June 5, 2006
MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Witherspoon
or Jocelyn Collado
Becker Communications
(808) 533-4165
DR. RICHARD MAMIYA AND DR. MICHAEL CHUN TO BE HONORED AT 8TH ANNUAL BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP AWARDS DINNER
HONOLULU – In celebration of two men who have made lifelong commitments to Hawai‘i and its people, Bishop Museum will honor Dr. Richard Mamiya and Dr. Michael Chun at its eighth annual Bernice Pauahi Bishop Awards Dinner on Saturday, July 1, 2006 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Great Lawn at Bishop Museum. Mamiya will receive the Charles Reed Bishop Medal for exemplifying the spirit and purpose of the Museum’s founder, and Chun will receive the Robert J. Pfeiffer Medal for his devotion and outstanding civic leadership.
After earning his medical degree from the St. Louis School of Medicine in Missouri , Mamiya returned to Hawai‘i in 1961 to open his own private practice. In 1970, he successfully completed the first bypass surgery performed at Queen’s Hospital. His careful attention to detail, sense of purpose, and commitment to his life’s work have made him an internationally renowned heart surgeon. After performing more than 10,000 heart surgeries and over 20,000 other operations, Mamiya retired in 1995. However, he still manages to keep in touch with thousands of his patients from around the world. He founded the Richard T. Mamiya Charitable Foundation, which is devoted to humanitarian and charitable works across the state of Hawai‘i. Active in the local community, Mamiya is a member of the Board of Directors of First Hawaiian Bank and a Board Member of Honolulu Academy of Arts.
A 1961 graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Chun was appointed its tenth president in April 1988. Chun is an active participant in professional, community and business organizations. He is a director of the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools, trustee of Hawai‘i Pacific University , board member of the Hawai‘i Medical Services Association and the director of the Metropolitan Boar of the YMCA of Honolulu. Chun is also a director of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Matson Navigation Company and Bank of Hawaii. Presently, he holds the position as Headmaster of Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus, where he is responsible for the leadership, financial management, administration and effectiveness of the college preparatory educational program at Kamehameha School ’s largest campus. He has established himself as an exceptional leader through his compassion, dedication, and commitment to the educational excellence of Kamehameha Schools.
Celebrating Bernice Pauahi Bishop and her legacy through Bishop Museum, the awards dinner will also feature a cocktail hour with a special preview of the Museum’s new Nā Hulu Ali’i: Royal Feathers ~ An exhibition of rare Hawaiian featherwork exhibit, live entertainment by Na Hōkū Hanohano award-winner Sean Na’auao, food stations by Hawai’i’s top chefs including Hiroshi Fukui, D.K. Kodama, Philippe Padovani, Alan Wong, and Roy Yamaguchi. This year’s event is co-chaired by Walter A. Dods, Jr. and Donna Tanoue.
Tickets start at $250 per person; premium tables are available. All event proceeds benefit Bishop Museum ’s education programs. For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, contact (808) 848-4157.
The first Bernice Pauahi Bishop Awards dinner was held in 1998, and since then has continued to celebrate community members who have made life-long commitments to Hawai’i and its people.