Video: Historic preservation advocate Gerald DeMello returns to UH Hilo for public talk on his current work
The talk, “Preserving Hawaiʻi’s History,” is part of the Kuleana and Community Weekly Talk Story gatherings scheduled this semester.
Gerald DeMello, former director of university relations at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, now retired, returned to the university Sept. 6 to deliver a public talk on his advocacy for showcasing Hawaiʻi history via plaques, wall murals, and walking tours in Hilo and the former plantation town of Honokaʻa.
“The topic of preserving our local history was something every person in the audience could relate to,” says Chancellor Bonnie Irwin who attended the event. “Gerald DeMello is such an engaging speaker and deeply committed to preserving our local history.”
The talk, “Preserving Hawaiʻi’s History,” is part of a series of weekly gatherings held this semester at UH Hilo where students, faculty, staff, university retirees, and members of the local community get together in a safe and welcoming environment to share their thoughts around a common topic.
The goal of the series, named Kuleana and Community Weekly Talk Story: Building Community Through Conversation, is to strengthen the university’s connections to the local community through conversation. Topics cover Maunakea stewardship, mental health, better communication, houselessness in Hawaiʻi, entrepreneurship, and more. Following a short talk by a featured guest, attendees break out into discussion groups and then share their manaʻo (thoughts) with everyone.
De Mello is a fourth generation Hilo resident with strong family ties to Hāmākua. A Hilo High School graduate, he received his bachelor of arts in education from Eastern Washington State University and his master of arts in sociology from UH Mānoa. He taught at both Hawaiʻi Community College and UH Hilo for more than 14 years. In the early 1990’s he was appointed East Hawaiʻi liaison for the Waiheʻe administration and helped displaced plantations workers find further education opportunities and new employment as the sugar plantations closed. He was named UH Hilo’s Director of University Relations and External Affairs in 1991, a post he held for 21 years under five chancellors.
The talk was held at the Kilohana Student Success Center located in Edwin Mookini Library at UH Hilo.
The Kuleana and Community series is sponsored by the UH Hilo Office of the Chancellor, Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Center, Kilohana Academic Success Center, Center for Global Education and Exchange, and Assistant Professor of Communication Colby Miyose and Associate Professor of Sociology Alton Okinaka.
Don’t miss the complete Kuleana and Community series.
