ROD OHIRA'S PEOPLE
Volunteer won't retire from helping
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
At an age when most people are taking it easy, 72-year-old Jane Asher has kicked her active lifestyle up a notch.
Asher cares for her 92-year-old widowed mother, works part time as a special-education tutor, is a tireless volunteer with the American Association of University Women's
Honolulu branch, heads a Neighborhood Watch program in Kahala, and still finds time to hike regularly and attend opera, symphony and local theater performances.
She is an inspiring example of a down-to-earth person with a heart of gold, working for the benefit of others, said Linda Nishigaya, a professor of sociology at University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
"Jane is incredible and her contributions are immense," said Nishigaya, who described Asher as the "heart and soul" of the 150-member Honolulu AAUW, which is dedicated to promoting equity and educational opportunities for women and girls, self-development and positive social change. "She doesn't just come up with ideas, she does the legwork."
Jane Asher is active with the Honolulu branch of the American Association of University Women, whose headquarters are in Makiki.
The "Girls Engaged in Math and Science" program is an example of Asher's community work, Nishigaya said.
As a chairwoman of AAUW-Honolulu's Educational Foundation Committee in 1991, Asher planted the seed for the GEMS program and helped secure a $5,000 community action grant for the first conference in 1993. She has nurtured the growth of the project with members such as Marjorie Cox and this year's co-coordinator Beverly Aiwohi. Two hundred sixty girls in the fifth and sixth grades attended the 10th GEMS conference, held Jan. 5 at Kapi'olani Community College.
"I'm pleased with the increased number of public school children," Asher said. "This year, we had 146 students from 57 public schools and two home schools, and 120 students from 26 private schools, so now it's almost 50-50. In the early years it was almost all private school students."
Students had an opportunity to attend two of 20 hands-on workshops conducted by women who are experts in their fields.
Their choices included "Rx for the Future," a workshop conducted by pharmacists Christine A.A. Chikuma and Ann Nagamine; "Caring for Those Who Cared for You," a gerontology and geriatrics session with Gwen N. Ouye; and "Seeing with Sound," an introduction into careers dealing with ultrasound presented by Leonette "Leo" Stewart.
Fifth- and sixth-graders are targeted because it's the age where boys tend to shy away from girls who are smart, Asher said.
"We want girls to know it's OK to be smart, OK to be good in math and science," Asher said. The conference is held each year on either the first or second Saturday in January on the KCC campus.
Asher prefers being a behind-the-scenes player.
The former Jane Isoshima grew up in Kaimuki across the street from the tennis courts on 10th Avenue. The eldest of Takeo and Yoshie Isoshima's four children, she attended St. Andrew's Priory and earned a degree in medical technology from William & Mary College. She went to work for Abbott Laboratory in Illinois, where she met her late husband, David Asher, a biochemist.
"As a homemaker, I began volunteering at a school for the handicapped and became interested in special education," said Asher, whose adult son and daughter live on the Mainland. "I lived 39 years in Illinois and came home 15 years ago to care for my mother, who suffered a stroke."
Asher's parents also were active volunteers in the community. Her father helped raise money to build Kaimuki Recreation Center.
"My parents gave to the community, so I guess it's in my blood," she said. "I like being active and having a full schedule.
"I do it because it gives me something to do. We all have a purpose on earth, and I like to accomplish challenges that do something for the community."
Evelyn Oishi has known Asher for 50 years.
"Jane is an unusual person who uses time constructively, always for other people," Oishi said. "She hikes, she reads, she travels. She's a Renaissance woman, very humble and nice.
"Our age group is on the borderline of the feminist movement," Oishi said. "We know the old ways when a woman couldn't get a credit card in her own name, only in her husband's name. When Jane joined AAUW here, it was an elite group, and a Japanese woman was unique. I think she has done much over the years as a role model for women of all races, ages and backgrounds."
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
