Sullivan family keeps on giving

Some well-deserved kudos are due to Joanna Sullivan — widow of Maurice J. "Sully" Sullivan, founder of the Foodland supermarket chain — for a $3 million donation that will fund the construction of a new research building at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.

The gift continues a long history of charitable giving from the family. Sullivan, who died in 1998 at 89, had a long list of favorite causes, mostly those in this state, from the Hawaii operations of the Boy Scouts to the American Red Cross.

The university has been a frequent beneficiary, and the Sullivan philanthropy has supported cancer research dating back to 1971, with the establishment of the Mama Lau Cancer Research Center in his mother-in-law’s memory.

Now it’s Sully himself whose name will be on the new building, the Sullivan Conference Center — a memorial that will continue giving back for years to come.

Musical chairs at the state Capitol

Outgoing state Rep. Blake Oshiro is only the latest denizen of the state Capitol to move to a post elsewhere in state government.

Russell Kokubun, Dwight Takemine, Hermina Morita … are we forgetting anyone? Gov. Neil Abercrombie replaced them, and tapped state Rep. Maile Shimabukuro to take over a Senate seat when Colleen Hanabusa, former president of that chamber was elected to Congress. Now Oshiro becomes the deputy chief of staff, and the governor will find a successor there, too.

Abercrombie has surrounded himself with ex-legislators much more than former Gov. Linda Lingle did. If she had, there’d have been all newbies left on the GOP side of the aisle.