This refreshing salad is so easy to make, especially when I bake the bacon in the oven.
I usually double or triple the salad dressing recipe so there is plenty on hand for everyone to enjoy.
While I can’t remember how I got this recipe, my family has enjoyed this salad for over 40 years. When I first “served” this salad at our “tennis gang” potluck dinner, it instantly became their favorite.
Our tennis friends have been together for over 40 years now. Even though some of us no longer play tennis, we all get together because we enjoy each other’s company. It still always makes me smile when someone brings this salad.
Salad Ingredients: 1 lb. spinach 2 hardboiled eggs 2 tomatoes 5 bacon slices (425 degrees, 10 minutes) 1 can Chinese noodles 2 can water chestnuts, sliced 1 can mandarin oranges (Optional add-ons: mushrooms, chopped apple, avocado, bean sprouts, any of your favorites!)
Dressing: 3/4 cup white sugar 1 cup salad oil 1/2 cup apple cider or Japanese vinegar 1/3 cup ketchup 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. salt
Directions:
Wash, dry and tear spinach leaves.
Cut hardboiled eggs into quarters.
Slice tomatoes into bite-sized wedges.
Break bacon into crumbles.
Combine all salad ingredients in wooden bowl.
For the dressing, mix the sugar, salad oil, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire and salt in a small bowl. Blend well.
Pour desired amount over salad ingredients. Toss lightly and serve immediately.
Prep time: 30 minutes | Serves: 6
Do you have a favorite recipe and story to share? For consideration in the next issue, include a photo and mail them to Generations Recipe, PO Box 4213, Honolulu, HI 96812, or email them to Cynthia@generations808.com.
This refreshing salad is so easy to make, especially when I bake the bacon in the oven. I usually double or triple the salad dressing recipe so there is plenty on hand for everyone to enjoy. While I can’t remember how I got this recipe, my family has enjoyed this salad for over 40 years.…
Story by Haley Burford Photography by Steve Nohara
The words “family” and “business” are not mutually exclusive to Hawaii National Bank’s owners and operators. HNB is at once a “business family” and a “family business.” For the last 64 years, the Luke family has supported small businesses, family businesses and each other with their intrinsic knowledge and practical experience. They know what it takes to run a family business because they are a family business. But a name plaque on a desk at the bank is not assured simply for being a family member alone. A member of the Luke family must earn that honor by having the aptitude, talent and passion for the banking business.
The Luke family’s community bank has thrived, as have their clients, utilizing a business model that assesses intangibles, prioritizes Hawai‘i’s people and incorporates integrity, philanthropy and responsibility as its core values.
The family’s principles, policies and values govern the way the bank engages in business, establishing a code of conduct that drives employee behavior at all levels and builds trust between the bank and its customers. These foundational family standards guide the company’s actions, influence its culture and determine how the bank interacts with customers, employees and the community. They serve as a compass for decision-making and help align the goals and vision of the company with the behaviors of its workforce.
Big bang beginnings
Hawaii National Bank (HNB) celebrated its grand opening with a bang and the pop of 10,000 firecrackers in Honolulu’s Chinatown on Sept. 19, By the end of that very first day, the bank had received about $6.25 million in deposits, setting a national record for first-day bank deposits in the United States. From that point onward, HNB has maintained its status as a top-tier financial institution in Hawai‘i.
Hawaii National Bank prides itself on being locally owned and operated. It is through their highly personalized and intimate philosophy that HNB has garnered and retains a clientele that consists of not only individual account holders, but families and small businesses, too. Brought into being by KJ Luke and a group of local businessmen in 1960 as a publicly owned bank, upheld by Warren Luke and now headed by the third generation, Bryan Luke, HNB and its nine branches continue to grow with our ever-evolving Hawai‘i, maintaining its well-deserved reputation every step of the way. HNB is a community bank, with all decisions made locally, and they are traditional in the sense that both commercial and retail banking services are provided to customers. HNB aims to lead us down the path of financial literacy, security and relationship-building they feel we all deserve.
An upward trajectory
KJ Luke began his work life at his father’s general store on the Big Island. Years later, he graduated from the University of Hawai‘i with a degree in accounting. While applying for a job at a local bank, he ran into his accounting professor, who encouraged him to pursue an advanced degree instead of a job. Luke responded by saying, “I will send in an application, but if I don’t get accepted, I want you to help me get this job.” Luke was accepted to Harvard Business School, earning an MBA (Master of Business Administration). He was later awarded the school’s highest honor, the Alumni Achievement Award, becoming the very first Chinese-American to earn such an accolade.
KJ Luke went on to become one of Hawai‘i’s most successful businessmen and real estate investors. Among his many achievements in the realm of his business ventures was his idea of building a new bank to make the most of Hawai‘i’s booming economy at the time. He wanted to prioritize building strong interpersonal relationships and taking care of Hawai‘i’s diverse local population.
Taking on the responsibilities of president and chairman of this new project, Luke applied and then was approved for a federal charter to open the only national bank in Hawai‘i.
Thus, HNB came into being, and was (and still is) highly regarded among the state’s people. Priding itself on being the “Home of Warm-Hearted Bankers,” through three generations of leadership, Hawaii National Bank strives to be there for the people, throughout all stages of their lives.
A legacy of excellence
After KJ Luke came his son, Warren. Warren Luke is the current chairman of HNB. Like his father, Warren attended Harvard Business School after obtaining his undergraduate degree at Babson College in Massachusetts. Championing the value of education for Hawai‘i’s (and the world’s) youth, Warren also involves himself in various nonprofits and boards, including Harvard Business School’s Asia Pacific Advisory Board and through supporting the Harvard Center Shanghai.
The third generation of Luke family legacy of excellence is Warren’s son, Bryan, the current president and CEO of HNB. Like his father and his father before him, Bryan also attended Harvard Business School and advocates for strengthening Hawai‘i’s economy, environment, education and entrepreneurship. He serves on multiple local and national boards, including Hawaii Community Reinvestment Corporation, the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council and the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific.
The achievements of these men are not few. Their desire for change and capacity for compassion are not small.
Of course, all of these accolades and accomplishments are impressive, but to the Luke family, what they really celebrate are the close relationships they have built and kept with their clientele, and the family businesses and individuals they have worked with.
The family business
One of the core messages that Hawaii National Bank wants the people and small/family businesses of Hawai‘i to be aware of and understand is that they know what it takes to run a family business — because they are a family business.
Bryan spent time in the Bay Area and shared how he disliked being removed from a hands-on work environment. “I’d value businesses and intangible assets,” says Bryan. “I’d consider a lot of things you can’t see, touch or feel.”
After returning to Hawai‘i and working at the bank, Bryan realized he was right where he belonged. “Coming back home and working with local families and really seeing what we do and how we help our customers and businesses — and therefore, their families and the overall community — just made things way more tangible.”
Bryan feels that working at HNB is much more rewarding because the help provided to their customers can actually be seen making a palpable difference in their lives.
Warren interjects some insight regarding the evolving nature of banking and services today: “Banking is changing now because of IT [information technology] systems and what’s available online. So we have a lot of younger customers say, ‘Why do I need a banking relationship?’”
“There will be some time in your life when you’re going to need a relationship for a loan or understanding what you want to do — if you want to acquire a business or buy a house, you will need to go in and talk to a banking officer, or relationship officer,” says Bryan.
“That’s what we really concentrate on: relationships.” Bryan adds that HNB may be compared to the private banking group of a larger bank, as they offer more personalized service and opportunities to build a relationship with your banker.
Consistency, constancy & continuing change
When Warren began at the bank, he assessed the situation and realized that many of HNB’s senior officers were on the verge of retirement. He looked to the board about hiring a consultant. Bryan had worked for a consulting company, so the board hired him to do a project during the summer. He proved himself. They liked what he did, and the bank hired him.
“All of a sudden, I replaced my senior officers with officers in their 30s — it was a big change,” says Warren. With this change came the need to also update their IT systems, and it was a work-in-progress then just like it is today, especially with the rise of AI (artificial intelligence). He jokes, “So, working with the young people is fine.”
HNB has undoubtedly undergone changes in the 64 years it has been in existence. Bryan’s challenge was keeping the good parts of what the bank excels at but also evolving for the future.
“When I came onboard 18 or 19 years ago, we were about a $300-million bank in asset size,” says Bryan. “We’re at about $800 million now. One of the things we did really well when I first started was the relationship — the close contact that we had with a lot of our longtime customers. We were going through a generational transition and a lot of our customers were, as well, so the question became, how do we adapt for the next generation of leaders?”
To Bryan, figuring out how to maintain that close contact HNB prioritizes was paramount. “The fear that you have is twofold: one, not being able to keep up in terms of technology, but, two, maintaining that personal touch you have with your customers,” says Bryan. “You have to use a combination of both things and we spend a lot of time working on that.”
The business of family
The other thing Warren feels strongly about is upholding family. “I’ve been lucky because I’ve worked a lot in education. I was in a group to help with input on the family business practice at Harvard Business School. Now, there are a lot of schools that have family business sections that concentrate on family businesses. At Harvard, we concentrate more on the business family, because you have to work with a family to keep it together to make sure that the business can survive. If the family stays together, the business can survive a lot of different things. If the family doesn’t stay together, it’s very difficult.”
Why do Warren and Bryan feel so strongly about finding a balance between being a family and being a business? When asked to what extent it is important for HNB to be family-owned and operated with regard to their clientele, Warren answers, “We really wanted to take care of local businesses. Helping local business is our business.” Many local businesses in Hawai‘i are family-owned and locally owned, so HNB feels a duty to take care of them. “We wanted to be a community bank — a smaller bank. We have a lot of big banks in town and they cater to the bigger businesses, many of which are owned by companies headquartered on the mainland. As a community bank, in the long run, if you want to build your banking practice, I felt that it was easier to operate as a family-owned or private company than a public one. We started as a public company, but when you go through tough times in the economic sense, we had to ensure that we kept some of the equity to handle our growth and yet still take care of the local ownership, so that’s why the decision was made to go private.”
“Like my dad said, our market is locally owned, closely held companies, and because we are also one, we are better able to relate to our customers.”
The Luke family and HNB look at the “business family” as opposed to the “family business.” “When the next generation comes in and wants to make changes, the older generation doesn’t agree,” says Warren. “The business climate changes; what’s happening in town changes. You have to go with the flow and do it properly.”
Spanning the generation gap
The generational road of HNB’s leadership, transitioning from father to son, older to younger, is not without bumps along the way. When asked about the sorts of challenges that can come up when operating a generational, locally owned family business, Warren says, “It’s kind of separate. When you have a family-owned business, you must still look at the qualifications of the people running the business. The question is always, what’s more important: running the business like you run a family, or running it like a corporation? We have to do both. We must have qualified people coming in, so we have to make sure that the family members are qualified.”
“The other thing is generations change and their outlooks change.” Warren adds. “So, when it’s time for older generations to step aside and turn over the business to the younger, you must first make sure they’re qualified, then, you have to let them work with your current customers, because customers think differently now and expect different things.” With a laugh, he finally says, “Sometimes, the older generation has to learn to bite their tongue. Let the younger ones make mistakes, ‘cause they learn from their mistakes.”
Bryan finds it interesting how generational change will often bring with it a completely different way of thinking and operating a business: “I think we were pretty careful in that we want to make sure we keep the core of who we are, and then supplement it with — whether it’s new technology or whatnot — changing the company to move it into the future.” Bryan likes to say that half of his job is moving the company forward and the other half is not messing things up. “I think the benefit of that, too, is the fact that I am the third generation at the bank. When my dad came in and worked for his father, I got to see all the good and bad things, so it was a little bit easier for me to come in, since he already experienced that once before.”
When Bryan first started at the bank, he was often asked how parents can get their kids to come back and work for them — “the way you work for your dad?” He pondered these questions, assessing the benefits and drawbacks one should consider regarding staying at a mainland job or coming back home to work — a decision he had to make, and feels he made correctly.
The currency of philanthropy
HNB and the Luke family work with various nonprofits in the spirit of charity.
Bryan says, “I think a lot of that stems originally from my grandfather and a lot of what he did. My dad also does a ton of things — locally and internationally.” Warren has served on the local and national boards of the Red Cross and the United Way of America, as a trustee of Punahou Schools and Babson College, the Federal Reserve Board of San Francisco, the Pacific Basin Economic Council headquartered in Hong Kong, and is currently on the Asia Pacific Advisory Board for Harvard Business School. He is chairman of the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, where Bryan is currently a board member. Bryan is on the board of Hawaii Community Reinvestment Corporation, among other organizations.
His auntie Loretta Yajima founded the Children’s Discovery Center in 1989, and his auntie Janice Loo is president of the Takitani Foundation and a director of Rehab Hospital of the Pacific.
“Really, it’s about starting from an early age through your whole life.” Warren found by serving on the boards, many problems and topics are similar. Bryan connects this philosophy to the life cycle of a bank customer. The life cycles of people involved in the community carry over, crossing boundaries and overcoming challenges to cultivate a more learned, cohesive Hawai‘i.
A future you can bank on
As for plans for the future of HNB, Bryan and Warren outline some things that have changed and will change, but also things that will remain the same. “At the heart of the whole thing is that we are a community bank, and we intend to remain a community bank.”
Bryan feels that it is their duty to be a part of this community in Hawai‘i and remaining so. “It’s not just about growth, it’s about helping build the local community.”
As a person in a unique position — learning from his father and now teaching his son, Warren has seen both sides as the bank has grown. “I just think that for Hawai‘i, locally owned businesses and family businesses are instrumental in helping the development of the economy and making sure the local people get taken care of.”
While times change, HNB’s integrity, philanthropy, responsibility and advocacy for Hawai‘i’s people and businesses won’t. Warren and Bryan Luke continue working to fulfill their mission of helping their customers achieve their goals.
Figuring out what is best for the people of Hawai‘i remains their priority — the “numbers” are just one side of that. For almost 65 years, Hawaii National Bank has been whole-heartedly here for the people — and so will it be for generations to come. You can bank on it.
The words “family” and “business” are not mutually exclusive to Hawaii National Bank’s owners and operators. HNB is at once a “business family” and a “family business.” For the last 64 years, the Luke family has supported small businesses, family businesses and each other with their intrinsic knowledge and practical experience. They know what it…
Why is grief journaling good for us? Journaling is an effective coping mechanism for our grief. The journal becomes a companion as we navigate grief and serves as a safe, nonjudgmental healing outlet.
Many of us may already keep journals , but if we haven’t explored this avenue, let’s track our grief journey on paper. How do we start? ♥ Let’s pick our journal. Do we like blank or lined books? Composition books are the cheapest. We can also gather recyclable materials, like paper bags and envelopes in different colors and shapes. Staple or bind them to make a book. ♥ Let’s pick our writing elements. Do we prefer using gel or fountain pens? Pencils, crayons, markers and paints work, too. ♥ Let’s choose a time to write for at least five minutes on a daily basis. Is it morning, afternoon, evening or at bedtime? Use a timer. Start with a minute and gradually write for five minutes. Taking small steps is key when we plan to journal on a daily basis. ♥ What do we write about? What you write can range from lists of things we need, want and dream of doing to random thoughts that pop into our minds. We may choose to write letters to our loved ones. Maybe write a delicate haiku, describing something in nature. The variety of topics is virtually endless. You can write about anything. But it is also perfectly fine to start with, “I am not sure what to write about…”
Write daily for 30 days to establish a habit.
♥ Before we begin writing in our grief journal, let’s take deep breaths, be mindful, put our hands on our book and bless the pages. Next, let’s tell our inner critics to leave the room during our daily writing sessions. And let’s not worry about grammar and spelling. Now release and let it flow. ♥ After a month of journaling, let’s reflect on our words. If we don’t want to share our writings, draw or paint over the words or tear up the pages and make a collage out of them.
Why is grief journaling good for us? Journaling is an effective coping mechanism for our grief. The journal becomes a companion as we navigate grief and serves as a safe, nonjudgmental healing outlet. Many of us may already keep journals , but if we haven’t explored this avenue, let’s track our grief journey on paper.…
If you had told me a year ago that I would be experiencing the Granddaddy of Major Surgeries in 2024, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that’s what happened. And I was scared.
Last year, my cardiologist found a blocked artery. It was not partially blocked — which might have been fixed by a stent or a teeny-tiny Roto-Rooter — it would require major open heart surgery.
After months of tests and procedures, surgery was scheduled. Reality set in: I was not just going under the knife — I was having my chest opened up like a cheap can of tuna and a crew of scrubs-wearing spelunkers taking an expedition into my chest.
The planning began: My sister was flying in from the Mainland, I cleared my calendar and prepped frozen dinners. But these practical preparatory measures didn’t mitigate my fears. I’m a grown man, I’ve been through surgeries before — but the thought of having my ticker worked on was extremely frightening.
So I did some investigating and found this type of surgery is incredibly common. Over 700 of these surgeries are performed each year at the major O‘ahu hospitals. My procedure was at Straub, which alone performs over 160 of these procedures annually.
My surgeon explained everything — before, during and after. Although I would advise people to do their homework, I would also suggest avoiding a deep dive into the rabbit hole of details available online. Those facts won’t matter — you are not doing the surgery — and they’ll just drive you nuts.
Your hospital stay: What should you bring to the hospital? Well, think of it as packing for a vacation. Necessities include your “Boarding Pass” (driver’s license and credit card). Bring a warm robe (hospitals keep the AC at Reykjavik levels). Pack your phone, laptop, chargers, cables and toiletries. Books and magazines are very important because the TV only picks up the major channels. Don’t expect to stream Netflix or Hulu. The new season of “Only Murders in the Building” will just have to wait.
You won’t get much sleep. Staff will be entering your room at intervals of 3.5 seconds to take your vitals, provide meds and take an inventory of supplies. You can throw your privacy out the window. There is none in the hospital.
Friends and relatives will make the trip to the hospital, sit on cold metal folding chairs in your room and make small talk while trying not to stare at the tubes, wires and bags hanging from your body. So when they call, let them know that you’d love to see them but you will only have 10 minutes to visit because of some procedure (that you made up). That way, you will spare your visitor from having to make up a “I have to go now” story.
Home sweet home: You probably won’t be allowed to drive, so make arrangements for meals and grocery delivery.
In my case, my wonderful sister had everything under control: My necessities were all within reach and the new season of “Murders in the Building” was queued up. After she left a couple weeks later, my pre-prepared frozen meals certainly came in handy.
Major surgery is scary: That can’t be avoided — but with a little preparation, knowledge and help from friends and family, surgery may not be quite as bad as you thought it would be. Although daytime TV is…
If you had told me a year ago that I would be experiencing the Granddaddy of Major Surgeries in 2024, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that’s what happened. And I was scared. Last year, my cardiologist found a blocked artery. It was not partially blocked — which might have been fixed by a stent…
When I turned 55, my daughter asked me to go to Ross Dress for Less to do some clothes shopping. I told her that I didn’t need clothes and didn’t want to shop. Well, the truth came out. “But mom, you can get their 10% discount when you buy my birthday present.” That was the first time I really knew about “senior discounts” and from then on, I didn’t mind stores or restaurants asking me if I would like a senior discount.
I’m sure many of you like discounts, too, and may make a choice on where to shop or eat because they offer a senior discount or senior menu. I know that Big City Diner has a senior menu that is delicious and also a Senior Citizen Tuesday discount with 10% off dine-in food for customers 60 years or older. And on Thursday, take a grandchild 10 years or younger to get their “Kids Eat Free” meal.
Some stores and restaurants have special menus or have a notice on the window about their senior discounts. The minimum age also varies from company to company. I think 55 is the youngest; however, some make you wait until you’re 60. No matter the age, we will all get to the point where a senior discount is appreciated.
Generations Magazine will have a list of senior discounts in its November/December 2024 issue. If you know of companies that offer a senior discounts, call me at 808-722-8487 and I will contact that company to confirm the discount before we print it for our bargain-seeking readers.
If you have a story you’d like to share or know of someone celebrating their centenarian year, contact Sherry Goya at 808-722-8487 or email sgoyallc@aol.com.
When I turned 55, my daughter asked me to go to Ross Dress for Less to do some clothes shopping. I told her that I didn’t need clothes and didn’t want to shop. Well, the truth came out. “But mom, you can get their 10% discount when you buy my birthday present.” That was the…
My legs are a bit wobbly. My balance is off. My thinking was hazy, so I just took a nap. And now I must tell you, I’m still feeling lazy and that makes me cross.
I still move with ease. When told to touch toes, I flatten my hands on the floor. While others may groan, I try for one more. But when told to stand on one foot with eyes firmly closed, I find I now look for something to hold.
It’s also my eyes. Things look a bit fuzzy, but still not that bad. Doc says, “20/30, you’re really quite lucky.”
So here’s what I do.
A tool threads my needle. Drops clear my eyes. I use larger print and turn up the light. It’s not really a problem, so far I’m alright.
Now all of a sudden I really must pee. I thought I could hold it, I thought I could wait. Oh, how can I manage this problem I so hate.
Sorry, what did you say? Please tell me again. My hearing aids are new, yet sounds seem to blend. Repeat it now loudly. I didn’t quite hear.
My hands have a tremor. My feet, how to say, either they feel crawly or else they’re asleep.
In two years I’ll be 90. Oh my God, can it be? A number so ancient I never did count it. But now I can see that I dare not discount it.
I’ve now lost my keys. I’ve forgotten your name. Oh well, who hasn’t? I’m hardly to blame. Now I pocket my keys, jot down your name. But my writing’s a scribble. At times I can’t read it — so I talk into my phone. Now there’s a solution. I really do need it.
They say, “You’re so young for your years.” It’s always been so. I answer, “I have good fortune, good genes.” And although it is true, my legs are still flighty. I still lose my keys. My eyes still see fuzzy. I’m not sure what to do.
Will exercise delay this endgame that looms? Experts do say so. I certainly hope so.
But today is my problem. I feel a bit wobbly. And I’ve forgotten your name.
“It was on the Big Island while watching the fiery Kīlauea Iki eruption that I first saw her,” Glenn says about his wife, Mary, who are both Kāhala Nui retirement community residents. “She was riding her Vespa, her blond ponytail flying.” They married and have had adventurous lives together living around the world. Mary has been a Girl Scout professional, a manuscript editor, an Austrian tour guide, a Victorian dressmaker, a potter and a literacy tutor. For years, she edited the text books Glenn wrote. “I’ve been after her to start writing for herself. This is a recent piece she wrote for Generations Magazine.”
My legs are a bit wobbly.My balance is off.My thinking was hazy,so I just took a nap.And now I must tell you,I’m still feeling lazyand that makes me cross. I still move with ease.When told to touch toes,I flatten my hands on the floor.While others may groan,I try for one more.But when told to stand…
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced two of several updates to its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) regulations that will help people receiving and applying for benefits offered through this federal program.
SSI provides monthly payments to adults and children with a disability or blindness, and to adults aged 65 and older who have limited income and resources. SSI benefits help pay for basic needs like rent, food, clothing and medicine.
To receive SSI benefits, applicants must meet eligibility requirements, including income and resource limits.
Under SSA’s old rules, food and shelter were counted as unearned income, which may affect a person’s eligibility or reduce their payment.
Under one of the new rulings, “Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) Calculations,” the agency will no longer include food in ISM calculations beginning on Sept. 30.
The new policy removes a critical barrier for SSI eligibility due to an applicant’s or recipient’s receipt of informal food assistance from friends, family and community support networks.
The new policy is also easier to understand and use, reduces month-to-month variability in payment amounts and will improve payment accuracy. SSA will see savings because less time will be spent administering food ISM.
The SSA also announced “Expansion of the Rental Subsidy Policy for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Applicants and Recipients.” Beginning Sept. 30, the agency will expand its SSI rental subsidy policy, which was only in place for SSI applicants and recipients residing in seven states (Conn., Ill., Ind., NY, Texas, Vt. and Wis.). In those states, rental assistance (renting at a discounted rate) is less likely to affect a person’s SSI eligibility or payment amount.
This new rule will extend this policy to all SSI applicants and recipients nationwide. This may increase the benefit amount some people are eligible to receive and will allow more people to qualify for critical SSI payments.
For more information on the SSI program, including who is eligible and how to apply, visit ssa.gov/ssi. To make an appointment, call between 7am and 5pm, Mon–Fri: 800-772-1213 (toll free) | socialsecurity.gov
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced two of several updates to its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) regulations that will help people receiving and applying for benefits offered through this federal program. SSI provides monthly payments to adults and children with a disability or blindness, and to adults aged 65 and older who have limited income…
It was another great year for kūpuna. Gov. Josh Green signed into law bills that both enhance healthy aging and improve care for the frail. With support from the Council of State Governments Interagency Task Force on Sustainable Long-Term Care, the Kupuna Caucus convened a long-term care summit of 64 organizations in February 2024, with a focus on a person-centered long-term care continuum of services. Forty-three organizations committed to champion long-term care; addressing workforce shortage; cost and sustainable financing of long-term care and models of a continuum of quality long-term care services. The bills signed by the governor that support programs and services for kūpuna are: ■ Long-term Care Master Plan: HB2224/Act 159 directs the Executive Office on Aging (EOA) to develop a comprehensive long-term care master plan and provides funding for a full-time long-term care planner. ■ Adult Residential Care Homes: HB2216/Act 20 increases adult residential care home payments. ■ Personal Needs Allowance: HB1974/Act 18 increases care home residents’ monthly personal needs allowance from $50 to $75. It had not been raised since 2007. ■ Silver Alert Program: SB2305/Act 158 directs the Department of Law Enforcement to establish a silver alert program to help locate missing persons 65 or older, cognitively impaired or developmentally disabled. ■ General Excise Tax Exemption: SB1035/Act 47 exempts medical and dental care providers treating patients on Medicaid, Medicare and Tricare from the GET, making providers more available to serve the vulnerable. ■ In the State Budget: HB1800 funds two programs to support community kūpuna: 1) increases fee reimbursement rates for Adult Day Care and Adult Day Health community-based programs and 2) funds $400,000 for Healthy Aging Partnership’s “Better Choices, Better Health” and “Enhance Fitness” programs on Kaua‘i, Maui, Hawai‘i and Honolulu counties.
WHAT’S NEXT:
During the interim (between now and next session), we can review the bills left on the table or others from previous sessions. What were the concerns raised? Can we amend the bill to address those concerns or return with more data and experience to show why the bill is needed? Work during the interim will also focus on long-term care. The last long-term care plan was adopted in 1988. It’s time to plan forward, and with the 43 champions and others, to come up with a plan and priorities to ensure our kūpuna live quality lives in the community or in institutions.
If you want to work on these or other kūpuna issues, contact Kupuna Caucus Co-chairs: Sen. Sharon Moriwaki (senmoriwaki@capitol.hawaii .gov) or Rep. Cory Chun (repchun@capitol.hawaii .gov); or State EOA Director Caroline Cadirao (caroline.cadirao@doh.hawaii.gov).
It was another great year for kūpuna. Gov. Josh Green signed into law bills that both enhance healthy aging and improve care for the frail. With support from the Council of State Governments Interagency Task Force on Sustainable Long-Term Care, the Kupuna Caucus convened a long-termcare summit of 64 organizations in February 2024, with a…
The 2024 Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society (HPGS) honoree is Dorothy Colby. Dorothy is a highly regarded dementia care specialist with more than 25 years of professional and personal experience in caring for people living with dementia. She is a Certified Positive Approach to Care trainer and mentor, as well as a Hawai‘i Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative Memory Care Navigator, Dementia Friends Master Trainer and Champion, and Roslyn Carter Institute Dealing with Dementia Trainer.
Dorothy was born in Kailua and raised in Hau‘ula on O‘ahu. After graduating from St. Andrew’s Priory School in 1981, she attended Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her master’s degree in 2023. She went back to school and graduated from the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Kapi‘olani Community College. She joined Hale Ku‘ike in 2005 and is now its community relations director.
An advocate for so many individuals, families and organizations, Dorothy says, “My mission is to bring care partners together to learn how to better support those living with dementia.”
This year’s HPGS student scholarship fundraiser will be held on Friday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 pm at the Arcadia. The registration form can be found at http://hpgs.org/scholarships.html. Donations will be accepted through Nov. 30.
HAWAII PACIFIC GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY (nonprofit) P.O. Box 3714, Honolulu, HI 96812 Sherry Goya, HPGS Executive Director 808-722-8487 | sgoyallc@aol.com | hpgs.org
The 2024 Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society (HPGS) honoree is Dorothy Colby. Dorothy is a highly regarded dementia care specialist with more than 25 years of professional and personal experiencein caring for people living with dementia. She is a Certified Positive Approach to Care trainer and mentor, as well as a Hawai‘i Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative Memory…
When my position as the vice president of operations for a large real estate franchise was eliminated, I created my own business consulting company in August 1993. It was also in 1993 that I took over the ownership of a real estate referral company. I have enjoyed over 30 years of being self-employed. All of this has been with the enormous support of my husband of 47 years.
All of my clients are like family to me, and I take great satisfaction knowing that some have been with me for as long as 20 years. I offer a variety of services to keep their clients, friends and family thinking of them, while saving money with bulk mail postage. I also do marketing for a shopping center and am the executive director for three nonprofit associations.
Generations Magazine’s art director and I have worked together since its inception in 2010. Now I’m happy to be working for my daughter. The staff respects each other’s talents, enjoys working together and takes pride in what we do for Hawai‘i’s kūpuna. We look forward to many important issues that are enjoyed, appreciated, and shared with family and friends. Our readers live in Hawai‘i and on the Mainland.
As you can see, I like keeping busy because it makes me happy. Hope you are also enjoying your life, no matter what you’re doing.
Mahalo for being a valued reader of Generations Magazine, some of you since 2010 and some who are new readers. It is my pleasure to be a part of this informative magazine.
When my position as the vice president of operations for a large real estate franchise was eliminated, I created my own business consulting company in August 1993. It was also in 1993 that I took over the ownership of a real estate referral company. I have enjoyed over 30 years of being self-employed. All of…
Every Sunday from 11am until 1pm HST, viewers from across the islands, the nation and the world join Melveen Leed’s Facebook livestream. Leaving their daily cares behind, they are uplifted by the singer’s distinctive voice and her words of wisdom, spiced up with humor and “Moloka‘i Tita” sass.
By casting her throw net worldwide, Melveen offers the opportunity to recall earlier, simpler times; or the glamorous era of hotel and Matson cruise ship showbands, revues and show rooms, and the beginnings of Hawaii Five-0, where she appeared regularly as guest. Younger generations get the chance to see and hear the artist whose albums their parents and grandparents cherish.
All are caught up in the magic, fun and — most importantly — the healing power of music.
Standing on a rock
Melveen learned how to make, mend and throw nets from her maternal grandfather on Moloka‘i. To this day, she packs her shorts and a net she made herself on visits to the Friendly Isle. The strong foundation in life that her grandparents gave her is the rock she has stood upon through good times and bad, with her eyes on a sea of possibilities stretching to the horizon and beyond.
Melvina, as she was named by her grandmother, was born in 1943. Because my mother was only 17 years old and too young to raise me, my grandmother arranged a marriage for her to give me a name. He was from Tacoma, Wash., in the Navy, but she didn’t love him.” Hazel (“Didi”) was hiding herself and her child at different family member’s homes in Honolulu, “so my grandparents came and took me off her bed and straight to Moloka‘i and raised me. And I’m glad they did that, because if I were living with my mother, I would have lived a different life. Very different. She was too young to raise a child.”
Her grandparents, William and Dora Place, lived at the East End of Moloka‘i and had 11 children. William was the breadwinner, working for Maui County as a mechanic. He was self-taught, but considered one of the top mechanics on the island. Dora was a homemaker. “She taught me housekeeping. She taught me how to cook. She taught me how to be neat. She taught me how to fend for myself. My grandfather taught me how to fend for myself, too. He taught me how to clean yard; how to garden.” Melveen’s aunts and uncles were like siblings to her. Aunt Rhoda became especially pivotal in her life.
Childhood on the Friendly Isle
Melveen grew up in a time when children were expected to do chores. But in their free time “we went outside a lot to play, ride bikes, run with friends, and play hide and seek and chase master. We climbed trees like monkeys with ease,” she wrote in a recent Facebook post. They played marbles, tic tac toe, steal the flag, hopscotch and even “stuck cans to our feet with glue that was a sticky bean from a bush.”
Melveen graduated from Kilohana School in 1959. “I had an award — American Legion Award, which is a very high award. I was an A-student. And I was valedictorian for my graduating class.” Her time at Kilohana was another formative experience in her life because it provided opportunities to perform for people other than her family and the friends who visited her grandparents.
She had been entertaining them since the age of three, when William made her a “tiny little ‘ukulele,” says Melveen. “He played the key of C. I looked at his hands, he passed me the ‘ukulele; I played C. He played G7, then put my little, tiny fingers on my uke and I played G7. Then I started singing. That’s how it all started.” By ear, Melveen taught herself how to play piano on the one at the school. To this day, she favors the key that her grandfather first taught her — the key of C.
In a 1984 interview archived on the Hawaiian Music Heritage Series website, she recounts the advice given her by Mr. James Lee, the principal of Kilohana School: “Melvina, if it’s from the heart, it reaches the heart.” That advice still resonates as she does her Facebook livestream. “I like music. That’s why on my show I do music that is pleasing to the ear; that is healing to the heart. That is why I’m doing this.”
Adrift in Honolulu
Melveen’s grandparents always sent her to Honolulu to spend holidays and summers with her mother and stepfather. She lived with them while attending Radford High. It was an unhappy time — so much so, that she couldn’t study and got bad grades. “I barely made it. However, I did graduate. The only thing I had good grades in was shorthand and English class.”
When she turned 18, Melveen moved out of their house and went to live with her aunt in Honolulu for a short while. Then she returned to Moloka’i, adrift in a sea of low self-esteem and not knowing what to do next. Her grandfather would have none of that attitude. “I didn’t raise you to be like that. You better know what you’re gonna do, he told me, because it’s your future. You’re going to get a good job, so you need a good education. I’m sending you to Honolulu to stay with your Aunt Rhoda and you’re going to go to Honolulu Business College (HBC) and take accounting. You can do it; I know you can.”
The singing secretary
At HBC, she did well in typing and shorthand. “And they liked me because I sang for their programs,” says Melveen. When her uncle and aunt moved to Maui, she transferred to Maui Technical School — the predecessor of the University of Hawai‘i Maui College. She sang and entertained at college events, got a student council award and graduated with an associate’s degree in secretarial science.
Due to her top-notch skills, strong work ethic and effervescent personality, she had no trouble getting work as an executive secretary at enterprises as diverse as the pineapple canning industry on Maui and the newly opened Kahala Hotel (which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year) and the developer Jimmy Wong at Paradise Park on O‘ahu. While working for him, she also began singing with the Berne’ Hal-Mann Dance Band at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Garden Bar.
Able to support herself from her Garden Bar gig, Melveen quit her day job. Toki Anzai, who owned Makaha Records, soon took notice of her. Makaha released “Melveen Leed at the Garden Bar” in 1966, “Give Me Tomorrow” (1968) and “Melveen Leed Sings Today’s Hits” (1969). Billboard said she was “strictly pop, with tunes like ‘Yesterday’ and ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’,” but that Anzai was also developing “Hawaiian songs with a modern beat to appeal to local patrons. Melveen Leed has great promise… as she is a strong performer who works well with chart songs and native material.”
“The Hawaiian Country Girl”
By the mid-’70s, she was working with Bud Dant, a former producer for Decca-Coral Records, who had succeeded Webley Edwards as host of the radio show “Hawaii Calls.” Through his connections with Owen Bradley, legendary Nashville producer for singers like Patsy Cline and Brenda Lee, Melveen made 12 albums on the Lehua label with Bradley’s famed session musicians, the Super Pickers. She was the first Hawaiian to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. “I like to be different,” Melveen chuckles. The liner notes for “Melveen: The Hawaiian Country Girl,” released in 1976, describe her as “a beautiful, intelligent and witty entertainer” and “one of Hawaii’s hottest recording artists.”
The stand-out song from her time with Lehua, “Morning Dew,” has a fascinating backstory — and it includes shorthand! Eddie and Myrna Kamae asked her if she would include their expanded English-language version of Larry Kimura’s Hawaiian-only lyrics for “E Ku‘u Morning Dew” on the album she was about to record in Nashville. She’d left the song sheet at home, so she quickly transcribed in shorthand the lyrics from the cassette recording Eddie had given her. In her 1984 interview on the Hawaiian Music Heritage Series website, Melveen recounts, “I read it off of my shorthand notes and it was a one-take. At that time, I was so homesick, so I sang it with all my heart and soul. You could hear a pin drop after. All the guys said together, ‘Beautiful!’” At the inaugural Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in 1978, “Melveen: The Hawaiian Country Girl” album and “E Ku‘u Morning Dew” won Best Female Vocalist, Best Hapa-Haole Album, Best Single and Best Song. Melveen’s other albums include three recorded in Tahiti and two recorded with Hawai‘i’s Local Divas. In 2012, she released “I Wish You Love” on her own label, ML Records. It was her first jazz album and won the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Best Jazz Album of the Year.
Pacific voyager
In 1995, Melveen was living in Tahiti. She was married to the boss of a pearl farm and lived on Aratika atoll in the Tuamotu Islands. Skills she’d been taught by her uncles on Moloka‘i came into play once again, as she free dived and spearfished. The breath control she’d built up as a singer enabled her to dive 60 feet. Her sheer determination to prove her husband wrong — he thought she wouldn’t be able to do it — helped!
During the 1980s, Melveen had started making jewelry to give as gifts, and Tahitian shells remain a key part of her artistry. The necklace she wore on the day of our interview “is a history of my life,” she said. Pointing to each component, Melveen explained, “This is from Moloka‘i and this is from Tahiti. I went to Samoa and Tonga — the Philippines. These all mean a lot to me.” Besides her Native Hawaiian and German ancestry, Melveen has identified Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Tahitian and Marquesan forebears in her genealogy.
In 2018, the Pan Pacific & South East Asia Women’s Association of Hawai‘i honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award. “Leed has made her marks in myriad of ways in education, television, entertainment, indigenous issues; her philanthropic charity work in the past 50 years; as well as being a positive role model for young people in the Pacific and the USA.”
Other horizons
Melveen’s favorite performance venue isn’t one of the big ones, like the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall or the Mariinksky Theatre in St. Petersburg, but a small community theatre in Hastings, A¯ otearoa/New Zealand. The Hawkes Bay Opera House was originally built in 1915 but was newly restored in 2006 when Melveen performed there. A “lyric theatre” in a mix of Spanish Mission and Art Nouveau architectural and decorative styles, it has perfect acoustics. “It’s a beautiful theatre,” Melveen says. “I made a whole pageantry there in honor of my very close friend Tommy Taurima.” She brought with her Waipahu’s Ha¯lau Hula ‘O Hokulani. “I had the dancers chant and dance with sticks and spears. They were very good.”
The much-beloved Ma¯ori composer Tommy Taurima had a long association with the Polynesian Cultural Center on O‘ahu, beginning in 1963. His most famous show, “Horizons: Where the sea meets the sky,” ran from 1995 until the end of the 2009 season. For her 2006 show, Melveen wrote a song for him in Ma¯ori. “It’s a song about saying goodbye. Don’t go away. Just stay. I had this book of all the different composers of Ma¯ori music. So I got a line from him and a line from her, and I put the whole song together. It’s a beautiful song called “E Noho Ra.” I had him sit on stage and I sang it to him.” In 2013, Taurima was presented with The Lei Pulama Aloha Living Treasure Award by the PCC. Sadly, he passed away in 2019.
Going with the ‘current’
In 1973, when The Congress of the Hawaiian People and Don Ho produced a concert designed to develop new talent in music and dance, Melveen presented young Little Anthony, as Tony Conjugacion was then known. The recording of their duet, “Iesu¯ Me Ke Kanaka Waiwai,” was one of KCNN1420 radio’s most loved songs through the ’70s and ’80s. Five years earlier, Conjugacion’s mother had brought her 8-year-old to one of Melveen’s rehearsals at the Queen Kapi‘olani Hotel and asked if she would hear him sing. “I invited him to my show that night and featured him to give him a start. The rest is history!”
James Dela Cruz, who formed his Na Opio O Ko‘olau hula ha¯lau in 1981, is another mentee. He sometimes joins her on her Sunday livestream. “He’s like a son to me — calls me ‘Mama Melveen.’ He teaches the tu¯ tu¯ and the young ones at his studio in Ka¯ne‘ohe, and he also has a studio in Japan. In his show at the ‘Alohilani hotel, he teaches the history of Hawai’i.”
The 1973 concert was during the height of the “Hawaiian Renaissance,” a time of controversy about traditional vs. modern forms of Hawaiian performing arts. Asked about today’s music, Melveen says, “One thing I know is you cannot stop progress. Every generation has their own music. Now we have different instruments. The sound is enhanced because of changes to the instruments . I can play slack key on my keyboard!”
The idea to use Facebook Live came to her in 2016, when she was thinking of cutting back on live performances. “If I go on Facebook, I can go worldwide.” She’s been doing her Sunday livestream ever since, and those who join in are indeed from all over the world. The enthusiasm with which she has embraced new technology is no surprise. Enthusiastically adapting to what is available in her current environment, Melveen has transitioned to modern technology both musically and as an artist.
Her living room is a showcase of her wonderfully crafted decorative shell art, but she has also created many drawings and watercolor paintings on her iPad. All of them display a love of detail and balance, color, light and shade that would be at home in an art gallery anywhere in the world. “I cannot keep still,” Melveen says.
Healing in the key of M
In her tiny home-based studio on Sundays, Melveen uses her keyboard and voice for one purpose: “I don’t do it for stardom. I do it because I know there’s so many people out there who need it. Music is healing.” In her living room is a special area where she lights a candle and prays for people who are sick. Her prayer garden just outside her front door is filled with small, smooth rocks that she decorates with colored felt-tip pens. On each rock, she writes the name of the person she is praying for.
During her 12-year residency performing at the Ala Moana Hotel, Melveen had a phone installed on stage so she could sing to terminally ill patients. Every morning, she would call hospitals to find patients to sing to at that night’s show. The next morning, she’d visit the patient and bring them an autographed copy of “I Love You Hawai‘i.” “I would leave in a shambles knowing I’d never see them again,” Melveen says. Now she takes calls from caregivers and performs their request in her home studio so they can share it with their loved one. Melveen is a Christian, deeply grateful for all the blessings Ke Akua has given her and for the healing that He brings. She believes He has given her this healing mission.
No stranger to health issues, herself, as a teenager, she had rheumatic fever and her Aunt Rhoda watched over her as she lay in a bed of ice. Melveen was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago. “I’ve never experienced anything that brutal in all my life. My poor husband! He took good care of me.” Her illness is not something she shares with her Facebook audience. “I’m not here to tell them about my woes. I want them to heal.” Melveen has been married to Miguel “Mike” Reyes, Jr. for 13 years. “I knew him when I was 15.
He’s a real gentleman and very good looking!” Mike manages many aspects of Melveen Leed Productions, including the YouTube channel, her keyboard and studio equipment, and merchandise.
Closing the circle
Turning 81 in July, Melveen is pulling in her net full of wonderful memories. “Now I just want to relax and enjoy my life — do what I want to do. We stay at home and watch TV or travel. I do an event once in a while. I do my jewelry, and draw and paint. I love to cook. I’ve been married six times, so I learned different recipes from all the mothers.” In turn, she’s taught her daughter and two granddaughters to cook, starting them off the same way her grandmother did when she was a baby — sitting her on the kitchen countertop with her feet in the sink, washing a pot of rice.
Every Sunday from 11am until 1pm HST, viewers from across the islands, the nation and the world join Melveen Leed’s Facebook livestream. Leaving their daily cares behind, they are uplifted by the singer’s distinctive voice and her words of wisdom, spiced up with humor and “Moloka‘i Tita” sass. By casting her throw net worldwide, Melveen…
According to a Federal Reserve System report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2022–May 2023 in 2023, “3/4 of non-retired adults had at least some retirement savings, about 28% did not have any. This share who did not report any retirement savings was up from 25% in 2021. While most non-retired adults had some type of retirement savings, only 31% of non-retirees thought their retirement savings were on track, down from 40% in 2021.”
In 2019, the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act was signed into law, and in 2022, SECURE Act 2.0 passed and amended its predecessor. The purpose of the SECURE Act was to assist Americans in saving for retirement by increasing access and encouraging contributions.
How does the new law affect estate plans? Prior to 2019, most retirement plan beneficiaries had the option to stretch taxable distributions and allow the assets to grow tax-free over the beneficiary’s life. The SECURE Act 2.0 changed the stretch rules to apply to only a limited group — Eligible Designated Beneficiaries. So most beneficiaries will have to take distributions within 10 years.
Contact your estate planning attorney and financial advisor to review your financial and estate planning goals, and to ensure your retirement accounts name the proper beneficiaries.
According to a Federal Reserve System report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2022–May 2023 in 2023, “3/4 of non-retired adults had at least some retirement savings, about 28% did not have any. This share who did not report any retirement savings was up from 25% in 2021. While most non-retired adults had…
