Distinguished Awards
The UH Hilo Alumni & Friends Association honored the
achievements and contributions of UH Hilo alumni and community leaders
at its 11th Annual Distinguished Alumni and Service Awards Banquet,
held on Friday, February 25 in the UH Hilo Campus Center Dining Room.
This year’s Distinguished Alumni honorees include Judge Ronald
Ibarra (Hilo College 1966-68), Mr. Gregg Taketa (1973-75) and Mr. Wayne
Subica (1978). The Distinguished Service honoree is Mr. Russell Oda.
This year’s event also recognize the 40th anniversary of the UH Hilo
Class of 1971 -- the first graduates to receive baccalaureate degrees
from UH Hilo as it transitioned from a two-year institution to a four
year university.
l-r: Awardees, Gregg Taketa, Wayne Subica, Russell Oda, Judge Ronald Ibarra
l-r: Class of '71 graduates, Charlene Kojiro, Norman Nishiki, Bevin Cushnie, Spenceer Adams, Anne Bowen
2010 Awardees
Daniel Belcher
Dr. Daniel Belcher was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but his
roots and his heart are in Hilo.
A 1969 graduate of St. Joseph High School, he attended UH
Hilo for three years before transferring to UH Manoa, where
he earned a B.A. in chemistry and a B.S. in biology in 1974. He
proceeded to post-graduate studies at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville, Tennessee, where he received his Doctor of Medicine
in 1978 from the School of Medicine. After graduating from
medical school and completing his residency and internship in
internal medicine at Vanderbilt University, he returned to Hilo in
1981 to start his professional career at the Hilo Medical Center
(HMC).
In September of 2004, Belcher started his private medical practice, but his involvement with
HMC remains active. Besides tending to patients at the hospital, Belcher is the current Chief
of Staff and serves on various committees at HMC: Medical Executive Committee, Quality
Management Committee (chairperson), Credential Committee, Physician Advisory Group
Committee, and is a Long Term Care Hospitalist.
His professional connection also includes various entities at UH Manoa: John Burns School of
Medicine (Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community
Health), Resident Program, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene.
This humble and distinguished alumnus has also received physician recognition awards from
both the American Medical Association and the American Association of Family Physicians.
Belcher is also a tireless contributor to the local community. He is a referee for American Youth
Soccer Organization (AYSO), which he has been a part of for the past 15 years, has served as
that organization’s regional referee administrator, and is currently Vice President of the Big
Island Soccer Referee Association. He performed physical examinations for Hilo High soccer
team members for a number of years. Besides being the current commodore at the Hilo Yacht
Club and a member of the club’s finance committee, Belcher is also a deacon at Waiakea Uka
Bible Church, a position he’s held more than a dozen years.
Belcher and his wife, Sylvia, have two sons, Thomas and William. In addition to his many
professional and community activities, he enjoys soccer, camping, hiking and reading.
Richard DeVerse
Dr. Richard DeVerse graduated with Honors in chemistry in
1996 and went on to Kansas State University (KSU) where he
was awarded the Graduate Fellow Scholarship and pursued his
Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry.
During his three years at KSU, DeVerse developed the world’s
first Micro-opto-electromechanical (MOEMS)-based encoded
Raman imaging spectrometer and a number of other adaptive
encoded aperture spectrometric systems that are now the basis
of a series of key patents and commercial products.
After receiving his Ph.D., DeVerse followed the wise counsel
of his wife, Heidi, and returned to settle in Kailua-Kona to
raise his four children: Andrew, Ryan, Paige, and Tyler. He cofounded
Three LC Inc. to commercialize the technology he had developed for spectrometric
measurement. DeVerse subsequently co-founded Plain Sight Systems, where he served as Vice
President of sensor design and manufacturing. There he was instrumental in the growth of Plain
Sight Systems from a startup business, dependent upon Department of Defense funding, into a
commercially viable business working and partnering with Fortune 500 customers. Refocusing
on Hawaii, he has most recently founded Kona Labs, a 100% Hawaii based high tech company
that has developed a global reach.
A passionate inventor and scientist, DeVerse has generated a number of breakthrough
technologies enabling advances ranging from cancer screening, water conservation to long
range standoff explosives detection. He has a multitude of publications, patents and patents
pending in the areas of optics as well as in chemical and physical sensor systems.
Enjoying time with his family and life on the Big Island, DeVerse continues to innovate and
patent new technologies for sale exclusively through his Kona Labs brand. Current projects
include new technology for affordable water resource management solutions, such as new leak
detection tools and devices, handheld water quality monitoring, and fuels quality monitoring
systems.
Mitchell Dodo
Mr. Mitchell Dodo, the first grandson to the late Richard and
Shigeko Dodo, was born and raised in Hilo.
After graduating from Waiakea High School, he attended UH
Hilo and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration
in 1992 before venturing to achieve his degree in Mortuary
Science from the renowned San Francisco College of Mortuary
Science in 1994. Dodo is also a licensed embalmer within the
state of Hawaii and on the mainland.
As the fourth generation (Yonsei) to lead the family business
founded by his great-grandfather, Mitsugoro Dodo, over 114
years old ago, he serves as the Vice-President and Operations
Manager of Dodo Morturary, Inc. which serves the Hilo and Kona markets. He often directs
funerals at the chapel and at local churches where he tends to every detail of the service. Dodo
enjoys being an active participant in speaking engagements, career days/shadowing, church
and hospice groups to educate the public about the funeral service profession.
An advocate for funeral service issues, Dodo is also active in the welfare of the funeral service
industry in Hawaii through the critical roles he serves on several boards, including the Hawaii
Funeral Directors Association (Past-President), the Hawaii Allied Memorial Council (Past-
President), the Hawaii Funeral & Cemetery Association and the National Funeral Directors
Association (Policy Board Representative). His commitment to give back to the local community
is manifested by his involvement with service organizations such as the Lehua Jaycees, Japanese
Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts of Amercia Aloha Council, Rotary Club of Hilo (Past President
and current board member of the Hilo Rotary Club Foundation). For the past 5 years, Dodo has
been a facilitator for local high school seniors applying for the Hawaii Rotary Youth Foundation
Scholarship and is the current chairperson of the Dr. Sunao Wada Foundation, which promotes
cultural exchange and educational opportunities for high school students living in the cities of
Hilo, Hawaii and Hiroshima, Japan.
Dodo and his wife, Karen, have two daughters, Marissa and Katelyn. In his spare time he enjoys
spending time with his family, keeping up with things around the house, socializing with friends,
and traveling to wherever he can.
Janice Higashi, 2010 Distinguished Service Awardee
Janice Higashi, born to a family of nine children and raised
in Paauilo, is a graduate of Honokaa High School and Hilo
Commercial College. She recently retired as a business
owner: Vice President of Creative Arts Hawaii and President
and General Manager of Instant Sign Centers of Hawaii, the
first (in 1989) computerized sign business on the Big Island
offering state of the art technology. Her success in the business
world not only stemmed from her “can do” attitude, but also
from the culmination of her 25 years of secretarial experience
during which she earned her Certified Professional Secretary
(CPS) designation. Higashi was a member of the Professional
Secretaries International, Hilo Chapter and was its president for
2 terms, during which she formed the Kona and South Kohala
chapters. Her “give-back to the community” philosophy and passion to engage in meaningful
projects have propelled her to assume leadership roles in numerous community organizations,
include serving as the first woman President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and as a
board member of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, Japanese Community Association
of Hawaii, Hawaii Public Television, Commission on the Status of Women, EH Coalition for the
Homeless, Zonta Club, Destination Hilo, Pacific Tsunami Museum, Hawaii Island United Way,
East Hawaii Special Olympics and others.
Her involvement with UH Hilo dates back to 1990 as a board member of the Vulcan Athletic
Booster Club. In 1991 she served as the first woman team captain for the Scholarship Drive and
formed an all women team, and for three consecutive years, raised more money than any other
team.
For the past 9 years, she has served as the chairperson of UH Hilo’s Performing Arts Center
Advisory Committee. She is the brainchild for the annual Girls’ Day Diva Festival. She has been
involved in many political campaigns, locally and nationally and worked for U.S. Representative
Ed Case. Her awards include one of Hawaii Tribune Herald’s Women of the Year in 1993, Athena
recipient (Outstanding Businesswoman) in 1995, YWCA Remarkable Persons in 2009. These
days, Higashi can be seen enjoying retirement with her husband of 45 years, Roland. They have
one daughter, Laurie, who lives in California.
Harold Tanouye, 2010 Distinguished Service Awardee
Harold Tanouye Jr. attended Grinnell College in Iowa after
graduating from Hilo High School but little did he know that his
time away from home was the root to the start of his journey to
the nursery business.
While at college, Tanouye’s curiosity about anthuriums was
triggered when he saw how appreciative his college friends’
parents were of the flowers his mother sent. After earning his
B.A. in History in 1957, he pursued his interest in flowers and
established the first major anthurium flower nursery on the
island. In 1977, Tanouye started Green Point Nurseries which
has expanded over the years to become a thriving business
selling a wide variety of tropical flowers, plants and foliage
nationally and internationally. Known for his innovative and pioneering success in the art and
science of the nursery business, Tanouye received a patent for his “cluster pack.” In 1988, he
was presented the U.S. Senate Productivity Award for introducing many new colorful varieties of
anthuriums. Tanouye has earned numerous awards, including the State of Hawaii Outstanding
Young Farmer of the Year, the Exporter of the Year Award, and the Junior Achievement Hawaii
Business Hall of Fame.
A fervent believer in high standards, Tanouye also takes pride in providing quality customer
service and has been an invaluable resource for the UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry
and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM) since its inception in 1975. He has allowed
countless students to use his farm as a learning lab. He has sponsored CAFNRM research and
course projects, and recently collaborated with the UH College of Business and Economics, the
UH Media Center and local agriculture industry groups to help students produce an online video
farm tour. The project served as a marketing tool for island agribusinesses.
This family business continues to strive for excellence as Tanouye mentors his son, Eric,
the company’s Vice President. Tanouye also finds time to support numerous community
organizations, such as the Hawaii Export Nursery Association, Hawaii Florist and Shippers
Association, Hawaii Seals of Quality Program, Church of the Holy Cross, Hawaii Island Chamber
of Commerce, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and UH Hilo Performing Arts Center.
2010 Distinguished Service Awardee.
Regina Titunik, 2010 Distinguished Service Awardee
Dr. Regina Titunik was known to many students, faculty and
staff at UH Hilo as an intelligent, dedicated, and devoted
mother, teacher, scholar and contributor.
Born in England, Titunik served in the U.S. Army and earned
her B.A. at the University of Washington and her M.A. and
Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. A world traveler who loved
adventure, she taught at the University of Zambia and the
University of Michigan-Dearborn before coming to UH Hilo in 1995.
Her major areas of academic interest included war and the
state and women and war. She served on the UH Hilo Faculty
Congress, and was a member of the Women’s Studies steering committee. Highly motivated by
her sense of duty to her profession, she took the lead in reorganizing the University’s general
education program. She was a 1999 recipient of the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in
Undergraduate Teaching and was been nominated for the Board of Regents Award. In 2000,
she received a fellowship for the West Point Summer Seminar in Military History. In 2006, she
was recognized with the UHHSA (UH Hilo Student Association) Presidential Award for Excellence
in Teaching and received the Chancellor’s Service Award posthumously.
Titunik had an uncanny ability to be respected by her students while expecting excellence
from them. She was the faculty representative for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship (a highly
competitive national competition which involves several layers of application and interviews)
and mentored two UH Hilo students who received the prestigious scholarship and were awarded
funding for graduate studies. She published timely articles in top-tier journals in the discipline,
including articles on the military and war, gender integration and military culture, the future of
the modern nation-state system and the political thought of German economist and sociologist
Max Weber. Two of her most recent research topics included personnel issues and policy in the
military and the political theory of Leo Strauss, whose ideas profoundly influenced many close
advisors of President George W. Bush.
Well accomplished, humble and respected by many, Titunik lost her battle against cancer and
passed away summer of 2009. She is survived by her son, Gene and husband, Naoto Yoshikawa.
2010 Distinguished Service Awardee.
Get the current nomination form 
here.