Flags at half-staff for former Hawaii lawmaker

All state flags at Hawaii offices and agencies were at half-staff Saturday in memory of a late former state legislator.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie ordered flags fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset.

Mary-Jane McMurdo served in the state Senate from 1984 to 1994 and in the state House of Representatives from 1994 to 1996.

She is credited with saving moderate-income housing in the Date-Laau Street area and was one of the leaders of the Save Sandy Beach initiative. She also worked to preserve Fort DeRussy as open space and championed efforts to restore and protect the Waikiki Natatorium.

Abercrombie says she is among the legacy of great women who served in the state Legislature during a time that included Pat Saiki and Kinau Kamalii.