The University of Hawaii at Hilo recognized four people Feb. 22 at its 13th annual Distinguished Alumni and Service Awards Banquet at the UH-Hilo Campus Center.

This year’s Distinguished Alumni honorees are Eric Matsu­moto, Larry Kimura and Valerie Takata. The Distinguished Service honoree is Gerald De Mello.

Matsumoto is the 16th bishop of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, the state’s largest Buddhist denomination. A native of Honau­nau, he is a graduate of Kona­wa­ena High School and a recipient of the Crown Prince Aki­hito Scholarship.

Kimura, a UH-Hilo assistant professor of Hawaiian language and culture, is recognized as grandfather of the movement to perpetuate the use of Hawaiian language in modern Hawaii. He is co-founder of the Punana Leo Hawaiian Language Immersion Schools.

Takata is the state Department of Education complex-area superintendent for the Hilo and Wai­akea District. As principal of Keone­poko Elementary School, she was selected as the state’s National Distinguished Principal.

De Mello was director of university relations at UH-Hilo for the past 21 years. He helped to establish the North Hawaii Education and Resource Center, the College of Pharmacy, a new College of Hawaiian Language building and the Student Housing Complex University Village.