2 ex-legislators, Japan scholar to be honored
Advertiser Staff
Two former state lawmakers and a noted Japan scholar will be honored at next month's University of Hawai'i-Hilo Alumni and Friends Association's annual Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Service Award Banquet.
The event, open to the public, will begin at 5:30 p.m. April 30 at Restaurant Kaikodo.
The three honorees are Harvey Tajiri, Norman Mizuguchi and David Howell.
Tajiri, a former member of the Hawai'i County Council and state House of Representatives, attended UH-Hilo from 1962 to 1964 when the university was a two-year college known as Hilo College. He obtained his bachelor's degree in education from the Manoa campus and upon returning to the Big Island, assisted in establishing the UH-Hilo Athletic Booster Club, serving as its first president.
In addition to his 30-plus years of involvement with the Booster Club, Tajiri has supported other UH-Hilo programs such as nursing, student housing, student services and the university's infrastructure.
Mizuguchi, a Big Island native and former state Senate president, is being recognized for supporting education and healthcare during his 22 years in office. Along with statewide initiatives in those areas, Mizuguchi, who earned a doctorate in education from the University of Utah, was instrumental in securing money for capital improvement projects at UH-Hilo.
Howell graduated from UH-Hilo in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in history, and was awarded the prestigious Mombusho Fellowship from the Japanese government to study in Japan. He later received his master's degree in 1986, and earned his doctorate in history from Princeton University in 1989.
He is an associate professor of history and East Asian studies at Princeton, and will soon become department chairman. Howell has published numerous articles and books, and has received several awards for his research on the Japanese Tokugawa and Meiji periods.
Seating is limited, and reservations are recommended; call (808) 974-7501 or (808) 974-7643.
