Mission Houses director resigns to head 'Iolani Palace

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

DUNN: Strong background in the history of Hawai'i

She succeeds Alice Guild, who quietly told the palace board that she would stay on the job until Dunn takes over.

"Debbie brings everything we wanted in a director," Guild said. "She's a graduate of Kamehameha; she was curator at both Bishop Museum and The Contemporary Museum, before joining Mission Houses. She's ideal. She is someone who understands Hawai'i, its people, its culture, its history."

Guild said she took on the directorship only till a successor was found. "What I thought was going to be a few months turned out to be three years," she said.

Before Dunn begins at the palace, she's on a five-week backpacking trip to Scotland. "It's the only time I had, before starting the new job," said Dunn, who resigned the Mission Houses post Jan. 31.

She said she is excited about the palace directorship. "When they approached me for the position, I was so happy, because it is a unique challenge; it is a palace, which means so many different things to different people," Dunn said. "Its political history is so interesting, and I'm sure the job will not be without controversy. There will always be questions and challenges about access, protocol, but I hope to meet the needs of the people."

She was to start April 1, "but I told them, no, no, that's April Fool's Day, not a good omen," Dunn said. Then she got notice that she was to report for jury duty that day.

The historic palace is a cultural attraction and tourist destination. It maintains archives and a gift shop. Guided tours of the Hawaiian royals' formal premises are provided, and new galleries opened in the lower quarters last year. On occasion, the palace has become a focus of public controversy, as it did last fall, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, when the palace raised the American flag for a short time. Normally, only the Hawaiian flag flies over 'Iolani Palace.

At the Mission Houses, curator Stuart Ching is serving as interim director until a successor is named. The museum board is forming a search committee to find a replacement.