Political Quotes

“It is with profound sadness that I stand before you to share the passing of a legendary news and sports broadcaster, an accomplished musician, a father, friend, and son of Hawaii, Robert Kaleimomi Kekaula, who unexpectedly passed away last Saturday in Hawaii at 56 years of age. In order to tell you about Robert, I must do so with great respect to his chosen career path and success as the consummate communicator. Where, when, and how quickly he acquired his excellent skills, whether at his high school alma mater, the Kamehameha Schools, the University of Hawaii, where he earned a bachelor's degree in communications, or throughout his experience as a Native Hawaiian growing up on Hawaii Island, I can't say. Yet what I can say with certainty is that Robert held the powerful ability of talking to people; not about people, but to people. And he did it exceedingly well, with thousands, including myself, for 35 years in the broadcast industry. It is quite possible that his talents were not learned skills at all, but, rather, God-given gifts that he so willingly shared with all of us. I would be hard-pressed to find a living room or dining table in Hawaii that did not at some point during that time welcome in Robert Kekaula and his daily evening news and sports reports. The reason, Robert connected with people. For him, people came first, before the stories, before the news. He understood that the primary role of the news, of the media was to improve people's lives.…”