Bob Worthington
Encyclopedia
Robert Eugene Worthington (1936 - August 14, 2008) was the US former honorary consul of the Cook Islands
to the United States. Worthington also served as the director of financial and scholarship services at his alma mater, the Kamehameha Schools
, from 1974 until 2003.
Additionally, Worthington served on the executive board of the Polynesian Voyaging Society
and helped to organize the historic Hokule'a voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti
in 1975. He also worked behind the scenes at a large number of other important Hawaiian
and Polynesian
cultural, educational, athletic and political institutions including the Festival of Pacific Arts
, the East-West Center
, Prince Kuhio Hawaiian Civic Club and Gates Millennium Scholars Program.
on January 31, 1936. He attended the Kamehameha School for Boys
boarding school
, from which he graduated from in 1955. Worthington served as President of the student body during his senior year at Kamehameha.
He earned a scholarship to Occidental College
in California where he received his bachelor's degree in political science
.
Worthington moved to the Cook Islands, where he married his Cook Islander wife, Jean Rereao Karika Worthington. He and his family returned to Hawaii in 1974.
and New Zealand
. He also advocated for a renewed interest in Polynesian and Hawaiian culture, even before the beginning of the Hawaiian Renaissance
during the 1970s.
Worthington became the director of financial services at the Kamehameha Schools
in 1973. He remained in that position until his retirement in 2003. Under Worthington's guidance, the Kamehameha Schools established foreign exchange
programs with Polynesian communities in the Cook Islands, New Zealand, American Samoa
and French Polynesia
. For example, he established links between the Kamehameha Schools and a Māori school in New Zealand. During Worthington's thirty year tenure
as financial director, the Kamehameha Schools grew to administer over 15,500 scholastic awards totalling more than $25.4 million dollars.
Worthington placed significant importance on the establishment of cultural, political, artistic and economic ties between Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific
, particularly Polynesia
. During the 1980s, Hawaiians artists were not invited to take part in the Festival of Pacific Arts
because Hawaii was considered to be too closely associated only with the United States. Worthington worked behind the scenes to promote the inclusion of Hawaiians in the Festival of Pacific Arts and today Hawaii is a full participant in the event, which takes place every four years.
to the United States in 1985. His position, which was based in Hawaii, was formally recognized by the United States Department of State
on March 19, 1985. Worthington, in his capacity as honorary consul, helped to promote tourism in the Cook Islands, expand ties with the United States including Hawaii, secure and negotiate landing rights in Rarotonga
, and expand the Cook Islander papaya
industry. He served as honorary consul for more than twenty years.
In early 2008, the Foreign Minister of Cook Islands Wilkie Rasmussen
announced the closure of the Cook Islands consulate office in Hawaii, which was held by Worthington, due to rising costs and expenses.
, on August 14, 2008, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Jean Rereao Karika Worthington; his five children - Teanaroa Paka Nakahili Worthington, Manavaroa Kamaki Worthington, Tapaarii Karika Ki'ilehua Worthington, Tevairangi Marae-Hino Pa'ahana Worthington Lopez and Moana Jean Karika Rule; and five grandchildren.
Worthington's funeral and memorial service was held at the Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Memorial Chapel on the at the Kamehameha Schools in Kapalama
, Hawaii. Guests, which included former Cook Islands Prime Minister Geoffrey Henry, came from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti and the rest of United States. Worthington's ashes were sprinkled from the Hokule'a into the Pacific Ocean off Waikiki
.
A separate "spiritual ceremony" was held in honor of Worthington at the Taputapuatea marae
on the island of Raiatea
in French Polynesia
. Worthington had been best known in French Polynesia for his part in the organization of the first Hawaii to Tahiti voyage of the Hokule'a Polynesian sailing canoe voyage in 1975 through the Polynesian Voyaging Society
. Another memorial service was held for local Cook Islanders in Sinai Hall in the Cook Islands.
The former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Geoffrey Henry
, who attended Worthington's memorial service
in Hawaii, spoke of his contributions to the Cook Islands, "Bob was always there, incessantly helpful, with iconic efficiency, grace and enthusiasm. He helped secure the support of the governor of Hawaii
, allowing us to establish our first office in the United States."
Current Cook Islands Prime Minister Jim Marurai
also issued a statement in reaction to Worthington's death saying, "’Bob worked tirelessly for the Cook Islands, ensuring that we took full advantage of the close ties with Hawaii, especially in trade (maile leis), scholarships (University of Hawaii
, East-West Center
), training and various conferences and workshops."
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
to the United States. Worthington also served as the director of financial and scholarship services at his alma mater, the Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
, from 1974 until 2003.
Additionally, Worthington served on the executive board of the Polynesian Voyaging Society
Polynesian Voyaging Society
The Polynesian Voyaging Society is a non-profit research and educational corporation based in Honolulu, Hawaii. PVS was established to research and perpetuate traditional Polynesian voyaging methods...
and helped to organize the historic Hokule'a voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
in 1975. He also worked behind the scenes at a large number of other important Hawaiian
Culture of Hawaii
The culture of Hawaii has its origins in the traditional culture of the Native Hawaiians. As Hawaii has become home to many different ethnic groups during the past 200 years, each ethnic group has added elements of its own culture...
and Polynesian
Polynesian culture
Polynesian culture refers to the indigenous peoples' culture of Polynesia who share common traits in language, customs and society. Chronologically, the development of Polynesian culture can be divided into four different historical eras:...
cultural, educational, athletic and political institutions including the Festival of Pacific Arts
Festival of Pacific Arts
The Festival of Pacific Arts, or Pacific Arts Festival, is a traveling festival hosted every four years by a different country in Oceania . It was conceived by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community as a means to stem erosion of traditional cultural practices by sharing and exchanging culture...
, the East-West Center
East-West Center
The East–West Center , headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific and the United States....
, Prince Kuhio Hawaiian Civic Club and Gates Millennium Scholars Program.
Early life
Bob Worthington was born in Laie on the island of OahuOahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
on January 31, 1936. He attended the Kamehameha School for Boys
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, from which he graduated from in 1955. Worthington served as President of the student body during his senior year at Kamehameha.
He earned a scholarship to Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
in California where he received his bachelor's degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Worthington moved to the Cook Islands, where he married his Cook Islander wife, Jean Rereao Karika Worthington. He and his family returned to Hawaii in 1974.
Career
Worthington was considered to be an advocate of closer cultural ties between Hawaii and other Polynesian island nations, especially the Cook Islands, French PolynesiaFrench Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He also advocated for a renewed interest in Polynesian and Hawaiian culture, even before the beginning of the Hawaiian Renaissance
Hawaiian Renaissance
The First and Second Hawaiian Renaissance was the Hawaiian resurgence of a distinct cultural identity that draws upon traditional kānaka maoli culture, with a significant divergence from the tourism-based "culture" which Hawaii was previously known for worldwide .-First Hawaiian...
during the 1970s.
Worthington became the director of financial services at the Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Kamehameha Schools , formerly called Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate , is a private co-educational college-preparatory institution that specializes in Native Hawaiian language and cultural education. It is located in Hawaii and operates three campuses: Kapālama , Pukalani , and Keaau...
in 1973. He remained in that position until his retirement in 2003. Under Worthington's guidance, the Kamehameha Schools established foreign exchange
Student exchange program
A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...
programs with Polynesian communities in the Cook Islands, New Zealand, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
and French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
. For example, he established links between the Kamehameha Schools and a Māori school in New Zealand. During Worthington's thirty year tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
as financial director, the Kamehameha Schools grew to administer over 15,500 scholastic awards totalling more than $25.4 million dollars.
Worthington placed significant importance on the establishment of cultural, political, artistic and economic ties between Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
, particularly Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. During the 1980s, Hawaiians artists were not invited to take part in the Festival of Pacific Arts
Festival of Pacific Arts
The Festival of Pacific Arts, or Pacific Arts Festival, is a traveling festival hosted every four years by a different country in Oceania . It was conceived by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community as a means to stem erosion of traditional cultural practices by sharing and exchanging culture...
because Hawaii was considered to be too closely associated only with the United States. Worthington worked behind the scenes to promote the inclusion of Hawaiians in the Festival of Pacific Arts and today Hawaii is a full participant in the event, which takes place every four years.
Honorary Consul of the Cook Islands
Worthington was appointed the honorary consul of the Cook IslandsCook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
to the United States in 1985. His position, which was based in Hawaii, was formally recognized by the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
on March 19, 1985. Worthington, in his capacity as honorary consul, helped to promote tourism in the Cook Islands, expand ties with the United States including Hawaii, secure and negotiate landing rights in Rarotonga
Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 , out of the country's total population of 19,569.The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga...
, and expand the Cook Islander papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
industry. He served as honorary consul for more than twenty years.
In early 2008, the Foreign Minister of Cook Islands Wilkie Rasmussen
Wilkie Rasmussen
Wilkie Olaf Patua Rasmussen is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is deputy leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party, and represents the constituency of Penrhyn....
announced the closure of the Cook Islands consulate office in Hawaii, which was held by Worthington, due to rising costs and expenses.
Death
Bob Worthington died in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, on August 14, 2008, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife, Jean Rereao Karika Worthington; his five children - Teanaroa Paka Nakahili Worthington, Manavaroa Kamaki Worthington, Tapaarii Karika Ki'ilehua Worthington, Tevairangi Marae-Hino Pa'ahana Worthington Lopez and Moana Jean Karika Rule; and five grandchildren.
Worthington's funeral and memorial service was held at the Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Memorial Chapel on the at the Kamehameha Schools in Kapalama
Kapālama
-History:The name comes from ka pā lama in the Hawaiian language which means "the enclosure of lama wood". "Lama" was the Hawaiian name for endemic ebony trees of genus Diospyros that were used in religious ceremonies....
, Hawaii. Guests, which included former Cook Islands Prime Minister Geoffrey Henry, came from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti and the rest of United States. Worthington's ashes were sprinkled from the Hokule'a into the Pacific Ocean off Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
.
A separate "spiritual ceremony" was held in honor of Worthington at the Taputapuatea marae
Taputapuatea marae
Marae Taputapuatea is a large marae complex at Opoa in Taputapuatea, on the south eastern coast of Raiatea. The site features a number of marae and other stone structures and was once considered the central temple and religious center of Eastern Polynesia....
on the island of Raiatea
Raiatea
Raiatea , is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. The island is widely regarded as the 'center' of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia and it is likely that the organised migrations to Hawaii, Aotearoa and other parts of East Polynesia started at...
in French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
. Worthington had been best known in French Polynesia for his part in the organization of the first Hawaii to Tahiti voyage of the Hokule'a Polynesian sailing canoe voyage in 1975 through the Polynesian Voyaging Society
Polynesian Voyaging Society
The Polynesian Voyaging Society is a non-profit research and educational corporation based in Honolulu, Hawaii. PVS was established to research and perpetuate traditional Polynesian voyaging methods...
. Another memorial service was held for local Cook Islanders in Sinai Hall in the Cook Islands.
The former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Geoffrey Henry
Geoffrey Henry
Sir Geoffrey Arama Henry KBE is a Cook Island politician who was twice the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was leader of the Cook Islands Party from 1979 to 2006.-Early life:...
, who attended Worthington's memorial service
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
in Hawaii, spoke of his contributions to the Cook Islands, "Bob was always there, incessantly helpful, with iconic efficiency, grace and enthusiasm. He helped secure the support of the governor of Hawaii
Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state...
, allowing us to establish our first office in the United States."
Current Cook Islands Prime Minister Jim Marurai
Jim Marurai
Jim Marurai is a Cook Islands politician and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life:...
also issued a statement in reaction to Worthington's death saying, "’Bob worked tirelessly for the Cook Islands, ensuring that we took full advantage of the close ties with Hawaii, especially in trade (maile leis), scholarships (University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
, East-West Center
East-West Center
The East–West Center , headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific and the United States....
), training and various conferences and workshops."