Spirit of late singer infuses Kalakaua school celebration

Natalie Lum wanted to do right by the man. All three of the men.

The first was her father, Nathaniel Lum, a man who grew up poor and barefoot in Kalihi and who, even after becoming a husband and father, found a way to attend law school because he believed in the power of education.

“When you talk to the old-timers in Kalihi, they talk about how great their school was and how close their community was. They were so poor, but they had this pride,” Lum said.

The second was King David Kalakaua, the namesake of her father’s beloved middle school, the same school at which she now serves as school librarian. In 2016, while sorting through her late father’s papers, Lum found a flyer from 1953 announcing a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Kalakaua School. She realized that meant 2018 would mark the school’s 90th year and that perhaps they should somehow commemorate the milestone.

She also realized that if she mentioned this in a faculty meeting, she’d end up chairing the event.

She mentioned it anyway, and sure enough, everyone thought it was a great idea and that she should take the lead.

Her late father’s words came back then: “Always do your best. Give it your all.”

“I thought to myself, ‘OK, Dad, since you loved your school, I will do this,’” Lum said.

While brainstorming ideas for the celebration, Lum sought counsel from her friend Malia Melemai, a resource teacher at the Department of Education. In the fall of 2017, Melemai contacted the Estria Foundation, a Honolulu-based nonprofit program that goes into schools to lead projects that engage students in planning, leadership, research and art.

It was a long shot.

Estria Miyashiro, a mural artist known by his first name, is a busy guy with projects planned all over the state. It just so happened he had an opening.

“But it’s NOW!” Melemai told Lum.

They had to move quickly. A wall along a classroom building was selected and a core group of about 30 students was chosen. Estria worked with the students to plan the composition of the piece.

They went on an excursion to Hooulu Aina in Kalihi Valley to hear stories about the land, then meditated and envisioned images for the design. For two weeks in December, more than 1,000 students from the school helped to paint a 2,000-square-foot mural that can be seen from Kalihi Street.

The third man Lum wanted to honor was the late Palani Vaughan, a revered singer, composer and historian. When the initial planning for the celebration began, Vaughan was invited to be the guest speaker at the anniversary celebration.

“He agreed with no hesitation,” Lum said. “He was excited to do it, and we were so excited to hear the stories about Kalakaua that he was famous for, and to meet this living legend.”

Vaughan died in December 2016.

Lum was crushed.

“He really wanted to be here,” she said.

As the mural started taking shape last month, Lum thought about Vaughan and how she might still bring his presence to this project. She thought about playing some of his songs during the unveiling. That way, the students would hear his words.

She kept an eye on the progress of the mural, going outside periodically to take pictures. One day, she noticed words in the mural. She got closer and realized it was lyrics from a song:

Ha‘aheo e Hawai‘i

No keone hanau e

E malama mau na ano

O na kupuna e

Be proud, o Hawaii’s people

Of your homeland

Preserve forever

The ways of your ancestors

And under the words, the name of the composer, Palani Vaughan.

“The artist didn’t know Palani Vaughan wanted to be a part of the 90th birthday celebration, and I never told him,” Lum said.

Mural coordinator Nicole Jack of the Estria Foundation was the one who found the song for the mural, but she said it was more like the song found them.

“Palani Vaughn had a deep connection and commitment to King Kalakaua and to this school,” Jack said. “It was wonderful that he found a way to make it onto the wall, and in my opinion, not at all a mere coincidence.”

Lum realized she needed to reach out to the Vaughan family to see if anyone could come to the mural unveiling. It just seemed so important even though the event was just days away.

She went to Facebook. She found Vaughan’s daughter, Kailihiwa. They had a mutual friend, Lum’s former student.

“I contacted my student and told him the story and he made a call,” Lum said. “Kailihiwa Vaughan said she doesn’t usually answer her phone because it’s in her purse where she can’t hear it ringing, but this time, she had it in her hand when he called. She said she’s always super busy and never has time, but somehow, her schedule was open that morning and she could come to the unveiling.”

So she did. That was on Dec. 20, in a week of heavy rain; yet, the skies held for the ceremony, which was bright with songs and stories as colorful as the painting. The students looked so proud. Lum thought of her father’s reverence for education, Vaughan’s enthusiastic support, the legacy of a school named for Hawaii’s king and the message of looking for guidance from forbears.

“Everything has fallen into place,” she said.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.