Properly speaking, a job well done
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist
He has organized countless dinners, receptions and ceremonies, dealt with the customs and quirks of VIPs from around the world, and made the all-important decisions on who should get what lei, who should give the lei and how.
When it comes to making sure the most solemn and formal occasions in the state go on without a hitch, Francis Lum is the man. He has been the man for 36 years.
Lum has served as protocol officer for four governors: John Burns, George Ariyoshi, John Waihee and Ben Cayetano. Over the years, he's been the authority on how flags should be flown properly, how an 'o'o should be used in groundbreaking ceremonies, who should sit at the head table at state dinners, every little detail which, if not attended to, could offend, unnerve or embarrass.
Advertiser library photo • Nov. 5, 1973
It was certainly not a career he anticipated.
State protocol officer Francis Lum is not the type of guy who is eager to share scrapbook shots of him in the spotlight. The Advertiser's library produced this 1973 photo of Lum, left, and Ma Pei-chiang, second secretary of China's liaison office in Washington.
After graduating from Saint Louis high school, Lum joined the National Guard. He was called into active duty and served a year in Vietnam starting in November of 1968. When he came home, Lum worked full time for the National Guard as a budget officer. The National Guard played a role in many state events, and Lum started "helping out" the protocol officer at the time, Gen. Francis Boyles.
"Every time they had a VIP come in, they called me to help," said Lum. "Finally, there was an opening and Governor Burns asked if I wanted to come down to work as assistant to the protocol officer and that's how I got started."
Then, in 1975, Gen. Boyles retired and Lum was offered the position.
"I checked with my wife first — you know, whether she would mind, because the hours were kind of irregular, weekends and so forth. And she said, 'Well, it's up to you.' So I told her I'd like to have a job where I'm always doing something. I'm kind of an extrovert."
For being such an extrovert, Lum is certainly not one for the limelight. In media photos of the events he organized over the years, he's either far in the background or nowhere to be found. A few pictures of him posing with visiting dignitaries are kept in his private stash, but it's something of a battle to get him to share them. "I'm just not like that," he protests. "I'm shy that way."
Lum prefers to be behind the scenes, planning everything to the second, anticipating every possible snag.
"When you deal with heads of state of foreign countries, you have to be very careful with their customs and their culture because they get offended. For example, if the king of Thailand came here, you can't go up and put the lei over the queen and give her a kiss. Things like that."
Some of his fondest memories are of arranging visits for Japanese dignitaries and members of the imperial family.
George Kodama
"I worked with both emperors, Hirohito and Akihito. They sent an advance party from the imperial palace to come down and go over the whole itinerary, go over the lu'au. We even had to make a sample of what they're going to eat, the exact thing that we're going to feed the emperor and the empress."
Francis Lum served four governors as protocol officer and met his share of VIPs, including President Clinton on a golf outing.
In May 2000, the Japanese government honored Lum with an Imperial Decoration, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, the highest recognition for someone who has worked to strengthen the bonds of friendship with Japan.
But it wasn't always smooth sailing. Sometimes, all the detailed planning in the world can't account for a sudden whim by a head of state. Lum remembers a time Gov. Burns held a cocktail reception at Washington Place for the president of Madagascar. The police solo-bike officers escorted the president's party in, then parked their bikes and went to Alakea Grill. They thought they had more than enough time for dinner, but the president was ready to leave after just half an hour. Lum had to race to the restaurant to call the cops back for the motorcade.
"That's the weirdest one I ever came across. Boy, I got chewed out. But the thing was in his honor. You'd expect the guy to stay at least an hour and a half."
Lum has done all this anticipating, arranging and troubleshooting by himself. The protocol officer has no assistants, though he gets help from the staff in the governor's office for typing and such.
Gov. Cayetano has high praise for the man who took him through his first inauguration and who will be there through his last day in office: "Francis Lum has served four consecutive governors because each one found he was loyal, trustworthy and hard-working. He has been more than a staff member to me, he is a valued and trusted friend."
Lum started cleaning out his office last week. He was planning to retire regardless of who won the election. Time to see his grandkids play soccer, he says. Enough already. After all, he points out, he's 74 years old.
The last few months have been especially busy for Lum, with the visits of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and President Clinton to coordinate and the memorial service for Congresswoman Patsy Mink to arrange. "I guess I just can't fade away," he says.
His next assignment will be to assist in planning the inauguration of the new governor. Lum says he hopes it will be his last assignment.
"That's a great event. So much timing. You have to time everything. At 12 o'clock, the governor has to be up on the bandstand at the palace, so exactly 12 noon, when the new governor takes oath, then you have to time the thing with the National Guard to fire off the salute and the fly-by has to come by. Oh, it's a big thing."
Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
