In conjunction with its 100th birthday, the City and County of Honolulu has partnered with HONOLULU Magazine to celebrate Honolulu’s centennial and honor 100 noteworthy citizens.
Each of those 100 recognized spent a significant portion of their careers in Honolulu between 1905 and 2005 and contributed greatly to the progress of the City and County during the past century.
“While the individual backgrounds and achievements of the ‘Honolulu 100’ may vary widely, together they represent the enriching diversity and culture of our islands, our roots and traditions, and our belief that there’s no place like our home – Hawai‘i,” said Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann
Included in the “Honolulu 100,” Chatt G. Wright, one of the longest serving college presidents in the United States, is credited with the impressive growth of Hawai‘i Pacific University. When he joined the school in 1972, there were 57 students and an annual budget of $200,000. Today, the school has more than 8,000 students and an annual budget of $95 million.
“He's more than an educator; he's a city revitalizer,” said Paul Loo, HPU's only surviving founder and a current board member. “He single-handedly rebuilt downtown. That area had been retail, then gone seedy. The students add vibrancy.”
In 1998, the Sales and Marketing Executives of Honolulu named Wright as Sales Person of the Year. “He's one of the few leaders of a nonprofit to receive that honor,” said Sam Cooke, a member of HPU's board of trustees.
Wright plans to retire in 2009, but his legacy of education for global citizenship will carry on. “Education is intertwined with the cultures of Hawai‘i; the views that young people have are shaped by the fact that we're all part of different minorities,” said Wright. “I think that's very healthy.”
President Wright shares the honor with such city notables as U.S. Senators Daniel Akaka, Daniel Inouye, and Hiram Fong; Hawaiian monarch Queen Lili‘uokalani; former mayors Frank Fasi and Neal Blaisdell; Hokule‘a navigator Nainoa Thompson; Olympic swimmer, surfer, and Honolulu sheriff, Duke Kahanamoku; entertainers Don Ho, Danny Kaleikini, Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole, and Jack Lord; and Hawaiian Pineapple founder James D. Dole.
The city’s Office of Culture and Arts received more than 500 nominations. The members of the Honolulu Centennial Celebration Commission narrowed down the list by considering the range of people and the eras they represent.
“Our mission was to find people from 1905 to 2005 that come from different walks of life – arts, sports, politics,” said Linda Wong, vice-chairwoman of the commission. “We really wanted to get a cross-section of the community.”
A formal celebration honoring the men and women on the list will be held November 17, 2005 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel and Resort.
