I called Ah Quon McElrath three weeks ago to invite her to a dinner we were having. I wanted her to sit at my table as we celebrated the legacy of Myron "Pinky" Thompson by naming the University of Hawai'i School of Social Work after him.

The school honored Ah Quon two years ago as one of Hawai'i's most esteemed and accomplished social workers. I learned that she was ill and hospitalized and attempted to reach her at her room. Her daughter, Gail, politely informed me that Ah Quon was not in a state where she could attend a dinner. On Dec. 11, she passed away. Ah Quon's longevity and spirit made you believe that she would always here, and when I heard she had died I spent the rest of the day with a dull sinking feeling of loss.

I can't imagine not seeing her at the Legislature advocating for some critical bill on healthcare, education, unemployment or social services. She was such a fixture for socially worthy causes and always out front as the leader. If you roamed those circles she was someone you would frequently run into, and you would get an earful about the issues. Her large presence and booming voice were such a contradiction to her short cropped gray hair, oversized glasses and small physique.

Her passing marks a transition from a different era in Hawai'i's history. She was a brave icon from a time when taking radical stances posed far greater risks and consequences to personal and professional well-being, and when strength of character was shaped by taking hard and uncompromising positions. She was a part of a profound and inspiring professional lineage, and a person who we called upon time and again to speak to our students on the role that she and other social workers played in shaping contemporary Hawaiian society. Her standing and professionalism will influence the consciences of social workers for generations to come.

I first met Ah Quon McElrath when we were planning a conference for the 50th anniversary of the School of Social Work in 1985. She was one of the conference organizers brought on by the dean, Daniel Sanders.

The first thing that impressed me about Ah Quon was her eloquence and forthrightedness. She could also quote facts and statistics that demonstrated how well read she was. She was not one to mince words, and virtually everything she said was laced with a certain conviction.

The keynote speaker at the conference was some expert brought in from the continent who came to dispense his wisdom about the state of social affairs in the Pacific Basin. He was both haughty and pompous and used terminology that was borderline derogatory. Immediately after his speech, Ah Quon, who had taken offense to his attitude and language, tore into him in a way that I had never before witnessed. I was a freshly minted academic used to a certain veiled style of expressing disdain. Ah Quon pulled no punches in pummeling his intellect and flattening his ego, leaving him demoralized for the remainder of the conference. At that point. I told myself that I never wanted to get on her bad side and feel her wrath.

As I came to know her over the years, I discovered that her compassion was equal to her political convictions. She was a kind and gentle soul, very giving and readily available, and always willing to share her experiences. To know Ah Quon meant understanding her many layers, starting from her deep appreciation for the human spirit and her irreverence toward institutional impediments and attempts to squelch it. This was the basis for her championing of human rights and social justice.

She was not an inherently angry person, but her passion was drawn from her deep insights into social inequity and disparity and her love of homeland and the spirit of its people.

Ah Quon is one of my heroes, a role model to all social workers, and all of Hawai'i's people. The irrepressible spirit that transcended her modest beginnings and exterior will live on in those of us who were blessed to know her and share her deep affection for humanity.

Jon K. Matsuoka is dean of the University of Hawai'i Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.