Serving Heart Awards Breakfast

Universal Values for a Democratic Society—Nisei Veterans Endowed Forum Series

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Laarni Gedo, (808) 956-5790
Public Information Officer
Posted: Jan 20, 2009

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa‘s Colleges of Arts and Sciences are pleased to announce the Serving Heart Awards Breakfast on Thursday, March 5, at the Honolulu Country Club, from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. Four individuals will be honored:

Frank De Lima is one of Hawaii‘s most celebrated comedians. He has won the coveted Na Hoku Hanohano Award for 11 of his 13 albums. He graduated from Damien Memorial High School and received a BA in Sociology from Chaminade University and a Master of Divinity from St. Patrick‘s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California. He was ordained a deacon in Redwood City, California, and was assigned to Holy Trinity Church, Kuliʻouʻou. As he quotes from the bible, "many are called— few are chosen," and that year decided not to continue to priesthood in the Catholic faith. He is still a practicing Catholic.

De Lima is an acclaimed entertainer who has performed over 5,000 professional shows. His outstanding contribution to the community stems from an earnest desire to teach Hawaii‘s young people the important values of life, such as family, education, and laughter. He developed this desire in the seminary and working summers at the Catholic Youth Organizations Summer Fun and Summer Camp Programs. In 1985, after five years of developing his school visitation program, he established The Frank De Lima Student Enrichment Program, a non-profit organization. This program involves De Lima visiting about 180 elementary and middle/intermediate schools within a two-year cycle. Through a well-planned curriculum for different age-levels and through his unique talent for communicating serious matters through humor, he instills life-affirming ideals in the youth, thereby making a positive difference in their lives and those of others. Recognition of his contributions to making Hawaiʻi a better and happier place to live has come in numerous forms; among them are Governor Cayetano‘s Kilohana Award for Volunteer of the Year and the Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial Award from the National Education Association.


Patricia W. Nishimoto, BSN, MPH, DNS, FAAN works as an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Tripler Army Medical Center. "Dr. Pat," as her patients affectionately call her, is world-renowned for her work in oncology, end of life care, grief and loss, and cultural awareness.

Nishimoto‘s nearly 40-year career began in 1973 in the United States Army, where she would eventually retire as a colonel in 2003. Throughout the years, she has served in dozens of nursing capacities, ranging from hospice charge nurse to chief nurse. Along the way, many distinguished military and civilian honors were bestowed upon her, including the national Oncology Nursing Society‘s Schering Clinical Excellence Award and the Nurse of the Year Award from the Hawaiʻi Nurses Association. Nishimoto‘s resumé reads like a novel in both intrigue and length. She has impacted virtually every aspect of the field of nursing through teaching, research, and application.

Nishimoto has dedicated her life to helping cancer patients and their families. She was instrumental in creating a weekend program for teens battling and surviving cancer. Most recently, she was a key leader in establishing a statewide program involving art therapy. Nishimoto‘s compassion and selfless service to those whose lives have been touched by cancer is beyond measure.


William W. Paty, Jr. is a kamaʻaina, in body and spirit, having been born in Honolulu in 1921 and enjoying childhood days in Nuʻuanu Valley. After completing his formal education at Punahou School and Cornell University, he embarked on a challenging life that would take him to battlefields in Europe, a plantation on Oʻahu, a state office, and a private office in downtown Honolulu. In 1942, Paty served his country during World War II. As a member of the famous 101st Airborne Division, he participated in the air assault landing at Normandy on D-Day in 1944 and then endured confinement for months in a POW camp in Poland until his daring escape. He received a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Prisoner of War Medal for this heroic service.

His civilian career centered on managing Waialua Sugar Company where he had to face unrest and resentment within the plantation community due to conflicts between management and union. His skillful management, grounded in sensitivity to all peoples, transformed the community. He retired in 1984 as a respected and beloved company president. Paty then went on to serve as chairman of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and chairman of diversified agriculture for Castle & Cooke. He currently is a trustee for the Mark A. Robinson Trust.

Paty‘s contributions to the community are wide-ranging. He served as president of the 1978 Constitutional Convention and is now chairing the Governor‘s Turtle Bay Advisory Working Group. His commitment to the military is unending as he is the Pacific Region‘s civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, emeritus trustee of the Hawaiʻi Army Museum Society, and former chairman of the U.S. Army Civilian Advisory Group. He assists in meeting community needs by serving on the executive board of the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Pacific Health Ministry. In 2008 he received the Pacific Business News Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his work, leadership and service to the community.


The late Robert K. Sakai was a scholar, teacher, and administrator at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Born in Riverside, California, he made his first visit to Japan at the age of 15, when he committed himself to work toward creating better understanding between the peoples of Japan and the United States. Sakai received his BA in history at the University of California-Berkeley in 1941. Five months later, he was interned at Poston Relocation Center in Arizona, where in 1942 he married Sady Kitaoka. In 1943 they left camp when he volunteered for the Military Intelligence Service. After service in the South Pacific and in occupied Japan, he pursued studies at Harvard University, receiving master‘s and doctoral degrees in East Asian history.
Sakai taught at the University of Nebraska from 1951-66 before joining UHM‘s History Department in 1966 and serving as Dean of Summer Session, 1973-84. His fundamental commitment to enhancing Japan-U.S. understanding led him in various directions: sharing unique historical insights into Satsuma Han; establishing special English courses for the benefit of thousands of Japanese students; contributing towards the eventual founding of Pacific Asian Management Institute at the Shidler College of Business; heading the Japanese Consulate‘s screening committee for the Japan Exchange and Teaching program; serving as board member of the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation, and member of the Joseph Heco Society and the Hawaiʻi Committee for the Humanities. Active in the Japan-America Society of Hawaiʻi, he became its president for two terms. In 1985, the Japanese government recognized his valuable contributions to promoting a close Japan-US relationship by awarding him the Third Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Each will receive Serving Heart, a civic character award, founded by Universal Values for a Democratic Society—Nisei Veterans Endowed Forum Series. The award honors individuals who have provided extraordinary service to individuals and the community; service that is marked by honesty, humility, respect, compassion, fairness, and integrity. Through such service, the recipients inspire others to live meaningful and more fulfilling lives.

The forum series reaches out to students throughout the State of Hawaiʻi thanks to a unique partnership between the community, university, and Hawaiʻi Department of Education. Its mission is to foster thoughtful discussions on values and their role in enhancing a democratic society by examining values from all perspectives and from people of all walks of life.

If you would like to attend the awards breakfast, please call (808) 956-5790.

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