Architect, statesman, business leader, Native Hawaiian visionary — Kenneth Francis Kamuokalani Brown’s fingerprints are all over the modern history of Hawaii.
"Not too many people have heard of Kenny Brown," said former Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Chief Judge James Burns. "But when you track his trail, you find out he’s been everywhere. He’s accomplished an awful lot. I have nothing but admiration and respect for him."
Jeff Watanabe, a retired attorney and chairman of Hawaiian Electric Industries, agreed: "He’s had a profound impact on Hawaii, and he’s done it in a quiet way."
Brown — former chairman of the Bishop Museum, the East-West Center and the Hawaii Community Development Authority — died last week at the age of 94.
Born in Honolulu, the great-grandson of John Papa I‘i, a member of the court of Kamehameha III, Brown attended Punahou School and eventually graduated from Princeton University. During World War II he was a civilian architect for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Maui and Oahu before opening his own architectural firm in the islands.
In 1966, when Lt. Gov. Bill Richardson resigned to become chief justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, Gov. John A. Burns picked Brown, a political novice, to run for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor against established Democrat Tom Gill.
James Burns, the former governor’s son, said his father really wanted Brown to succeed him as governor, but when Brown lost he ended up appointing him as a special assistant.
"He had a great vision for what he thought Hawaii should be," James Burns said of Brown. "It was the mixing of modern Hawaii with Hawaiian values."
From 1968 to 1974 Brown served two terms in the state Senate where he spearheaded bills, among other things, for the restoration of Iolani Palace and Kawaiaha‘o Church.
Brown, nephew of legendary Hawaii amateur golfer Francis I‘i Brown, was a leader in island golfing circles. In 1964 he became tournament chairman of the Hawaii Canada Cup, which would become the World Cup. And he was the first tournament chairman of the Hawaiian Open, the predecessor of the Sony Open, which he helped launch.
Brown had his hand in countless Hawaii business interests and service organizations. He owned the Waianae Cable Co. and would later serve as chairman of the board of Oceanic Cablevision. He served on numerous boards of directors, including Amfac, Pan Pacific Development Co., Emerald Hotels Corp. and Hawaiian Airlines.
He was a longtime president and chairman of Hawaii island’s Mauna Lani Resort, which under his leadership was a forerunner in preserving, protecting and incorporating the Hawaiian culture as part of the visitor experience, and he founded the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association with Hawaiian scholar George Kanahele.
"Kenny Brown was a cultural caretaker who loved Hawaii: its land, people and culture," Jace L. McQuivey, the association’s founding director, said in a statement. "He was a visionary man committed to perpetuating the ideals, the values and characteristics that make our island home great. His tremendous influence and resources in the tireless pursuit of connecting people to organizations and worthy causes will be greatly missed."
Maui County Councilman Mike White worked for Brown at the Mauna Lani, and when he became manager at the Ka‘anapali Beach Resort, he took Brown’s influence with him in the form of the Pookela Hawaiian culture program.
"I really appreciated him," White said. "He was always the voice of reason and calm, a gentle but strong leader, always looking to do what’s best and right for the long term."
During the ’80s and early ’90s, Brown was chairman of the board of The Queen’s Health Systems in Honolulu and worked to redirect the mission of Queen’s to serve Hawaiians and the less privileged sectors of Hawaii’s population.
As president of the Hawaii Maritime Center and with his position on the board of trustees of the Queen’s Medical Center, he pushed for ways to support the voyages of the Hokule‘a and the work of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Brown was also one of the guiding kupuna in the creation of Malama Hawai‘i, a coalition of organizations dedicated to taking care of the land, sea and people of the islands.
"Kenny was a special person," Watanabe remembered. "He had one foot in the past and one foot in the future. His vision was looking foward by looking backward."
He was named a "Living Treasure" by Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii and won the Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year award in 1986. He received the Charles Reed Bishop Medal from the Bishop Museum and the David Malo award from the Rotary Club for outstanding contributions to the community by a person of Hawaiian ancestry. And with his wife of 65 years, Joan, he was recognized as Kama‘aina of the Year by the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.
Brown is survived by his wife and three daughters: Laura Schaefer Brown, Frances Hyde I‘i Brown White and Bernice Victoria Brown Johnston.
Services will be Monday at 4 p.m. at the Waialae Country Club.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to the Bishop Museum, Friends of the Future and the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
