I read the news of Bob Nakata’s death yesterday in Civil Beat (“Former Hawaii Lawmaker Bob Nakata Dies At 80“).
It wasn’t a surprise.
In January 2019, Larry Kamakawiwoole sent out an email blast with news Bob had suffered a massive stroke the previous November, was suffering from early stage dementia, and was in a Pearl City care home.
Bob’s a trail blazer. He lost his seat for reelection to the State Senate because he took a strong stand against the H3 Freeway coming to the Windward end. He’s been a fighter in and out of the legislature for many years on housing for the less fortunate in Hawai’i. No wonder the Kalama Valley eviction struggle was special to him. Bob told me about his aloha for the Kahalu’u area and Waiahole-Waikane where he was born and raised.
Sadly, Larry himself died less than nine months later.
I hope some budding social historian will do a PhD dissertation on Bob’s life, the struggles he was a part of, and the people he was a voice for.
Doing a quick check through my files, I found two photos of Bob taken nearly 30 years apart.
The top photo of Bob and his wife, Jo-Anna, was taken in about 1980 at a party at the home of Charlie and Pua Hopkins in Kaaawa, just across the street from where we later lived, (we didn’t buy the house and move out there until 1988).
Bob and Jo-Anna Nakata.
Fast forward to April 2009. I ran into Bob on the 3rd floor of the State Capitol as he took a break from his rounds through the hallways and offices of the legislature. He was dressed for lobbying. I honestly don’t remember which issue he was embroiled in during that legislative session, but he was always one of the good guys, a tireless worker for social justice.
In any case, I snapped a few photos. This is my favorite.
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Thank you, Ian. I met Bob not long after I arrived in Hawai`i in 1979, soon learning from others about his deep involvement in the eviction struggles of the 1970s, the initial phase of what would come to be known as the Hawaiian Movement. His friendly, soft-spoken, and gentle demeanor did not at first reveal the strength of his commitment to social justice for the vulnerable or his adamant determination to protect the environment. No matter how intense the controversy, he always remained calm and found a way to smile. Among other confrontations with environmentally destructive special interest groups, I especially recall his support against powerful private and public organizations in the late 1980s (and more covertly into the 1990s) to develop the He`eia wetlands, first as a private golf course and then as a UH supported experiment in genetically altered crops. We need–we always will need–more like him.
Nice tribute. Yesterday’s struggles are often lost behind the current ones. More on his life would be welcome history.
Your column today touches on the lives of two people for whom I have had vast affection and respect. Thank you.
Very sadly, few of the Old Ka’a’awa gang are left.
The changing of the guard, seems to be lacking in generational differences.
Leaders of many battles, “Waiahole / Waolani”, “Keep The Country Country” and battle to stop Corporate “7-11” out of the Kua’iwi, are fading away.
The new younh leaders have taken a proactive approach to massive agrarian reclamation of land and sea.
Lest, we not forget the openness and humility of many who have passed. And seek an overall balance of culture and equality of compassion for our community.
I knew him during my tenure as a staffer at the Legislature and thought the absolute world of this kind and gentle man.
Rest in Aloha Bob Nakata –
Thank you for this lovely tribute to my dad, and to everyone who has commented here. Larry actually caught the bus out to visit my dad at the care home. We were so sad to hear of his passing, but glad that the two of them got to reconnect after all of those years.
Thank you. As an advocate new to the legislature, Bob always made time to mentor and truly listen to my opinions. While we worked closely together quite a bit, I only really had one opportunity to hear about his earlier decades of activism, so I too hope that dissertation gets written. I’m still working on the same issue years later. Upon hearing the news of his passing I realized how much of an impact on my he had on my own advocacy work and growth. Truly a painful loss but an extraordinary legacy.
I moved from Hawaii some 14 years ago, and just recently sadly learned of Bob’s passing.
We worked together for several years in the Stop H-3 Association. I can say that I never met a finer person. And I can’t imagine Hawaii without him. Aloha Bob. Rick