All of the “Treasures” that I’ve found have been outstanding and exceptional humanitarians.  They have been devoted individuals who have spent years serving mankind.  They have been responsible in going the “extra mile” in their commitment of service.   While each treasure can be found in various walks of life, they all have been outstanding American citizens.  Treasure #5 is no different.

          Gary Y. Okihiro was born in a little town called Aiea in the Territory of Hawaii in 1949.  His father Tetsuo Okihiro of Pearl City and mother Alice Kakazu of Waipahu were second generation Japanese (Nisei). Their parents came from Hiroshima and Okinawa, Japan to seek work in the sugar plantations in the early 1900’s.

          Gary’s father was a member of the famed 442^nd Infantry, 100^th Battalion “Go For Broke” unit from Hawai`i, which saw action in Italy, France, and Germany.  Upon his return to Hawai`i he worked in the business community. Gary’s mother worked as a barber.  Gary’s mother came from a famous Adventist family in Aiea, who were the founders of the Aiea Seventh-day Adventist Church.  As a result both Gary and his sister Faith went to Hawaiian Mission Elementary and are graduates of Hawaiian Mission Academy.  When I asked him why he chose HMA he said “my parents were part of the founders of Aiea Church therefore my choices were limited…”

          Gary graduated from HMA in 1963.  He continued his studies at Pacific Union College in Angwin, California.   In 1967 he graduated with a BA in History and was accepted at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and in 1972 received his MA in History.   In 1976 he received his PhD in History from UCLA in the fields of Africa, general and southern; Asian American/African America; and historical linguistics.

          His first real job took him to Humboldt State University in Northern California as an Assistant Professor in “Ethnic Studies” in 1977, and was later promoted to Associate Professor and Director of the Ethnic Studies Program.  In 1980 he accepted a position as Associate Professor in History and Director of Ethnic Studies at Santa Clara University.  Then in 1989 went to Cornell University as an Associate and then Professor of History.  He also directed Cornell’s Asian American Studies Program.  Today, he is a Professor and Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Department of International and Public Affairs.

          Professor Okihiro is the founding director of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University.  He is author of eight books including award-winning books Common Ground: Reimagining American History and The Columbia Guide to Asian American History.  Gary’s trilogy on space and time, is forthcoming from the University of California Press; the first called Island World: A History of Hawai`i and the United States and the second, Pineapple Culture:  A History of the Tropical and Temperate Zones are books written on his beloved Hawai`i.  He has published numerous journal articles and essays, book chapters, and reviews, served as editor of several books and journals, and reviewed many manuscripts for university presses.

          His awards, achievements, and appointments are too numerous to mention but in 2006, he received the Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer (Japan) Award.  In 2003, he received the Sakamaki Lecturer Award from the University of Hawai`i.  All of his books, except two, have won national prizes.  He is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Studies Association and is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies.

          Gary calls New York City “my home away from my real home in Hawai`i”.  He has two boys; Sean, who lives and works in Hong Kong, and Colin, who lives and works in Hawai`i.

          As I write these stories on the “HMA Treasures” the questions that are prevalent in my mind are how is it that a tiny, unknown school in the middle of the Pacific Ocean can produce superior and brilliant students.  Why is commitment and dedication important in their lives?  Why is it important to serve mankind?  The answers to these questions are difficult to put into words.  But the results all have one common thread and that is that they all are graduates of HMA.

          Treasure #5 is no different then previous “Treasures.”  Gary is product of a joint commitment from parents and teachers who believe that hard work, dedicated service, and commitment are core ingredients of success.