 88 children and 65 families; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular session of 2012, that this body hereby commends and thanks these individuals for life–long dedication and extends its warmest aloha and best wishes for their continued service to the people of the State of Hawaii.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Congratulations to outstanding individuals for a job well done.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	192
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012
STATE OF HAWAII