Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said Emiko Kuraoka’s life serves as an inspiration to her family, her students and her friends.
“Emiko was honored to receive the Mayor Derek Kawakami proclamation for her 100th birthday,” said Carol Kuraoka, Emiko’s daughter-in-law.
“She lives on O‘ahu now, but her many friends would want to know we celebrated her birthday recently with her sisters, children, grandchildren, great-grandson, and other family members and friends outdoors at the Honolulu Museum of Art Cafe.”
Emiko was born on Kaua‘i in 1922, the second child of seven to a Grove Farm Plantation family.
With strong support and encouragement from her parents and other family members, Emiko excelled in school.
Following her graduation from Kaua‘i High School, she left her family and traveled by inter-island steamer to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
“One of her vivid memories of her student life was the bombing of Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941,” Carol said.
On graduation from the University of Hawai‘i Teachers College in 1945, Emiko volunteered to start her new teaching career on Lana‘i, then Moloka‘i, and later in Kipu on Kaua‘i.
She earned honors and awards for her teaching, her career taking her to Lihu‘e School, Wilcox Elementary School, and then to Kaua‘i High School.
In addition to her love of academics, Emiko is a natural athlete, enjoying and excelling in sports such as tennis, swimming, softball, archery and golf.
Her enthusiasm for learning led her to enroll in numerous classes, such as arts and crafts, flower arranging and tai chi.
“Her love for her yard and gardening plays a very important role in her life,” Carol said. “Her flowers and arrangements are sought after by her friends, and her church, the Lihu‘e Christian Church.”
Emiko married Matsuo “Sidelines” Kuraoka, a well-known columnist and photographer for The Garden Island newspaper, and together they raised two children, a son, David, and a daughter, Amy Jean Kuraoka Goo.
On her retirement, Emiko administered the Kaua‘i Adult Education Program for several years, and privately tutored many students to receive their GED in preparation for college. In other educational work, Emiko tutored in communities, such as Waipa, and the Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center, to help students earn their GED. She also traveled by boat to Ni‘ihau School to work with teachers there in their efforts at improving curriculum standards.
Her work also earned recognition for her long service from the Kaua‘i Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.
“We are forever grateful for her work educating the people of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau,” Kawakami said in his 100th birthday proclamation.
•••
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
