Awards
Advertiser Staff
Kazuo and Yukie Ota and Kazuo's brother, Makoto, have provided the National Weather Service with daily weather data from their macadamia nut farm in Holualoa on the Big Island for the past 58 years. Ben Mayes, a retired community leader, has provided weather readings from his station in Wai'anae since 1974.
They are among 11,000 volunteer weather observers nationwide, and their efforts have earned them two of the 25 John Campanius Holm Awards being given this year.
"Data collected by ... observers helps create and maintain the nation's historical weather records. The reports help define the weather patterns that occur," said Tom Heffner, acting meteorologist in charge of the Honolulu Forecast Office.
Mayes recalls when the now-parched leeward areas were drenched with rain. "We used to see so many waterfalls in Makaha Valley," said Mayes, adding that gathering daily data is "like taking medicine" because "it has become a habit to go out every morning and take the readings."
Kazuo Ota began taking observations for the University of Hawai'i Agriculture Experimental Station in Kona. He became a cooperative observer for the weather bureau in 1943.
"In the past, we used to worry about strong winds damaging our banana trees in the winter, and now our concern is about rainfall," said Yukie Ota.
Other members of the Ota family helped record observations, including their children while they lived at home.
When the Otas moved to a new house on the property, Makoto Ota remained in the family homestead. He has continued to report data.
• The Autism Society of America has selected Lee Grossman as its president.
A longtime Honolulu resident, Grossman has been on the society's board of directors for six years and its vice president for the past four years, and has headed various committees.
Grossman has been active in lobbying for autism and disability issues in Washington and a featured presenter on special-education law, advocacy and family support at the society's conferences.
Autism, a debilitating neurological disability, affects an individual's ability to communicate and interact with others. It is the fastest-growing disability in the United States, increasing by 10 to 17 percent each year.
• University of Hawai'i-Manoa graduate student Caixing Liu was awarded the 2002 Chung Fong and Grace Ning Excellence in Chinese Studies Graduate Student Award. It includes a $500 cash prize.
Liu is a doctoral student in the School of Accountancy. Before attending UH, he was an instructor at Peking University of China. He and his nominating professor, David Yang, are working on research projects such as a comparison of American and Chinese accounting systems.
• Karen Lee was elected chairwoman of the Arthritis Foundation board of directors. She is an attorney, president-elect of the West Honolulu Rotary Club and a board member on the Selective Service Commission.
Her goal is to see the Hawai'i Arthritis Foundation find a cure and improve the quality of life for people suffering from the crippling disease.
Other new officers are Cindy Haranda, past chairman Wesley Fong, Sally Blanchard, Brian Macnish, Sharon Hicks, Dr. James McKoy, Dr. Donald Person, Rowan Young, John Sutton, Richard Paskalik, Lisa Halvorson, Marcia and Leonard Klompus, Fran Azeka and Patti Brown-Hofman.
