MR. AKAKA. Mr. President, today I wish to honor a great storyteller with a passion and deep empathy for the people of Hawaii. After a 20-year career in television journalism, Ron Mizutani announced this week that he will be leaving his post as news anchor and reporter for a top rated Honolulu newscast to pursue interests outside of journalism.
Ron exemplifies Hawaii's melting pot, our diverse human landscape rich with the contributions of unique cultures from around the Pacific and across the globe. His desire to make the islands he grew up in a better place for the future, while cherishing the cultures of old, is well known throughout Hawaii. Drawing on his personal heritage from Asia, Europe, and Hawaii's indigenous peoples Native Hawaiians, Ron crossed cultural lines and played a major role in bringing the diverse people of Hawaii together into a cohesive unit.
In his writing, Ron was true to the language and style of the islands. A proud graduate of my alma mater, Kamehameha Schools, Ron's colleagues routinely turned to him whenever they needed help with the pronunciation of a Hawaiian word or a greater understanding of traditional practices.
Ron started his career as a sportscaster, and with time and experience moved into news reporting. He is one of the only in-studio anchors that would actually go out, get dirty and cover news in the field on location. As Ron's longtime photographer partner Greg Lau proudly recalls a day when an unusual storm generated high surf along the North-East shores of the islands, topping the beaches and coming into people's homes. Ron put his story second, jumping into the dangerous surf and ruining his clothes to help stack sandbags and salvage what could be saved. That was the part of the story viewers never knew, but colleagues certainly did.
Telling stories about the people, places, and issues facing the islands of Hawaii was Ron's kuleana, or duty. Ron took his kuleana seriously. His work captured the soul of the islands and he came to work every day with a mission to tell his story in a way that was compelling while remaining true to the issues at hand. More importantly, he refused to sensationalize the news.
Ron's storytelling ran the gamut: from entering homeless camps to tell the stories of the real people who had hit hard times amidst the islands' soaring property prices, following a local boy turned New York Mets hitter Benny Agbayani in his big moment in the World Series, tthe bittersweet celebration of a Native Hawaiian man who got his piece of Hawaiian Homelands after 50 years on a waiting list, to flying to the face of hurricanes to keeping Hawaii residents safe and informed, Ron always went to great lengths to shed light on stories he knew needed to be told.
Mr. President, Ron's contribution to Hawaii's understanding of itself and its people will be sorely missed. We wish him well in his future endeavors.
