Ron Mizutani: Aloha mai kākou.

I’m Ron Mizutani, President and CEO of PBS Hawaiʻi.

Tonight, we honor 60 years of trusted storytelling, made possible by generations of viewers who believe in public media.

This special program looks back at where we began and the people who helped shape our journey.

As you watch, we invite you to support the work that keeps PBS Hawaiʻi local, independent and here for our community.

Mahalo nui for being a part of our story.

(film projector ticking) Aloha, I’m Keola Beamer and we’re celebrating a remarkable milestone – 60 years of storytelling on PBS Hawaiʻi.

Since the first broadcast in 1966, PBS Hawaiʻi has been more than a television station.

It’s a classroom, a gathering place and a trusted voice in our community.

In the 1960s, an advisory committee was convened to plan a statewide educational television network, an initiative championed by Governor John A. Burns.

The committee urged the state to adopt educational television, describing it as one of the most important advances in education since the invention of the printing press.

In 1965, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature acted on this recommendation and the next year the network launched its first broadcast on KHET-Channel 11 on April 15, 1966.

Oh, my goodness.

This is a great picture.

Here we have Nino J. Martin with a very interesting tie on my right and on my left, Stubby Stubblefield, who covered the legislature and knew everybody in the capitol.

Oh, my God.

That is crazy.

Ah.

Yeah, can I get copies of these?

great memories.

I feel so lucky because I got to work with so many cool people and meet so many nice people.

And I haven't changed a bit.

Oh my goodness.

Look at that hairstyle.

Wow.

Where did you find these?

I’m Michael Mark May.

And I started at Educational Television in 1969 in the early spring, because I was a student going studying at UH.

In those days, we got hired as 20 hours a week, dollar 25 an hour.

Chong-Stannard: Well, I started as a student technician in in 1976.

I can't believe it's been so long.

I knew that I wanted to to pursue a career in either broadcasting or in the film industry.

There was really no opportunity for that, except for PBS Hawaiʻi, which hired student employees that actually got paid to learn the business.

And I thought that's probably the place I want to go.

And I was correct, because I've been here working on programs for the last 50 years.

Harris: So, 1980 I was a part time student technician.

When I walked into the studio, they were doing International Kitchen.

Nino was inside there, and it was like a light bulb went off on top of my head.

There was a camera up on a platform.

Guys were going up on these ladders and the control room.

And I was like, this is so cool.

I've got to work in television, and it stayed with me ever since.

40 plus years later, I still love working in television.

Bitterman: In 1974 some colleagues who very much appreciated the work of Hawaii Educational Television said, you know, they're looking for a general manager.

At that time, I was doing some research on Hawaiian land ownership and land use at UH Environmental Center.

I said difficulty is, I really don't quite know the difference between a translator and a transmitter, but the community service and the educational value, the content that's developed to reflect culture, education and citizenship is something I'd be very interested in.

And so, it was really quite surprising, because I was the first woman to head a public television enterprise at a statewide level, and I was the youngest.

May: We broadcast in black and white, and we did a lot of educational things.

We had blackboards, and actually there were green boards and chalk, and we were trying to teach geometry and that kind of stuff.

Chong-Stannard: Well, when I first started, I worked on Pau Hana Years, which was really a groundbreaking program because it it focused on the interests of senior citizens in Hawaiʻi, and the interviews that they had with people who were really renowned cultural leaders of their time, and it's a really amazing repository of folks that I think that many of us remember, but in this newer generation, it's so exciting to see you know, the giants of our cultural history on camera.

Bitterman: My time here from 1974 to 1980 was was still very early.

And we wanted to have a good deal of local programming.

We wanted to have programming on the Asia Pacific Area, which was really not covered.

Chong-Stannard: I got to go to New Zealand because the Hōkūlea had their first voyage to the South Pacific.

That really gave me a sense of what the world was like and what Native peoples went through to revive their culture in the South Pacific, as well as in Hawaiʻi.

PBS was one of the first camera crews to go in there and videotape the Merrie Monarch and some of the performances because it wasn't broadcast at that time live.

It was 60 millimeter film at that time.

May: I worked on Insights when it was Dialog.

And that was eye opening and educational for so many of us, to be exposed to all these issues.

And then Kākou.

tell a lot of people, too, that I work on these shows, because it kind of starts conversation.

A lot of people don't know what it is, right?

But I go, no, it's people talking, but it's people talking about really important issues, you know, for you, us, right?

So, the more you can get that out there, the better.

Bitterman: We went to China in 1977 with a group of 16 people from Hawaiʻi, led by the honorable Chinn Ho.

And we were in China for two weeks.

Today is Saturday, September 10, 1977.

And I’m Mary Bitterman here at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

One of the first visits by foreign visitors to China, that was arranged by Koji Ariyoshi.

And we had the leaders of business and the judiciary.

China Visit was our opportunity to share what we had learned with all of the people of Hawaiʻi.

Of course there was Damien.

Aldyth Morris, a playwright who lived in Kaimukī.

She was a young woman when Damien's body was brought through Honolulu Harbor on its way back to Belgium.

And she was so moved by the numbers of people at Honolulu Harbor paying respect.

And so, she wrote this extraordinary play, which was performed in the UH Lab Theater by the great professor of drama, Terrence Knapp.

You had a story that needed to be told and shared with the world.

When a leper on his death bed cries out for absolution, you go to him!

And all distinctions vanish as you inhale his fetid breath and hear his dying words.

Also very, very proud of a program called Aloha Bruyeres.

Bruyeres was a French city liberated by the 442nd.

Forgive me, it was just such an emotional program.

(instrumental music) Harris: We did a special with Keola Beamer called Mālama Ko Aloha, probably one of my favorite shows that I've ever worked on.

And it was a challenging show in that it was so esoteric and so sensitive that you can't just have these artists come in here and just have people running up on ladders and running around with lighting and everything like that, because they wouldn't be able to get into character to do what they needed to do, but because it's PBS Hawaiʻi, because they care, because they take the time, Keola Beamer, Carlos Nakai, they were able to get into that space.

(instrumental music) (Singing in Hawaiian) Harris: When I first came to KHET, there was a lot of people working in the station.

It was huge.

And when I came back in 2004 as vice president of production, it had really gone down to a smaller size, yeah, so lean, mean fighting machine, yeah.

We found ways to create new shows and embellish shows that existed already, for sure, the Nā Mele series we found ways to get funding for that and do more of those, which, to me, was heaven.

You can’t get enough Nā Mele’s in.

(singing) Uʻi nō ʻo Puaʻena Bitterman: You know, when people ask, what during your time at Hawaiʻi Public Television now PBS Hawaiʻi, are you most proud of?

You know, first of all, I was always proud of the people because we had extraordinary human beings, talented, committed and always went above and beyond the call of duty to do things right and things in the community's interest.

Harris: That's another thing about PBS Hawaiʻi, I got to say this, I got to put this out there, is that there are so many technicians and journalists and people in this town who started here at PBS Hawaiʻi.

I mean, this is has been a learning ground.

And that's a really important kuleana that PBS Hawaiʻi has brought forth.

May: I'm really proud that I've been affiliated with public television for this long, and been able to come back, and then coming back received graciously by those that are staff and all that.

It really feels good to have that as an anchor in my in my career.

Chong-Stannard: When I first started directing, which is many years ago, I was one of the few women.

I don't know how many women were actually doing live directing at that time?

So, I hope to be an example, a role model of sorts to women in our community that are interested in broadcasting.

It's been a wonderful career, and PBS Hawaiʻi has always been dear to my heart.

Harris: A mission like PBS Hawaiʻi's is very unique, and it's not like what the commercial TV stations do.

In some ways it's a different audience.

But it's an audience that's really, really, really substantial, and it's an audience that, when you look at it, and you think about the people who watch PBS Hawaiʻi, they're the people who can make a difference and can make the world a better place.

Chong-Stannard: PBS Hawaiʻi is important because it provides an opportunity for those that do not get a chance to have their viewpoints expressed in a high quality broadcast situation on prime time, viewpoints that are needed to address the different voices in our community, be it in the political scene, be it in the cultural framework.

And it's an important resource because it's free.

It provides programming to all audiences, be it children's programming, adult programming.

Folks that just want to have cultural enrichment.

And it is entertaining.

For decades, PBS Hawaiʻi has celebrated the music that connects us and tells the story of who we are.

In this program, you’ll hear brief musical excerpts from some of our most beloved artists.

(instrumental music) A he sure maoli no e a Meke onaona, auwē he Henehene kou ʻaka Kou leʻaleʻa paha Ka mea maʻa mau ia For you and I. Kaʻa uila mākēneki Hōʻonioni kou kino Ka mea maʻa mau ia For you and I. Kakaʻako mākou ʻAi ana i ka pipi stew Ka mea maʻa mau ia For you and I. A huki mai, a huki aku lā Hukihuki mai Along the beach at Waikīkī A fair wahine is waiting for me With her dark eyes and lovable charms And very sweet Hawaiian hospitality Beneath the moon we strolled along And life is just like a beautiful song When she whisperes “Come into my arms.” It’s just the old Hawaiian hospitality And though my heart may sob to “Aloha” when I sail away How my heart will throb to the thought Of coming back some day PBS Hawaiʻi is pleased to offer you a special mahalo gift for supporting Hawaiʻi’s public television station.

For a generous contribution of $75 or more you’ll receive a limited-edition t-shirt, celebrating our 60th anniversary.

The design features a throwback Hawaiʻi Public Television logo that debuted in 1975.

(instrumental music) This limited-edition shirt is available in sizes small through double extra large.

Please call the number on your screen or go online to pbshawaii.org to get your 60th anniversary t-shirt.

Mahalo for your continued support.

Beamer: PBS Hawaiʻi has always had a deep commitment to telling the stories of Hawaiʻi with authenticity and respect.

In my many years of working with the station I have seen firsthand the care they bring to preserving and sharing the culture of our island home.

(chanting in Hawaiian) Frank Hewett: Just the interpretation of the word hālau, we have hā and lau.

And, so properly translated it means continuity of knowledge, continuity of tradition.

And so, the hālau as a whole, and all Kumu hula have a very important task, whether they realize it or not, and that is for the continuation of knowledge and tradition.

e, e Ke iho la ka ua Halihali nā lehua o luna E, e, e John Topolinski: From our kūpuna came the knowledge that is so great to us today.

Th evening, we honor all of you, who are kūpuna.

Who have helped us to learn many of dances and chants that we know today.

(Hawaiian kahiko chant) William Kalipi Sr.

: The fish pond is part of my family’s tradition.

Every rock has a significance to the fish pond the tradition.

The fishpond, it’s a living culture.

It provides food.

It’s also a temple of worship.

Kalipi Jr.

: I guess the only way me and my dad look at it for us guys move forward, is we gotta do what our ancestors did long time ago.

We gotta go backwards.

Hanohano Naehu: If and when you do fishpond work, keakeloko stuff, you walking the talk.

Liko Hoe: Part of the practice that is significant is doing these things that are basically in the same style that our kūpuna, 200, 400, 2,000 years ago did, you know.

And the ingredients that we use, the resources that we use to do it, is the same.

For me, I feel that when we do imu in this traditional way, it is connecting to our kūpuna, our ancestors.

Chong-Stannard: PBS Hawaiʻi has always been a voice for different cultures in our community.

(chanting) It's preserved for our community, and I think future generations will be grateful that we have that.

Current generations will learn something.

And I think it's something that is a treasure for our community.

(mochi pounding) The process of making mochi consists of steaming and pounding sweetened rice to create a Japanese dessert that brings good luck to the new year.

(instrumental music) Murakami: When our parents were children in Japan, their parents, pound mochi.

And you know, things like this you cannot get, get it our of your system, because it’s so wonderful.

So when they came to Hawaiʻi and there’s lots of people from Japan, you know, they used to work in a sugar cane plantation, and I guess they must’ve pounded mochi there, too.

(tinikling dancing) Be proud that you’re Filipino.

Be proud of the culture because you have a very beautiful culture.

Iris Viacrusis: It’s a treasure.

It’s a heritage.

It’s something that you hold dear in your heart because there’s so many hands in it.

(fire knife dancing) (drumming) Fire knife dancing is, uh, an art that from Samoa that’s called ailao, spinning of a stick.

It was a war dance that the warriors would do, when they would come back.

They would celebrate and they would emulate what they did in battle.

Fire knife dancing represents courage, humility and just bravery to even want to dance with fire.

(drumming) Donald Kim: The Halla Huhm emerged as a pioneer of spreading Korean culture in Hawaiʻi community.

I haven’t seen anyone who is so unselfish, so dedicated to the arts and especially Korean culture.

Suk Yong Yi: Easy for one to forget your background, the history of your ancestors.

In my case, which is Korean also.

I’ve been living here for 12 years.

It’s one way of keeping in touch and learning the society, the culture and the discipline of Korean culture.

(instrumental music) Corbett Kalama: You know, there are two—two things in Hawaiʻi; you have the Hawaiian culture, and then you have the culture of Hawaiʻi.

And one cannot exist without the other.

We were very much a part of the Hawaiian culture, but we also had the experience of culture of Hawaiʻi with the Filipino camps, the Korean camp, the Portuguese, the Germans.

The idea of aloha.

You know, being kind to people all the time.

Recognizing the importance of working together as a group.

These areas have been passed down to me.

So, lineage, one genealogy, all my generations of family planted taro.

I planting taro.

I hope to pass down the taro.

In those days, that was natural to share.

Aloha.

You know, that aloha spirit carried our family’s daily life.

Kauwila Mahi: I want to continue to bring that moʻolelo, to bring these stories of, not just the traditions of Hawaiʻi that we think of isolated in the past.

But bring forth these traditions so that we can know how exactly what we need to do to create a better future.

Na pua lei na mamo Na pua lei na mamo Ala mai e ka lahui Laula e kaulana O mai e ka lehulehu Haʻaheo ʻoe e Hawaiʻi Anoai no ke aloha Aloha Anoai ko alahele May your ways be blessed Be safe, take care Ron Mizutani: Aloha kākou.

For 60 years, your support has kept Hawaiʻi’s stories alive.

We hope you’re enjoying this look back.

Please call the number on your screen and help us continue this important work.

(film projector ticking) Barker: Our guest is the Dean of Hawaiʻi sports-casters, Chuck Leahey.

Chuck, how long have you been broadcasting sports?

I’d say a little over 25 years actually.

And I want to thank you very much for Dean.

That’s about as high as I can get.

I’ve worked with Jim continuously, to now where Jim is just flying by himself now.

Well, my worst lie is, this is not a comb over, this is, this is my real hair.

Remember that?

Kanoa Leahey: Yeah.

There was a time.

There was a, there was a time in your life where you had the pops comb over.

(Page 11 music) Stubblefield: You know, it occurs to me that this land of sunshine and flowers that maybe we ought a talk about getting regular turf into that stadium instead of artificial turf.

Jim Hackleman: Well, a little too late for that Stubby.

The commitment is made Stubby.

Don Robbs: Aloha, and welcome to XL the UH Sports Show.

I’m Don Robbs and what a remarkable year it has been for University of Hawaiʻi athletics.

Chang: Guys you’re not going to remember all the plays, but you will remember your relationships.

You will remember the locker room.

You’ll remember those times of being together and that’s what you’ll miss the most.

And you never know what’s going to happen next.

And we’ve always said this; that’s the beauty of sports is you live to play another day.

From podcasts to short-form docs and digital exclusive series, PBS Hawaiʻi continues to open new pathways to share our stories to inform, engage, and connect with our community.

(instrumental music) Cristpy, juicy and tender.

It has to be that way.

When he cuts the chicken and it goes on the plate, we need to see the juices come out.

I mean it’s alwyas a special place in so many people’s hearts.

And I love that I’m a part of it.

With saimin, like I said, it’s a little cleaner, a little crisper.

And you do have to add some other things to it to get that same richness.

You want that sugar to slowly caramelize.

That’s the key part.

You gotta go low and slow.

The good food takes time and it’s always going to be that way.

Brought it back to his house and played it.

Mind blowing.

Like what the hell is this?

You know what I mean?

What are the ten songs that I want to hear on the radio the most?

What are the three songs I want radio to stop playing the most?

That’s right, stop playing.

And what, and is there a song I think will become a hit if radio played it?

okay, like Spooks told me in the beginning, like, it’s okay brah.

We’re Hawaiian.

We rap.

Be that.

And I will always praise the foundation that was built in Hawaiʻi hip-hop in order for me to be where I’m at.

Right, right, right.

Aloha, I’m Joshua Kahula and I’m going to be playing the song challenge with PBS Hawaiʻi.

Thanks.

That’s a stump for some reason.

I mean, does it have to be an island song or can it be?

(bell ring) Heart.

Heart.

Man, this is a hard one.

Paradise... There’s a paradise let the children play.

And our whole goal here at the nursery is to be able to grow corals here at the nursery faster than they would grow in the wild.

And then outplant those corals onto reefs that have been degraded or damaged in some way.

An important philosophy in Hawaiian culture is aloha ʻāina and aloha kai.

And that is to take care of and to love the land and love the ocean.

As far as American Samoa is concerned, there’s none.

They’re not making it.

We’re the only ones.

Half a bag of seed, like crack seed for about 10-cents, 15-cents.

It always was cheap at that time.

I think that young men and women are not told often enough that romance is not only wonderful, it is imperative.

PBS Hawai‘i is pleased to offer you a special mahalo gift for supporting Hawaiʻi’s public television station.

For a generous contribution of $75 or more you’ll receive a limited-edition t-shirt, celebrating our 60th anniversary.

The design features a throwback Hawaiʻi Public Television logo that debuted in 1975.

Bitterman: Melvin Kim Farinas was an artist extraordinaire.

And everything that he developed was more than just an image.

It had meaning.

We had two transmitters.

One, KHET and one, KMEB.

came up with two aliʻi, and if you look at their feather helmets, they're the red that you often see with the ochre, that lovely gold yellow.

And then the way Mel combined them, you had a petroglyphic person in the middle, and all of it within the shape of a television screen.

And the that logo was so powerful.

The design honors both innovation and Hawaiʻi’s cultural roots.

This limited-edition shirt is available in sizes small through double extra large.

Please call the number on your screen or go online to pbshawaii.org to get your 60th anniversary t-shirt.

Mahalo for your continued support.

Public affairs programs on PBS Hawaiʻi play a vital role in strengthening civic engagement.

The station tackles important issues that affect us all, through open and balanced discussions.

The public affairs department of the Hawaii Educational Television Network presents, Hawaii Report.

Your reporter, Bob Miller.

Tomorrow morning the Hawaiʻi Constitutional Convention of 1968 will meet to make its final decision on amendments to the state constitution.

(instrumental music) And that I will faithfully discharge my duties.

And that I will faithfully discharge my duties.

As a delegate.

As a delegate.

To the 1978 Constitutional Convention.

And if we expect the general public to accept the results of our deliberations.

Some of you are going to have to clean up your act.

Good morning, I’m Charles Stubblefield, speaking to you from the crowded chamber of the state house of representatives.

Once again, the state legislature is beginning a session with flowers, music, the pageantry which you can see only in Hawaiʻi.

singing: He aha hoʻi kaʻu e hana aku ai I loaʻa e ke ola mau Bringing important subject matter to the audience in an informed, educated, balanced way, is something that, that Hawaiʻi Public Television, PBS Hawaiʻi, actually have always done.

I don’t think the state can afford to build a third tunnel through the Koʻolau mountain.

Capitol Spotlight, an update on your state legislature with reporter Lynne Waters.

Lynne Waters: The sign on the hearing room wall may say 58 people, but there were a lot more crowded in to a senate transportation committee meeting.

Senators Ben Cayetano, Charles Toguchi and Mary George have introduced a resolution expressing support for the H-3 and urging Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation to continue pushing for its approval in Washington.

There were plenty of spokespersons both for and against the resolution and the highway.

George Ariyoshi: Our special opportunity is to become the high technology capitalist for the new Pacific.

We are on the move, a people hitting our stride in the home stretch.

We have been given an awesome responsibility and a great privilege by the people of this great state and we owe them our supreme efforts.

Lingle: A new beginning that restored hope and opportunity to all the people of Hawaiʻi.

Pennybacker: In the production of our issues and community affairs shows, what's driving it is not sensationalism.

We're just trying to get people of different perspectives together to talk through what's going on, and maybe that leads to a better understanding.

So, the question is, how do we keep habitual offenders off our roads?

But I have to say, when the, when the hit and run on Kapiʻolani happened, I think it made a number of us, agency heads, look and see what can we do differently.

Do you feel that, that your voice is being heard throughout this process?

No.

I mean.

Like he said, we’re never going to see our children walk through that door.

You guys won’t feel what we feel.

You guys can say all that you guys want to say about reforming these people.

Unless you guys are in our shoes, and not see your children again, you guys won’t know what we feel.

How do we keep Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi?

Puna Dawson: I’m inspired to just repeat what was given to us by our kūpuna.

The simple law of Hawaiʻi was to understand value.

The value of family.

The value of water.

And the value of land.

In the choices that we make, especially looking at the future.

We take the best of the past.

Mālama it now so that it’s there for all the tomorrows.

Edward Wendt: I too, believe if anyone going to keep Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi, it’s the kānaka maoli, people of the Hawaiian ancestry will solve this problem together as a kākou thing.

(instrumental music) Welcome to Hawaii Edition, our weekly program on government public policy and politics.

I’m Lynette Lo Tom.

(instrumental music) Welcome to Election Live, here on Hawaiʻi Public Television.

Aloha, welcome to our election edition of Newsmakers.

Tonight, we’re speaking to candidates seeking a seat in the state legislature.

...I have a great respect for the constitution... ...What I have seen is that voter registration... ...That terrible uncertainty about being laid off... ...Bring in a whole new team of people... ... the economy at the present time... ...a matter of fact.... ...I’ve seen government grow by leaps and bounds... ...respond very breifly to what Senator Kobayashi... ...up in the party precinct chairman.. What makes you think you’re qualified to be mayor?

Well, I think anybody can, anybody can be mayor because all you need is a little common sense.

To me, it’s all you need.

...contributed greatly to the restoration... ...just dedicated a new highway.... ...took over and annexed Kuwait... ...The people of the district have... ...infeasible to proceed with the mayor’s... ...and it’s important to know the... ...it wasn’t enacted by the county.... ...I focus my energies on education... ...how we can diversify our economy... ...the challenges facing many of us I was born and raised in low-income housing programs... (instrumental music Dialog open) Chong-Stannard: When I got into directing, we worked on a program called Dialog, which is the precursor to Insights on PBS Hawaiʻi.

Good evening.

Welcome once again to Dialog, a time in which we examine the problems and concerns which affect all of us one time or another.

So it was a public affairs program focusing on local issues.

Bart Fredo: For those of us who do not live on the Big Island may not be aware of the intensity of the controversy that has been generated regarding geothermal development.

So, you can’t say categorically that because there’s going to be geothermal development in that zone, that the real estate will drop and stay down.

Mr.

Phillips, you say it’s not true?

No, that’s plain not true.

Leilani Estates which is the largest subdivision in that area, dropped over 50-percent in the last three years.

My feeling is, is that if you’re willing to give the Governor total of five years, and another three years, could we get a, could we get a longer statute of limitation?

By the way for our viewers who are watching some active lobbying going on.

Ms.

Trask is trying to get this draft proposal changed before the midnight deadline and for decking tonight.

Your answer Senator Hee?

Well, the answer is real simple.

The House refuses to move off the two-year statute of limitations.

Give the Governor three years, you give the Governor five years.

You know, let’s not force lawsuits into the courts.

Chong-Stannard: It was a live show.

One of the only live shows where people could call in and send in their questions to the panel.

Right along these lines, this caller wants to know, what can ordinary, unofficial people do to help prevent or expose child abuse besides just report it when they see it?

Yamada: I am being thoroughly provided with questions by all of our viewers I might add.

If you can see my desk it’s, it’s loaded with papers.

That’s because our viewers are very in tuned with what’s happening in their areas.

Alright, so this is a question for Mayor Kim.

Pennybacker: So, we are trusted because we're not necessarily a news operation that is trying to get gotcha sound bites or, you know, put people on a spot.

We'll do that when it's necessary and when there's an issue that is really pressing that needs to be explored.

Dan Boylan: We are talking about the controversy surrounding the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate with Toni Lee, Roy Benham, Beadie Dawson and Mahealani Kamauu.

I need to take this opportunity to clear up some misinformation that has been reported regarding the setting up and selection of participants for tonight’s program.

It is always the objective of this program to provide opportunities for all sides of an issue to be presented.

Dialog has made repeated attempts, I assure you, over the past six months, to have the trustees also appear on this show to provide information on their position.

All requests and invitations, to this point at least to participate, were declined.

It's amazing because some of the local issues are still with us today.

The lack of affordable housing may be the biggest problem facing most people in Hawaiʻi.

Boylan: I want to know about this problem of 6,000.

6,000 homesteaders in 74 years.

Why, why so few?

The move to promote legalized gambling is holding on for dear life at the state legislature.

Dan Boylan: Is the homeless problem being addressed or is it getting worse?

Chong-Stannard: And what's important about Insights is that it provides an hour-long perspective that is not provided anywhere else in Hawaiʻi.

That same type of format has been on the air for at least 45 years.

Daryl Huff: Tonight, we’re asking our panel if enough is being invested towards our kupuna and how can we help them?

Kealiʻi Lopez: I think the main thing for folks to realize is, this is not something you have to do alone.

There really are a lot more services.

So, one, you know Daryl thank you for doing this show.

I mean this is a way that people find out and learn, is just a lot more visibility around the issues.

(instrumental music) Aia i Heʻeia lā I ka nalu e heʻe ana Aia i Heʻeia lā I ka nalu e heʻe ana Heʻe ana i ka mutu lā Hoʻi ana i ka lala Pomaikaʻi Keawe: Mahalo to PBS to honor our tutu Genoa Keawe and so we’d like to do this last song for you.

If you feel like singing along, sing along!

Aia i ʻĀlika Ka ihu o ka moku Kaʻa ʻē ka huila Ka ihu o ka moku (piano playing) The song is ended, but the melody lingers on.

You and the song are gone, but the melody lingers on.

The night is splendid, and the melody seems to say, summer will pass away.

Take your happiness while you may.

There ‘neath the light of the moon, We sang a love song that ended too soon.

The moon descended, And I found with the break of dawn.

You and the song have gone, But the melody lingers on.

Mahalo nui for watching tonight.

These 60 years of storytelling are possible because of you.

If you believe in this mission, please call the number on your screen and help us keep serving Hawaiʻi.

(film projector ticking) Howard Dicus: Hello, This week some high-octane commentary on the gas cap.

But first, lots of business stories flying at you real fast.

At a certain point in starting a new business, you have to say go for it.

That’s one thing in business that you need to be able to do, is make decisions.

Howard Dicus: In honor of Harry’s ascendancy, here’s something that is definitely not the cover of a Harry Potter novel.

Well, the only way I can survive is by firing all my employees.

Now that’s just a joke.

Nomura: Somebody once said, we are what we buy and in America, we buy a lot.

Fujiwara, Jr.

: You know, you have to have fun.

That’s what I tell everybody.

You have to have fun.

If you really like it and you’re happy that’s one major reward.

And if the public, the general public who you’re not related to, you don’t even know, like it, then that’s another you know, kind of frosting on the cake.

Hori: This really is a labor of love.

(upbeat music) PBS Hawai‘i is pleased to offer you a special mahalo gift for supporting Hawaiʻi’s public television station.

For a generous contribution of $75 or more you’ll receive a limited-edition t-shirt, celebrating our 60th anniversary.

The design features a throwback Hawaiʻi Public Television logo that debuted in 1975.

This limited-edition shirt is available in sizes small through double extra large.

Please call the number on your screen or go online to pbshawaii.org to get your 60th anniversary t-shirt.

Mahalo for your continued support.

Beamer: All of us who are lucky enough to call Hawaiʻi home, understand how special this place is.

From the natural beauty, to the food, businesses and sharing of cultures, as island residents we take pride in our communities.

(instrumental music) Barker: Today on Pau Hana Years, we’re on the Valley Isle of Maui in old Lahaina, the gateway to West Maui.

The fragrant and friendly community of Hilo recaptures the rich history of Hawaiʻi’s merrie monarch, King David Kalākaua.

Leslie Wilcox: Aloha mai kākou, I’m Leslie Wilcox of Long Story Short.

And we’re on location in Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi.

Brown: Aloha Richard.

Nino: How are you.

Fine, thank you.

out here to Kahakuloa Valley.

Thank you for inviting us out here to Kahakuloa Valley.

It’s such a beautiful place.

Yes, it sure is, yes.

Miller: If you ever get a chance to visit Honokaʻa, folks say it’s a great place to take some time to learn the history of the plantation town.

And if you sit down and you talk with the locals, you’ll find that they love to reminisce and share their stories.

Chong-Stannard: PBS was wonderful because you met people from all walks of life that you never would have.

You went to places that that people took you to, that they probably would never have you know, taken you to otherwise.

And so, I got to know these islands really well.

Gilbert Kahele: Miloliʻi Village goes back to prehistoric times.

It’s an ancient village.

Not too much evidence is left of what was here a long time ago.

Except there were a lot of people that lived here, I understand.

And a lot of their descendants still live here today.

Cope: I call us, the people on the Waiʻanae Coast the golden people.

I feel we’re the best on the Waiʻanae Coast and we’ll challenge anyone with that.

Ellen K. Castillo: Living in Waimānalo it really inspires one by all its beauty that surrounds you.

You have the mountain in back of you, that’s just about all around you.

You have the ocean there in the front of you.

I mean, everything like that is, definitely will take away your breath.

You know, and it’s something that you really can’t and don’t appreciate until you leave and go elsewhere.

When I say the west side of Kauaʻi it's a very different kind of community very close knit.

So, whenever one of our west side temple, do a bon dance festival, the other temples are right there to provide the volunteer help and support.

Bob Barker: On the island of Maui, far from Waikīkī, there’s a place called Hanā that is heavenly.

And when you go there you’ve got to see the Hasegawa General Store.

This is Toshimasa Hasegawa.

Toshi, how long has the store been established here?

Hasegawa: Well, I think over 60 years.

60 Years.

And who started it?

My father started it.

Your father.

retired now?

I’m semi.

Now you are retired now?

I’m semi.

Who’s running the store?

My son, Harry.

I think of Hāna as a very rural, Hawaiian place.

And I’d rather live in that type of setting.

So, I like to set my life in that terms.

I think everybody who comes to Hāna, has that in mind when they come to Hāna.

Wendall Silva: One of the landmarks at the beginnings of our Kalihi-Palama area is the Palama Theater.

Everybody knows it.

It was a place where Hollywood had its beginnings in our islands and especially in this particular community.

Some people remember when the movies were 5-cents.

Later on, it became known as the Zamboanga Theatre and ethnic films were shown there.

Now it’s used to house among other things, a one chair barbershop and a florist.

That’s Kalihi.

Harris: I remember one time going over to the island of Molokaʻi and working with Brother Noland.

And it was such a rare and unique experience, not only following his, his musical journey, but his also what his lifestyle was.

We saw him throwing net.

We saw him at the at the luau, you know, with the the imu and everything.

Brother Noland: Molokaʻi is a very powerful island and I’m always honored that Molokaʻi accepts me.

Yeah, the ʻāina itself and the ocean.

And of course, the people.

I always humble myself when I come to Molokaʻi.

And the vibe that I feel and sense from Molokaʻi is truly like what the Hawaiians knew about it.

You know, Molokaʻi piko.

Harris: It's not just creating television, it's creating experiences.

And the people you get to meet doing that.

(instrumental music) Ifuku: Here we are in the heart of Kakaʻako.

Tsukenjo’s lunch wagon.

Big meals for small money.

Fabulous mixed plate for today, we’re ordering the laulau special.

Laulau, lomi and poi.

And how long you been coming here?

Oh, since I was small.

Goro Arakawa: We have some Waipahu people that may have moved out or moved to the mainland or moved to other parts of Oʻahu.

And after let’s say 25, 40 years, if they come to Arakawa’s, they see the same old faces, that they grew up as, you know, as young kids.

Yeah.

Pennybacker: With the show, PBS Hawaiʻi Classics, which draws from the archive of our past shows, it really becomes a touch point to people's lives.

And one, one example I had was a really close friend of mine, you know, his whole life was growing up in Pauoa Valley.

He saw the the classics episode on Pauoa Valley, and he texted me right away, and he said, he said, Robert, you know, I'm just, I'm in tears.

I'm seeing all my kūpuna, all the people that raised me who I haven't seen in years, because they passed.

And I'm reliving my childhood, and it reminds me of, you know, why I am who I am.

Kaiaokamalie: But I would say that the plantation era, which lasted about 70 years on the island, is probably what a lot of people make the connection with Lānaʻi for, because there was a large immigrant population that came for that.

There's a lot of descendants that still exist today.

As a lifelong resident.

Went to grammar school here.

Born and raised in Kōloa.

Many changes.

Many changes over the years.

The town was an old plantation town.

A town where you could drive through and wave at everybody and you knew everybody and the people lived here and worked the stores.

We don’t have the same Hawaiian island town that we had years ago.

The community of Waikīkī is now more transit than they, when we were living there.

The families have scattered.

You don’t have a big family living in Waikīkī like we did.

Every block we had two or three, we say local families.

Everybody knew everybody else.

We always knew when there was a newcomer.

May: PBS Hawaiʻi is covering the whole state.

That's very important and it's coverage that really gives you context of not just your island, but other people, and how other people live, you know, say in Lahaina and in Honokaʻa.

So, yeah, that's that's vital to really understand the islands.

Dudoit: To make a living on Molokaʻi, it’s pretty hard.

Some of us have to get about three or four jobs in order to make, to make ends meet.

I for instance have three jobs.

It just barely makes me get through.

And I don’t want to leave this island because I was born and raised here and I, the people, the love for each other is so, it’s thicker than blood and I love it.

Every time you come into Mānoa you get that same warm feeling that same idea of being home and I think it’s always going to be that for people who love Mānoa.

Kanakaʻole: This is it.

No place like Hilo.

Yeah, Hilo is home.

You know, the place here, it’s home for us.

And you can go away for a few years but you always come back to Hilo because this is where we were born, this is where we were raised.

Our childhood was good and we’d like for our children to be able to experience that kind of childhood too.

And you know, the land, the area, the people mean a lot to us here.

So, there’s a very deep connection and yeah, I don’t think I’d live anywhere else.

(singing) He hoʻoheno kē ʻike aku Ke kai moana nui lā Nui ke aloha e hiʻipoi nei Me ke ʻala o ka līpoa Kapahulehua: I think for every child in Hawaiʻi, whether you're Hawaiian or non-Hawaiian, it's important for them to know their own place.

We call it pūnana, where they're born.

If you go pūnana, you're born from this place.

You should know everything from the place.

Me ke ʻala o ka līpoa (film projector ticking) (instrumental music) I saw you in my dreams we were walking hand in hand on a white sandy beach of Hawaiʻi We were playing in the sun we were having so much fun on a white sandy beach of Hawaiʻi sounds of the ocean sooths my restless soul Sounds of the ocean Rocks me all night long (piano playing) I waho mākou i ka pō nei A ʻike i ka nani o Kaimana Hila I waho mākou i ka pō nei A ʻike i ka nani o Kaimana Hila Kaimana Hila Kau mai i luna Waikīkī I waho mākou i Waikīkī A ʻike i ka nani (instrumental music) PBS Hawai‘i is pleased to offer you a special mahalo gift for supporting Hawaiʻi’s public television station.

For a generous contribution of $75 or more you’ll receive a limited-edition t-shirt, celebrating our 60th anniversary.

The design features a throwback Hawaiʻi Public Television logo that debuted in 1975.

Melvin Kim Farinas was an artist extraordinaire.

And everything that he developed was more than just an image.

It had meaning.

We had two transmitters.

One, KHET and one, KMEB.

So Melvin came up with two aliʻi, and if you look at their feather helmets, they're the red that you often see with the ochre, that lovely gold yellow.

And then the way Mel combined them, you had a petroglyphic person in the middle, and all of it within the shape of a television screen.

And the that logo was so powerful.

The design honors both innovation and Hawaiʻi’s cultural roots.

This limited-edition shirt is available in sizes small through double extra large.

Please call the number on your screen or go online to pbshawaii.org to get your 60th anniversary t-shirt.

Mahalo for your continued support.

(blowing of conch shell) We have an exciting show for you.

Pennybacker: This was something totally new.

No other PBS station had done this.

major change is planned for our beloved building in Miloliʻi.

New PE teacher, new basketball team.

People thought this was gonna fail.

You’re gonna have let kids do prime time programming?

HIKI NŌ Hawaiʻi’s new wave of storytellers.

Where did HIKI NŌ come from?

Pennybacker: Well, it’s a long story if you have time.

Leslie Wilcox: Good morning, everyone.

So glad to have you with us today.

I’m Leslie Wilcox, the President and CEO of PBS Hawaiʻi, and this is our TV studio.

The whole point was that the students and the teachers are leading us through this.

Yim: A media teacher in middle or high school isn’t a type.

They have come from all kinds of backgrounds.

Some of them have never taught media before, and were asked, are you willing to take this on?

Pennybacker: So, we got them together in a place and gave them some really good training, some some inspirational sessions and some practical sessions.

They challenged us, and we challenged them back and said, okay, the first season is just a starting place.

Where it goes from there, we really don’t know.

We’re here on the campus of our school, Maui Waena Intermediate.

Home base for this premiere episode of HIKI NŌ the nation's first statewide student news network.

HIKI NŌ means can do and you’ll see what students from our team of schools can do.

Now on with the show.

The county of Kauaʻi has decided that the traditional Friday night football games be moved to Saturday afternoon.

But why?

It's because of this little guy, the newell shearwater, an endangered species found only on Kauaʻi.

With one out of two skate parks closed on the east side of Hawaiʻi and no skate park in Hilo, the youth have no other place to skate besides on the streets.

After the first season, we had a steering committee meeting, and we were talking to these teachers who advise us about how to change things or improve what we’re doing.

And we kept saying, we want to make HIKI NŌ easier for you.

And finally, one of the teachers said, you know, I’m not doing HIKI NŌ because it's easy.

It challenges my students, and I’ve learned that when my students are challenged, often, they go beyond the expectations.

Buttons is a legendary Hawaiian surfer who continues to charge the North Shore and give back to the community.

I was blessed with a gift being a surfer, and I got to see the world.

I don’t like the word impaired.

It means something’s broken, and I'm not broken.

I’m only deaf, and I was born that way.

Don’t call me hearing impaired.

Call me deaf.

Here we are, four years later, and HIKI NŌ is pretty much my curriculum.

You know, the kids learn so much through these projects that it’s become the standard of where we want our projects to be in class.

In the not-too-distant future, if someone entering the workforce is not able to communicate ideas through digital media, they’re going to be functionally illiterate, because that really is the language that the world is operating on.

So suddenly, it went from what we thought was a student journalism project to a learning and workforce development project.

three, number two, which I need?

That’s why HIKI NŌ has continued.

If it was just about news, I don’t know, you know, it may not have lasted this long, but it’s a learning experience that that can’t be matched.

Victoria Cuba: I took a journalism class in high school, and it really opened my eyes to how many stories are really out there.

And with HIKI NŌ, it opened my eyes even more, because there’s so many stories out there, and everyone has one.

You just have to dig deep and find one.

It’s within each and every one of us.

So, my family and I are currently in a situation where we are considered homeless.

We do not have a home.

So, a story about early college was actually a gateway for me to share with my friends what had been going on at home, and I had shared that story, and I remember my classmates stopping the camera turning to me and said, Victoria, why didn’t she share with us, with us before?

So, I told them.

I said I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was that important.

You know, I’m, I’m still Victoria.

It just happens to be that one of the circumstances I had went through in my life put me and my family in that situation.

Bringing my classmates to where I’d lived, I think, also helps them see what that story is like, to physically be there and to help tell that story.

Now I’m the producer for the 6pm show.

Hawaiʻi’s only hour-long newscast.

I didn’t think I’d be where I’m at today.

And if it wasn’t for HIKI NŌ I really wouldn’t be here at all.

Robert Pennybacker: Covid hit and, you know, like a lot of projects, during the beginning of the pandemic, we had to think, well, what are we going to do?

Are, you know, we’re going to go on hiatus.

Suzuki: Aloha, I’m Mina Suzuki, a HIKI NŌ journalist and senior at HP Baldwin High School on Maui.

so, we came up with a genre, a new genre for HIKI NŌ called the student reflection.

And basically, what it was is, what are you experiencing in your family during the pandemic?

Mina Suzuki: It is a time none of us will forget, a time when everything changed.

As a senior, I’m feeling a deep lack of closure, academically and socially.

hard decisions, and haven’t had enough money for all the things we need.

While my dad worries about bringing the disease home, my mom worries about just being at home.

really am desperate to have a face-to-face conversation, but for now, screen to screen will have to do.

Pennybacker: It forced us to change or create a new genre of storytelling in HIKI NŌ and I think prior to that, our goal was to do objective news story telling, which it still is, but now we also have an outlet of students able to express themselves.

Coming out isn’t an easy process.

It’s full of ups and downs, lots of questioning yourself and debating whether or not it’s safe to come out, depending on those around you.

My grandmother taught me to sing when I was 10 years old.

She was raised in the Marshall Islands, where the culture is very important.

I started to go more often surfing every weekend.

I gained my confidence on my board and in the water.

That idea of being able to tell your truth in a very safe place to a community that is willing to hear it, I think is, I think is the magic of what HIKI NŌ brings to us.

Pennybacker: I think the value of HIKI NŌ is has yet to be realized because we’ve been doing it for 15 years.

Now, not all students do HIKI NŌ, but those who do come away with the experience of, you know, just understanding the importance of communicating your thoughts and your ideas to the rest of the world.

And because they’ve had a chance to do that, I’m hoping the world is going to be a better place.

Aloha, and welcome to HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawaiʻi.

For me, the whole hands-on learning aspect is so crucial.

Getting to see how things work, getting to see how technology works, or being able to get creative and kind of like, get your hands dirty in that way.

I’ve learned so much about teamwork and cooperation and how to be creative.

It’s our kueana Kobayashi says, to keep Oʻahu and his waterways clean for everyone.

You’re on TV and people you don’t know are watching the video you made, not just like your parents or your friends, and it’s so cool.

While origins of this moʻolelo remains unclear, he has become an important figure in our community.

Shoots exposes more people to Hawaiian food and brings more representation for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Paulo-Galsote: What we do matters, you know.

We’re perpetuating the Hawaiian culture.

We’re sharing this story to the state and potentially the world.

I wish to become someone who is able to motivate and inspire people through what I do.

Bridge was built in 1948.

It changed, really the course of my life.

I think it’s important that we don’t forget that they’re still struggling.

Kylie Cardenas: If my video helped at least just one other person feel like seen or more heard in their situation, I think it was worthwhile.

there something captivating in the first three to five seconds?

Shirley Thompson: One of the very best things about HIKI NŌ is that we have this community of storytellers, and we come together around this common goal of trying to teach our students and build critical thinking for the next generation.

Maʻafala: HIKI NŌ, like constantly giving us opportunities and constantly putting these challenges and these competitions out there, it provides another aspect that you can’t get from the classroom.

Clara Steele: HIKI NŌ showed me like, look at all these things that are possible because, you know, you gave something a shot.

Headroom on camera two.

Headroom on camera two.

Change can happen, and with these steps, you can start to help the community around you.

This is Reece Lapas.

This is Denise Cabrera.

This is Cadence Christensen.

For HIKI NŌ.

For HIKI NŌ.

For HIKI NŌ on PBS Hawaiʻi.

What you just saw is why HIKI NŌ matters.

Through this iconic educational initiative, thousands of island students have found their voice.

Your support keeps those opportunities alive.

Please call the number on your screen so we can continue this work for Hawaiʻi’s youth.

(film projector ticking) Chan: Boy, I’m telling you, if you and him swimming in the same spot under the water, I bet you become the fastest swimmer you ever know.

Bob Barker: French chef Julia Child and Chinese chef Titus Chan.

Aloha.

Aloha.

Child: Oh, I love Chinese food because we were in China during the war and I’m here to learn.

This is all part of the cabbage family.

One of the most ancient plants on this Earth, isn’t it?

Take time to treat your palette to an astounding array of worldwide cuisine from The International Kitchen.

Martin: Good cooking is happiness, right?

Gushiken: Mmm-hmm.

You must me a very good cook.

No... I just fool around in the kitchen.

Shave ice is so much a part of growing up in Hawaiʻi.

One of the memories of small kid times.

A reward for having been good.

That cool treat so welcome on hot days.

When you grow taro, the best test for the quality of the taro that you’re growing is to make poi.

It’s a very, I believe, a very human activity to cultivate food for your own consumption.

Keola Beamer: I first appeared on PBS Hawaiʻi nearly fifty years ago with members of ʻohana Beamer.

Throughout the decades, my family and I have appeared on Nā Mele, Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox, Spectrum Hawaiʻi and others.

I vividly remember my mother’s excitement to be a part of that Spectrum program—how deeply she cared about sharing her message of aloha, and how honored she felt to have that platform.

I can still picture those moments, doing my best as part of her backup band, playing between the coconut trees, surrounded by that unmistakable sense of place and purpose.

I wanted to help them feel better about themselves because of this sadness that I had lived with.

I couldn't face these Hawaiian kids and not try to make them feel that they were something special.

So, we would start with a chant and how to extend aloha and to fill you with good feelings, didn't matter who you were, didn't matter where you came from, didn't matter where you went from here.

What mattered was this moment of sharing aloha with each other, you know.

For 60 years, PBS Hawaiʻi has shared the stories of the people who shape our islands—from cultural giants and political leaders to aunties, uncles, and community members.

You were quite close to Queen Liliʻuokalani, weren’t you?

Alice Nāmakelua: Well, yes.

In 1908 that’s when I became closer to her.

Because she used to be a guest at my aunt’s house.

I would sit on the floor at her foot and massage her feet and Aunt Minerva used to kind of give a little hint, she says, Queen, you might as well know that little Alice here can sing.

Oh can she?

She says, oh yes, she can.

She say oh, will you please sing for me?

(singing) And then I would sing.

And she was so pleased the first time she heard me sing.

And then that got into a habit.

Every time she came there, I would sing.

She would ask me and her favorite songs was Waipiʻo and Hiʻilawe and Ka Makani Kāʻili Aloha.

(singing) We’ve had several celebrities on our program and many interesting features, but nothing has brought more pleasure and to be able to welcome the king of the surfers, Duke Kahanamoku.

Duke.

Is this your real name, or is this an unofficial title?

Duke Kahanamoku: It is my real name, real name.

How did you come by?

Just happened that the Duke of Edinburgh, first visited Hawaiʻi, and he was the guest of Bernice Pauahi.

And Bernice Pauahi is connected with my father.

My father was connected to the family Bernice Pauahi, and that's how the name came that was over to me.

Barker: Well, your father was, your father was named Duke.

Oh, I see.

And then you are junior.

Now you gained fame for your swimming prowess in the great Olympics of what years were those?

1912.

That's right.

That's the first Olympic games that I competed in Stockholm, Sweden.

And then you went back again in 20.

Antwerp, Belgium.

And 24 then 24 in Paris, in Paris.

right, gay Paris.

again in 1932. that?

in Los Angeles, but I didn't compete that.

I mean, didn’t swim.

I played water polo.

you played water polo.

one of the first string water polo players.

(instrumental music) Sunn: When I was a kid, I started surfing at four and I’d come down here and there are like five surrogate fathers on the beach.

They kind of overlooked everyone, you know.

They checked us all on, make sure we didn’t drown.

And we all learned how to surf and we knew we weren’t going to drown.

And it’s complete trust in knowing that the other person in your community is caring for you and there for you.

And that’s what Waiʻanae is all about.

It’s that non-trasient-ness.

It’s we’re here, we’re rooted, you know, we’re all a part of this land and that’s, that’s Waiʻanae.

Sig Zane: Well, nature is the best teacher.

You know, how, how better can you do than nature?

So, I just copied nature.

My mother-in-law always saying, share, share what you know.

We need to teach our own, we need to teach our—our people.

So that our children will have culture.

I was invited to a party, and they said, you have to wear an aloha shirt.

And I didn’t have aloha shirts.

And I remember going to the store, and I told Nalani, let’s go, I have to get an aloha shirt.

And we were kind of surprised, we didn’t see any Hawaiian plants.

They were all— No Hawaiian plants on aloha shirts.

Isn’t that amazing?

And they—they were all called Hawaiian shirts, aloha shirts.

And so—so I remember at that moment telling Nalani, you know, we have to make real Hawaiian plants on aloha shirts.

Then they can be real Hawaiian shirts.

That started it.

We started the line and basically that was it.

(chanting) Well my first tour as entertaining to the mainland way over to the East Coast.

We went into the New York World’s Fair.

We didn’t entertain there we just visited but our entertainment was done only in the West.

But we went to New York and down to Mississippi and all of this area.

How did you react to the mainland?

Nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there?

Right nice place to visit but I don’t think I’d really like to live there.

There’s no poi you know?

No poi at all.

Inouye: I was in my office, this bare room, no books, all by myself, no secretary and the phone rings.

I pick it up, hello.

And the voice on the other end says, “I can’t pronounce your name but are you the new Congressman from Hawai-ya?” I says, yes sir.

“I’m the Speaker.” Sam Rayburn?

Yeah.

He said if you’ve got free time, come around I’d like to chat with you.

I’ll be there, sir, boom.

I had no idea there was a tunnel or subway.

I just got out and this is in August, hot, hot, hot.

I ran across the field, walked up the stairs.

There he was.

He took me on a tour of the House.

Told me where he sits, where I would very likely sit.

Took me to the barber shop and said, we don’t pay these fellas enough so tip them 25 cents.

This is the bank.

This is all over place.

Then we got back to his office.

He’s sitting down, majestic, you know, baldheaded.

I’m on the other end.

And he says, in this city, the president is the best-known person.

Oh, I say, yes sir.

Next to the president is the Speaker of the House, that’s me.

Next to me is you.

Hmm?

I said “Sir?” He said “Well, after all, they’re not too many one-armed Japs around here (laughs).

And you didn’t get offended?

No I didn’t get offended.

I said oh, thank you.

So, he said, make the most of it.

Native Hawaiians are not Americans.

We were forcibly made a part of the United States of America—against our will.

In 1893, our government was overthrown with the aid of U.S.

Marines.

In 1898, we were annexed, despite the fact that Native Hawaiians did not want to be a part of the United States.

To this day, Hawaiians are classified by blood quantum.

Now, the United States is very upset about blood quantum classifications in South Africa but the fact is that we are the only group in Hawaiʻi who are classified by blood quantum such that those of us who are more than 50 percent Native Hawaiian blood are considered Native and those that are less are considered non-native.

Now that to me, by racial classification, makes that law by its existence a violation of our civil rights.

Nainoa Thompson: We made the promise that the canoe needed to be better than ever, that it can go around the world.

We’re gonna take all rot and all damage off the canoe.

We had twelve hundred volunteers that put in thirty-two thousand volunteer man hours.

That would not happen, if we didn’t have that pool, we could never get Hōkūleʻa ready to go.

But fundamentally, these are twelve hundred people who don’t know each other, that come together around an idea, and to get Hōkūleʻa ready.

I mean, enormous; enormous human effort.

You don’t lead that.

You know what leads it?

It’s the idea.

Bitterman: I think what's really important about the continuing attraction of PBS Hawaiʻi is that we have so many stories to be shared, and we're never going to run out of them, because every day there are new people with new lives and new stories, new contributions to make innovations which will uplift everyone.

Mahalo to all of you at home for joining us in celebrating 60 years of storytelling on PBS Hawaiʻi.

I am sincerely grateful for my longstanding relationship with our only locally owned statewide television station.

I carry the memories of my many collaborations with great appreciation.

What stands out just as much, is the professionalism and care the team has brought to the work.

As someone who cares deeply about preserving and sharing our culture and stories, I appreciate PBS Hawaiʻi for creating a space to do just that.

Please consider donating to PBS Hawaiʻi by calling the number on the screen or by visiting pbshawaii.org and clicking on the donate now button.

We thank you all for your continued support.

Here’s to another 60 years of storytelling from PBS Hawaiʻi.

(upbeat music) pleased to offer you a special mahalo gift for supporting Hawaiʻi’s public television station.

For a generous contribution of $75 or more you’ll receive a limited-edition t-shirt, celebrating our 60th anniversary.

The design features a throwback Hawaiʻi Public Television logo that debuted in 1975.

Please call the number on your screen or go online to pbshawaii.org to get your 60th anniversary t-shirt.