The April 2005 Alumni eNewsletter contains the following:
Elder W. Rolfe Kerr, a member of The First Quorum of the Seventy who was recently named Commissioner of the Church Education System (CES), which includes BYU-Hawaii, came to Laie in March to learn more about the campus. In addition to speaking at a devotional, Elder Kerr also met with the university faculty and staff so they "could get better acquainted with me."
Elder Kerr explained he came from a farm background and studied agriculture at Utah State University, which eventually led him to his career in educational administration. He served as president of Dixie College in St. George, Utah, and then as a vice president of BYU. "We had a marvelous experience there. I developed a love for that institution and what Church education means," he said.
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Elder Kerr |
Five years later Elder Kerr was asked to serve as Utah State Commissioner of Higher Education, a position he filled for eight years before being called as a mission president in Texas. In the closing months of his mission in 1996, he was called to The Second Quorum of the Seventy, and a year after that to the First Quorum.
Several months ago President Gordon B. Hinckley appointed Elder Kerr, who will turn 70 in June, to succeed Elder Henry B. Eyring as the CES Commissioner.
Elder Kerr indicated he had been "deeply touched" by what he had felt at BYU-Hawaii. "I sensed a great commitment that you have made to give yourselves to this institution and the students you serve, the cause you serve, and to your academic disciplines. While I know that the students are the object of your effort, I also know the faculty are the heart of the institution." He added that the administrators and staff members are also "a very essential part of this enterprise."
He shared the following lesson he learned while at Dixie College: "If I were to be concerned and focused on my own success, then surely I would fail. But if I could create an environment where the faculty could succeed, the grounds people could succeed, the custodians, the secretaries, the finance office, the admissions office, etc., then the institution would succeed."
"As administrators and staff people, we have a major responsibility to contribute and facilitate the success of the faculty, for the ultimate object of facilitating the success of the students," he continued. "As I see it, the major focus of this institution is the hearts and souls of these wonderful 2,400 students who are here. I also know that we will truly give our lives to the blessing of these students."
Asked if he had formulated a vision yet of how the three
BYUs could work together, Elder Kerr responded, "My first effort
has been to understand what the current vision of each of the institutions
is in the eyes of our Board of Trustees, in the eyes of the institutions
themselves, and to see initially how those visions are being articulated
in existing mission statements, accreditation documents, etc."
"Then my intent would be, with appropriate institutional representatives
and ultimately the Board, to do whatever tweaking may be needed to clarify any
of those mission statements," he said, noting for example that BYU-Idaho
has done an excellent job. "Their effort, much like your own, is preparing
people for their future careers: a good solid education covering the scope of
a broad general education that will build strong citizenship, and a focus that
will see them through to employment opportunities. They have a major thrust with
internships, just as you do."
Elder Kerr told the group that the objective of the Board and the First Presidency is to build the Kingdom of God around the world. "It's not just a desire to educate people and get them back home. It's to prepare them with leadership abilities and intercultural kinds of things where they can go back home and be forces for good, strength, power and influence in those communities, in those countries, and also in the Church."
"The Brethren feel very, very keenly this need to build the base of Church membership capabilities throughout the world," he continued. "As a faculty and staff, everything you can do to prepare these young people and really buy into this issue — that they become an extension of the Lord and His efforts in preparing themselves to return to their homelands and build the Kingdom and build their communities — that's the heart of the vision."
Asked what might happen when President Shumway eventually retires, Elder Kerr said, "There's a great sense of confidence in President Shumway, and there's no desire to make any changes. When that time does come, as surely it will some day, there will be another Eric Shumway that will stand on his shoulders for this institution." He added that such decisions are made under the direction of the president of the Church.
"You can look forward with confidence to the near future that no changes are anticipated. In the long term, leadership will be inspired and I have every reason to have confidence in their decision."
Asked what role BYU-Hawaii might play in the future of Laie and the surrounding communities, Elder Kerr replied, "The unique nature of this community, even with its growth, it seems to me we have a place for them. We've got to keep our primary focus on the students, but there ought to be a continuing sense of identity in both directions: The institution with the community, and the community with the institution."
"People with the community can participate in appropriate kinds of activities and feel like they're still part of the institution." He added with any future growth or development, "this institution needs to be very, very sensitive about not imposing anything on the community that creates undue friction. There just has to be a marvelous working relationship. The local community, in many ways, is part of this institution, too."
Asked what the faculty and staff might do differently, Elder Kerr stressed, "The best answer is to make sure we don't lose the focus on the students," as described in Mosiah 23:18: Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness.
"We need to watch over the people that we are serving here, and nourish them in the academic disciplines that they have chosen, and nourish them also in things pertaining to righteousness."
"As faculty and staff members, we need to think in terms of not teaching mathematics and not teaching biochemistry and not teaching English, but teaching hearts and souls. We're teaching students and we're changing lives. We just happen to be using our subjects to accomplish that."
Elder Kerr also expressed "deep appreciation for all that you're doing under these very special circumstances in which you find yourselves. There is a very high level of confidence and trust in you. It's a confidence that comes out of the expertise that you bring, the commitment that you have to the students."
"Remember that principle," he concluded, "that your success will be measured in the hearts and souls of future lives of the people you've come here to serve."
Choral reunion honors Dr. James A. Smith
Over 140 alumni and Laie community members who have sung under the
direction of BYU-Hawaii music professor Dr. James A. Smith — about a third of
them from off-island — joined the Golden Jubilee Choral Reunion in his honor
to present a concert on Saturday, April 9, and participated in a fireside on
Sunday evening, April 10.
Dr. Smith, who is retiring at the end of this school year, over the past 30 years taught the university's A Cappella Choir, Concert Choir, Men's Choir, Showcase Hawaii, the Seaside Singers jazz group and the community-based Laie Choral Union. He also conducted a series of statewide and international tours. He and his wife, Linda, an award-winning teacher at Kahuku High School, plan to move to Utah this summer.
The excitement began as the musical alumni entered the BYU-Hawaii Student Stake Center on Saturday morning and started to practice the numbers they would sing in concert that evening. One of the first alumni through the door was Keith Nako ('88, Office Management), a Hawaiian Airlines accountant in Honolulu who was a member of A Cappella when Dr. Smith started teaching in 1976.
"It was great to see and renew old friendships with people I haven't seen for a very long time. It was fun to talk about old times and the fun things we used to do, to talk about choir, the tours we participated in, Dr. Smith, and the great times we shared with him and his family. I sang with Dr. Smith when he first came to BYU-Hawaii, and how fitting it was that I also sang with him at the end of his teaching career," said Nako, who also sang in several of Dr. Smith's other choirs.
Terry Stietzel Eskaran ('78, Travel Industry Management), another 1976 A Cappella veteran, recalled Dr. Smith "really pulled it out of us. Most importantly, he taught us how to blend and gave us confidence."
Other alumni included Dr. Smith's children — Mike Smith (93, TESL) and his wife, Shawna Smith ('92, Elementary Education), who now live near Austin, Texas (he teaches at the University of Texas, where he has almost finished his Ph.D., and they have five kids); daughter Amy Smith Rodriguez ('01), who came the farthest to attend the reunion; and Meilani Smith Kongaika ('01, Vocal Music), whose husband, Joel Kongaika ('02, ICS: Communications) helped organize the reunion and played a key role in the Concert Choir's 2004 tour to Japan and Korea.
Soon enough the combined alumni started warming up together for the first time, and after singing Draw Near Unto Me, Dr. Smith joked, "You all passed the audition." Then added, more seriously, "That was worth the whole reunion. It's so wonderful to see you all again. I always wanted to go back over the years and pick the all-stars, and here you are."
Following the morning rehearsal, the alumni went to a luncheon at the Polynesian Cultural Center and entertained themselves with — what else? — music. Ka'au Alapa ('96, Hotel & Restaurant Management), who now lives in Bountiful, Utah, for example, sang one of his old Showcase Hawaii songs and recalled the earthquake that group experienced in the Philippines. Current Concert Choir member Stephen Lowe delighted everyone with Me from Beauty and the Beast, which recently earned him a first place in the Musical Theater category of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition.
John Philpott ('99, CMMT: Vocal), who went on from BYU-Hawaii to earn a master's in vocal performance, expressed filial feelings toward Dr. Smith before he sang some German opera: "Dr. Smith was really very much like a father figure to me. I was inspired by him daily as I watched him embrace his profession." Taran Erickson McQuivey ('97, Elementary Education) also saw Dr. Smith as a "father figure. He's a great man...and so talented in all that he does."
Emcee Lupe Funaki Piena ('94, English) drew out some interesting factoids, such as:
Following another rehearsal that afternoon, the alumni combined with Dr. Smith's current Concert Choir for a stirring performance in the Cannon Activities Center. At the beginning of the concert, BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway paid tribute to the retiring choral music professor as "a man of unique talents and uncommon spirituality" and thanked him for "his tremendous legacy in the community and the university. We owe him and his wife, Linda, a profound debt."
President Shumway also noted Dr. Smith was "a maestro of the top tier, but he is no musical snob," had an "elegant and warm stage presence," and the "ability to live and inspire students and audiences. We will remember his ambassadorship on tours...as a wonderful representative not only of the music department, but of Brigham Young University Hawaii and the Church." State Representative Colleen Meyer also presented Dr. Smith with a House of Representatives resolution.
During the April 10 fireside portion of the choral reunion, Dr. Smith reminded his former students that President David O. McKay said we use music and other art forms for the "feelings in the human breast that cannot be expressed in any language or words...which speak the language of the soul."
He also noted that Brigham Young said music "can lead and guide and point you toward truth. I discovered this wonderful thought when I was thinking about the power of music and its place in the gospel."
"The ultimate experience of beauty is so closely related to joy that we have difficulty distinguishing the difference. When we experience joy, it is beautiful. When we experience beauty, it brings joy. This joy is the object of all art, and the portrayal of it is art's reason for existing," Dr. Smith said. "It may be man's too, because men are that they might have joy."
After sharing memories of several international choral tours, including the most recent in 2004 which included the first-ever performance by a Christian group inside the heart of the Shinto Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Dr. Smith thanked the alumni for coming. "I look at you, and I just have such warm family feelings for all that we have shared... You will always be family to us."
"The marvelous thing about your last concert is that I was able to choose everything I wanted," said Dr. Smith, whose selections ran from a Gregorian chant, Over the Rainbow, jazz, modern Hawaiian arrangements and the early Baroque genius of Giovanni Gabrieli's In Ecclesiis to a stirring Battle Hymn of the Republic finale.
A video of the choral reunion will soon be posted on the Golden Jubilee web site, as well as a scrapbook of photos; and registered members of the choral reunion will receive a CD of the photos in the near future.
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600-plus attend Utah Chapter Jubilee luau
Chapter chairs David and Sue Settle report their April 16 luau in the BYU
Wilkinson Center was a huge success, drawing over 500 alumni and BYU-Hawaii
friends. Wow!
The evening began with Lono Ikuwa ('03, ICS: Communications) chanting a Hawaiian oli, to lead the Procession of VIPs into the room, who included President and Sister Elliott Cameron, President Dan Anderson, the daughter of the late President Steven Brower, and Alumni Association president Les Steward.
The highlight of the evening began with excerpts of the video From This School….Fulfilling the Prophecy, and the presentation of two scholarships for Utah residents to attend BYU-Hawaii. The ballroom was alive with music, food, and pride, as Alumni stood proudly. Hundreds of pictures were taken at the "coconut tree" and everyone felt the sweet spirit of aloha in the beauty of the night and the hearts of those in attendance.
In thanking everybody who helped, Sue Settle shared a poem written by her uncle, Dr. W.R. Mete-Kingi:
Rapua te huarahi whanui
Hei Hei ara whakapiri
I nga iwi
I runga i te whakaaro kotahi"which means ...
Seek the broad highway
That will unite the people
Towards a common goal"
"May our Father in Heaven continue to bless us all as we continue to work towards a common goal in serving our fellow men in this part of His vineyard," she added.
President Shumway to take Jubilee tour
through the Pacific
BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway and his wife, Carolyn
Shumway ('94,
Elementary Education), hope to meet alumni during their upcoming travels in May
through the South Pacific. For the details
of their itinerary...
A call for quilters
Any alumni out there into quilting? BYU-Hawaii will display "Golden Jubilee
quilts" during October, and invites those interested to design and produce their
own art "that exemplifies some aspect of the Jubilee — either its
historic foundation, our landscape and campus, or the spiritual nature of Our
Place." Categories include Hawaiian quilting, patchwork, tivaevae,
tifaifai, etc.
The official deadline is April 30, but please contact Jane Ho Ching Toluono ('88, Business Information Management) at 808-293-3665 if you're interested.
Various alumni plan Jubilee meets
So far, we've heard the following alumni groups are planning to hold their
own Jubilee reunions:
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Golden Jubilee souvenirs now available
The Alumni Office recently received a shipment of new Golden Jubilee souvenir
items, including:
All items are plus shipping and handling. "We're also expecting more things to come in," said Association Executive Director Rowena Reid ('76, Social Work). "We'll let you know as soon as they do."
Seasider 'Athletes of Year'
BYU-Hawaii named women's tennis
player Adrienn Hegedus and men's water polo player Vanja
Kalabic as Seasider
athletes of the year during the annual athletics banquet on April 12 for
outgoing seniors. Read
more about them and other athletes who were recognized...
For the latest BYU-Hawaii sports news...
Subscribe to the PCC newsletter
The Polynesian Cultural Center invites all BYU-Hawaii alumni and friends
to subscribe
to its online newsletter.
Alumni Association plans Big Island jubilee
tour
As part of the Golden Jubilee celebration, the Alumni Association is tentatively
planning a three-day educational, cultural and spiritual tour to the Big Island,
leaving from Honolulu International Airport on September 23. Highlights to
include:
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Fiji alumni |
Details will be disseminated as soon as they're finalized. Once they are, don't hesitate if you're interested: Available spaces will be limited to about 45 people.
BYUH, PCC officials meet with Fiji alumni
and prospective students
BYU-Hawaii Assistant Dean of Admissions Arapata
Meha ('83, Music)
and Les
Steward ('73, Business Management), Alumni Association president and Assistant
to the President of PCC, recently returned from a student recruiting trip to
Fiji. While there they visited Labasa on the island of Vanua Levu for the very
first time. "Also, while we were in Suva, chapter chair Makereta
Tokailagi ('95,
Business Management) organized a small gathering of alumni," said Steward. "We
talked about how we could help students return after graduating."
The Fiji chapter plans to have a dinner on Friday, May 13, and a family fun day on Saturday, before meeting with President Shumway in a multi-stake fireside on Sunday, May 15.
Student Alumni Association meets with
Elder Subandriyo
Jeremiah Lim, Executive Director of the BYU-Hawaii Student Alumni Association,
reported that a meeting with Indonesia Area Authority Seventy Elder
Subandriyo, presented an April 12 forum on the devastating tsunami
that affected Southeast Asia and the Church's quick-response humanitarian aid
programs. He also gave a fireside
on April 13 for the Southeast Asian students on "return-ability," encouraging
them to return home after they graduate.
In other SAA news, Alumni Association board member P.J. Rogers ('94, International Business Management), who lives in Korea, and Stanley Yui Kin Fong ('93, International Business Management), a Japan-based businessman, recently visited with students on campus. "Their meetings went very well," reported Alumni President Les Steward. "We're trying to hook up our chapters with the students so they can focus on mentoring and career connections. They also shared some good practical advice. For example, P.J. stressed how important networking is in Korea."
June graduation banquet is set
The Alumni Association will hold its annual graduation banquet on Thursday,
June 16, in the Cannon Activities Center. There is a $15 cost. Contact the Alumni
Office to purchase tickets.
Kokua Kahuku High alumni
The Kahuku High Alumni Utah Chapter, which includes quite a few BYU-Hawaii
alumni, is holding its second annual golf fundraising tournament on Saturday,
June 11 at "The Reserve at East Bay" in Provo, with a 7:30 a.m. check-in and
an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. A Hawaiian barbecue follows the tournament. There
is a $240 fee per four-person team (with a limit of 30 teams). For further information,
contact Richard Tollefsen at 801-375-0637 or Chad Salanoa at 801-849-0134
In Memoriam: Celva Boon To'a ('98, Business Teacher Education), Administrative Assistant to BYU-Hawaii Vice President Napua Baker and an important member of the University Advancement team, passed away on April 24 while surrounded by her husband, children and close family members, tulou le lagi ma le auosilagi. Celva was involved in planning and carrying out many activities at BYU-Hawaii and in a similar position she held at the Polynesian Cultural Center before joining the university staff. She will be buried in Laie Cemetery.
1990s
Kerry Tukukino ('90, International Business Management) and his wife, Esther Peleti Tukukino ('91, Travel Industry Management), now live in Nerang, Gold Coast, Australia, where he works as a finance advisor.
Chris Archbold ('94, Physical Education), who now lives in Kaysville, Utah, as a wheelchair seating and rehab specialist, writes: "My wife, Cyndi, and I have been married now for nine years and have three beautiful little girls. My time spent at BYU-Hawaii has changed me forever. From the sandals and aloha shirts I still wear in the dead of winter to the Hawaiian music I listen to at work. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat!"
Barbara Gabbitas ('96, Accounting) is a purchasing supervisor for the Alhambra School District in Phoenix, Arizona.
2000s
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Crosby (left) and Wunder |
Raymond Wunder ('00, International Business Management) and Aaron Crosby ('97, International Business Management) have just completed their MBA degrees at BYU in Provo. Ray writes: "It looks like my family will head out to California for work and Aaron is hoping for an offer in New Mexico. I've got an offer from back home and a possible one (still interviewing) here, but our California offer seems like it will be the most promising. We will see. I also had an interview at 1-800 Contacts and it was with Juhnyon Park — do you remember him? He's been there for a year or so but he's doing well and from what I've heard, the people at 1-800 Contacts are extremely happy to have him."
Vaclava Svobodova ('00, Art), who is back home in Chrastava, Czech Republic, and working as a member of a professional music band and race horse stable management, writes: "As a student at BYU-Hawaii I learned to understand many different faces of our international and yet common spirit of human beings within the same beliefs. I met many wonderful people of Polynesian cultures as well as other parts of the world, and this for me as a European, was a lifetime experience I will never forget. As a volleyball team member during those years when we gained the title of national champions of our division, I enjoyed working with our coaches and the team players from all over the world. As a BYUH assistant photographer who had the privilege to work with many of the faculty members, I gained a great appreciation for their dedication in the Lord's work to bring our youth to a better future. I loved every minute of it and miss all of them very much. I was able to achieve many of my goals because of them, and I wish they could see where I stand today so they can see their reward."
Becky Laubach Brown ('00, English), now a stay-at-home mom in Draper, Utah, writes: "One of my most memorable experiences at BYU-Hawaii was walking onto the campus grounds on my way to class and having a feeling of happiness because the university was so beautiful to me. Just looking at it made me smile. Another memorable experience was playing volleyball in the CAC and having so much support from students and faculty at our matches. Good times!" Becky played on the women's volleyball team from 1994-96 and '98.
Joseph Croft ('01, Accounting), who now lives in Los Angeles, writes: "I grew so much out in Hawaii that I cannot even begin to describe without writing a novel as to the many things — spiritual, secular and otherwise — that I learned while attending BYU-Hawaii and even working there after graduation."
Former student body president Saimoni Naivalu ('01, Accounting) recently wrote the Alumni office that he's been accepted into the University of Hawaii's graduate program in political science. "I am excited for the opportunity to move back to the islands but most importantly to focus my attention on public policy issues affecting the Pacific region, in preparation for our eventual move to Fiji. We'll be moving to Hawaii in mid-July after having my second son in June. I'll stop by your office once we are settled in. Both Angel [Angel Mathews Naivalu ('02, Social Work)] and I would be happy to help in any way possible with Alumni activities."
Krishtine Centeno ('03, Biology) now works at the University of Baguio in the Philippines. She writes: "Nothing beats eating in the cafeteria and passing by five tables and hearing five different languages spoken. That is BYU-Hawaii's trademark. Where else can you find such a place? It's simply amazing. BYUH has inspired me to learn more about languages and learn languages, too. I have learned to say at least a phrase or greeting in 14 different languages. I greet friends from different countries in their own language. Aside from that, BYUH allowed me to express myself more confidently in English. As a result, whether indirect or not, I've landed a job as a university instructor and just recently became a radio DJ. Thank you, BYUH!"
Editor's Note: The spirit of joy and sense of camaraderie approximately 150 of us experienced during the two-day choral reunion for Dr. James A. Smith's former singers provides a sample of what the Golden Jubilee week-long celebration from October 16-23 is going to be like. That will be a great time to re-visit BYU-Hawaii. We realize most alumni cannot come for a variety of reasons, but if there's any way you can make it back, the celebration promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. We'll cover the news, of course, but it won't be the same as being in Laie again for a truly special occasion. Hope to see as many of you as possible here.
— Mike Foley ('70, TESL), Editor
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The BYU-Hawaii Alumni Newsletter is published by the University Advancement office, under the direction of Napua Baker ['59-61 and '70-72], Vice President; Rob Wakefield ['75, Asia/Pacific LTM], Director of Communications and Media Relations; and Rowena Reid ['76, Social Work], Alumni Association Director. Brigham Young University Hawaii Campus is a four-year comprehensive undergraduate institution sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. About 2,400 students from 70 nations are currently enrolled.
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