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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, January 6, 2002

Our Honolulu
All 'ohana to Pinky Thompson

By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

Pinky Thompson's family and friends said goodbye to him last week. Maybe you'd better change that to just family because Pinky couldn't tell the difference.

His son, Myron, told a story to explain how, to Pinky and Laura, family was whoever happened to be staying over.

Two friends from Punahou were visiting sons Myron and Nainoa when Gov. Jack Burns appointed Pinky to his Cabinet. At the ceremony Pinky introduced his family — wife, daughter and four sons. Jack Burns looked puzzled. Pinky just smiled his gentle smile.

Coming and going from 3 p.m., 1,000 people must have attended the funeral at the Kamehameha Schools chapel. The cheerful mourning line extended 50 yards across the campus.

Sen. Dan Inouye flew in from Washington to speak. He explained how Alu Like got started. The state and the city were bickering over a $100,000 federal appropriation for a job program. Meanwhile, Pinky invited Inouye and a few other people to a meeting in a Wai'anae basement.

In his soft voice, he told about the greatness of the Hawaiian race and about their prison rates, health rates, school dropout rates. He said it was time to stop talking and do something about it. While the state and city bickered, Alu Like was born with the $100,000.

Inouye called it one of the top programs in the nation, placing about 90 percent of people they've tracked into jobs.

"Pinky, how did you ever get involved with the Polynesian Voyaging Society?" I asked him once at the dedication of a new racing canoe built by Wally Froiseth. Kahu Abe Akaka had sprinkled it with water from his Kamehameha calabash. Remember, the society got off to a rocky start — a fight on the first voyage to Tahiti, two swampings.

Pinky said that after the second swamping, when everybody had given up on the Polynesian Voyaging Society, he found his son Nainoa with Wally Froiseth and Chad Baybayan and some others trying to fix the wrecked canoe.

"What could I do?" said Pinky. He took over as president and the canoe society had smooth sailing from then on. Everybody I asked about Pinky's contribution had a different slant:

Chad Baybayan, voyager-navigator: "He listened but he had a way of convincing people to support the group instead of being selfish."

Haunani Apoliona, Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee: "Pinky had energy and drive and vision. You don't have to be loud to have energy."

Snake Ah Hee, veteran voyager : "He was our Dad, everything in the canoe family. He was always feeding us, having a place for us to stay. Every time he see us he has a little smile."

Hamilton McCubbin, Kamehameha Schools chief executive: "He contributed a vision that we can create a better place for Hawaiians if we put our minds to it. His dream (of early education for Hawaiians) was unwavering."

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.