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HAWAIʻI FAMILY HAD HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Descendents Establish Endowed Scholarhip at UH Hilo in Memory of Grandmother

" ’You are grandma’s boy,’ she always told me. So I tried hard not to do anything bad that would bring shame or disgrace to the family. I know she would be very happy knowing that she is being honored with a scholarship in her name."

(Hilo, Hawaiʻi) — At only ten years of age, Keru Oda worked on her family’s farm near Fukuoka, Japan. The year was 1886 and children born into poverty had no opportunity for an education.

In 1898 she married Chujiro Oda, a member of a samurai family in Saga, and together they immigrated to Hawaiʻi, in search of a better life. But the hard work continued as she and her husband worked in the Paukaa sugar cane fields and struggled to raise their eight children. After her children were grown, Keru raised her infant grandson Shigeyasu (Russell) Oda until he was 16 years old. It was Russell who opened the doors to literacy for her, teaching her to read and write Japanese katakana at the age of 63.

Today, the descendants of Keru and Chujiro Oda number in the hundreds in Hawaiʻi and on the Mainland, and include accountants, engineers, contractors, teachers, doctors, nurses, realtors, attorneys, bankers and architects. Their success provides powerful testimony to the emphasis on education instilled in them by a wise woman who was herself unable to attend school.

In May, Russell Oda and his wife Aki established an endowed scholarship at UH Hilo to honor the memory of Russell’s grandmother. The fund will benefit students in need of financial support.

"We are honored that Russell and Aki have chosen to establish this fund in memory of Mr. Oda’s grandmother," said UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng. "Keru Oda faced incredible hardships, but she knew a good education would benefit future generations of her family. Now, her family is able to assist others who need assistance."

UH Hilo has the highest percentage of students receiving financial aid of any of the ten UH campuses. Private scholarships make a critical difference to UH Hilo students in need and help lessen the burden of debt with which many UH students graduate.

Chujiro and Keru Oda, circa 1897

The University of Hawaiʻi Hilo is a comprehensive university with six undergraduate colleges, six Master’s programs and two doctoral programs. Enrollment has doubled since 1980 to more than 3,600 students coming from all fifty states and more than 40 countries. Please visit www.uhh.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is an independent, university-related, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise private funds according to priorities determined by the academic leadership of the University of Hawaiʻi and approved by the Board of Regents. Founded in 1955, the Foundation provides a full range of fund raising and alumni relations services for all ten UH campuses. Visit our web site at www.uhf.hawaii.edu.

The Centennial Campaign is an historic private fundraising initiative to raise $250 million to support the University of Hawaiʻi’s commitment to our students, our community and our world. For more information about the Centennial Campaign, please visit www.uhf.hawaii.edu.