Five Named Distinguished Alumni
From left, Robin Campaniano, Ronald Ho, Daniel Inouye, Francis Keala and Pamela Samuelson are this year's distinguished alumni awardees. They will be honored at the annual UHM Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner on May 30. (courtesy photos)
The UH Alumni Association has named five indivduals to receive the 2000 Distinguished Alumni Awards. The recipients will be honored at a dinner on May 30 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hawai`i Ballroom. Reservations will be announced in a future issue of Ku Lama.
Robin K. Campaniano (BA '73, MBA '83) is president and CEO of AIG Hawaii Insurance Company, Hawai`i's largest provider of mass marketed automobile insurance, and chairman and CEO of 50th State Risk Management, Inc, a Hawai`i corporation specializing in providing independent captive insurance management and human resources consulting services. A former UH regent and past president of the Alumni Association, Campaniano also served as the insurance commissioner for Hawai`i and was elected secretary of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Campaniano is active in the community and a strong supporter of the UH Center for Philippine Studies and Operation Manong. He is chair of the UH Athletic Advisory Board and was recently elected chair of the Hawai`i Business Roundtable.
Ronald N. S. Ho (BS '67, MS '68) is founder of Ronald N. S. Ho and Associates, Inc., an electrical engineering consulting firm. Ho is a longtime UH supporter and a member of the Founder's Club, which honors outstanding alumni and friends who have made extraordinary contributions in support of UH. Ho began his involvement with the College of Engineering in 1988 when he served on the Corporate Fund Drive Committee. He is also a founding member of the College's Advisory Board and he established the Ronald N. S. Ho General Aid Endowment in support of UH electrical engineering students. Ho's generosity extends beyond the College of Engineering, he is also heavily involved with UH Athletics and presently serves as chair of the UH Foundation Board of Trustees.
Daniel K. Inouye (BA '50) is Hawai`i's senior U.S. senator and one of the nation's most distinguished and longest serving senators. Inouye enlisted in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II and returned home with 15 medals and citations. He attended UH and went on to earn a law degree from George Washington University. He then served in Hawai`i's territorial government and was elected the first U.S. congressman from the State of Hawai`i. With that appointment, Inouye also became the first American of Japanese ancestry to serve in the House and Senate. Inouye has provided extraordinary leadership for both our nation and state. He secured millions of federal dollars for Hawai`i and the University. Recent projects that the senator has supported include the East-West Center and Mauna Kea observatories.
Francis A. Keala (BA '53) has devoted his life to serving Hawai`i. During his 14 years as police chief (1969-1983), he provided strong leadership that gave Hawai`i a sense of security and initiated several of the city's most successful anti-crime programs--Crime Stoppers and the Neighborhood Watch program. Keala is also a stalwart supporter of the University and together with his wife, Betty Ann, he has made significant donations to UH, promoted the institution's academic qualities, served as host for numerous activities and participated in tireless fund-raising efforts. Currently, Keala is serving as the director of the Saint Francis Medical Center West, president of the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and trustee of Kamehameha Schools.
Pamela Samuelson (BA '71, MA '72) is one of the nation's leading experts on copyright laws and has received several accolades, including being named one of the nation's 50 most influential lawyers, one of the 100 most influential people in the digital age, and one of the 25 most intriguing minds of the new economy. In 1997, she was awarded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship for her cutting-edge contributions in the field of computer and cyberspace law. She also served as an advisor to Governor Ben Cayetano and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for the development of high-tech industries in Hawai`i. Samuelson is a professor at the University of California Berkeley.