{"id":167795,"date":"2022-10-21T13:36:01","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T23:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=167795"},"modified":"2022-10-24T08:25:07","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T18:25:07","slug":"takai-papers-open-to-the-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/10\/21\/takai-papers-open-to-the-public\/","title":{"rendered":"Late Rep. Mark Takai\u2019s papers available to the public"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"obama
Rep. Takai with President Obama, August 26, 2015 (Photo courtesy: Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A collection of papers<\/a> from the late Hawai\u02bbi congressman and University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> alumnus K. Mark Takai<\/strong> (1967–2016) is now available for public access in the 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Hamilton Library<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"k.
K. Mark Takai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Housed in the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection<\/a>, the collection was generously donated by Takai\u2019s wife, Sami.<\/p>\n

The papers document the congressman\u2019s work in the Hawaiʻi<\/span> State Legislature, his time in Congress, as well as his tenure as president of the Associated Students of the 东精影业<\/abbr> (AS东精影业<\/abbr>) and editor of the 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa student newspaper, Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection is so pleased to be able to share this collection with the public, and to play a small part in stewarding Rep. Takai’s legacy,” said Dawn Sueoka<\/strong>, congressional papers archivist. “From his early days in AS东精影业<\/abbr> leadership to his work in the U.S.<\/abbr> Congress, this collection tells the story of a life dedicated to public service.”<\/p>\n

东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa years<\/h2>\n
\"takai
Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/em> press pass, 1990. (Photo courtesy: Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Takai attended 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa on a swimming scholarship, earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science<\/a> in 1990, and a master\u2019s degree in public health<\/a> in 1993. While an undergraduate at 东精影业<\/abbr>, Takai was active in student government. He served as chair of the lobbying committee of the AS东精影业<\/abbr>, and was elected the association\u2019s president in 1989. <\/p>\n

From 1990 to 1991, Takai served as editor in chief of Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/em>. During this period, the paper was a lightning rod for some of the most critical issues that the university was struggling with, including racism and sexism.<\/p>\n

Related: Remembering Representative K. Mark Takai<\/a>, July 20, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

Materials in the Takai collection document an important period in 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s history. They include material documenting the controversy around letters published in the Ka Leo<\/em> by the late Professor Haunani-Kay Trask<\/strong> and student Joey Carter<\/strong>, the fight to publish a column in ʻōlelo<\/span> Hawaiʻi<\/span> (Hawaiian language) without translation, and examples of racist and sexist flyers that were anonymously posted around campus at that time. <\/p>\n

Sueoka noted, “The collection is small compared to our other congressional collections, but it really succinctly documents Takai’s work, and it has some incredible material in it.”<\/p>\n

The Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection comprises the papers of Hawaiʻi<\/span> delegates to the U.S.<\/abbr> Congress from statehood in 1959 to the present, including: U.S.<\/abbr> Senator Hiram L. Fong<\/a>, U.S.<\/abbr> Senator Spark M. Matsunaga<\/a>, U.S.<\/abbr> Representative Patricia F. Saiki<\/a>, U.S.<\/abbr> Senator Daniel Akaka, U.S.<\/abbr> Senator Daniel K. Inouye<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n

To make an appointment to access the collection, email archives@hawaii.edu<\/a> or call (808) 956-6047.<\/p>\n

More about Takai<\/h2>\n
\"sen.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Takai (then a state representative), ca. 2009-2011. (Photo courtesy: Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection )
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Takai represented ʻAiea<\/span> and Pearl City in the Hawaiʻi<\/span> State Legislature for 20 years, where he was known as a dedicated, energetic and well-liked public servant and a champion of education and of veterans issues. While in the legislature, he established the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Medal of Honor to honor service members with Hawaiʻi<\/span> ties that had been killed in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. Takai himself was a Lt. Col. in the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Army National Guard and was activated in 2005, and again in 2009, when he deployed to Kuwait for 6 months.<\/p>\n

Takai was elected to Congress in 2014 (representing Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s First Congressional District), and was named to the House Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on Natural Resources. <\/p>\n

Though he died from pancreatic cancer in 2016, his legislation to compensate military personnel exposed to radioactive debris in the Marshall Islands continued to be championed by his colleagues, as the Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act. The measure became part of the 117th Congress’s PACT<\/abbr> Act, which expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances. It was signed into law by President Biden on August 10, 2022.<\/p>\n

\"takai
ASUH campaign flier, 1989. (Photo courtesy: Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The papers are housed in the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Congressional Papers Collection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,679,217,1467,128,1363,185,241,9],"class_list":["post-167795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-ka-leo","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-library","tag-manoa-research","tag-political-science","tag-public-health","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167795"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167855,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167795\/revisions\/167855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}