The life work of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye will be digitized through a partnership between the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Library of Congress.
A ceremony was held Monday at Hamilton Library to celebrate the collaboration as Inouye’s widow, Irene Hirano Inouye, and representatives of UH and the Library of Congress signed an agreement on the partnership to establish the Daniel K. Inouye Project, honoring his legacy in public service.
Guests at the ceremony included Inouye’s son, Ken, former chief of staff Jennifer Goto Sabas, Mayor Kirk Caldwell, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and other lawmakers.
Under the project, Inouye’s congressional papers will be digitally exchanged between UH and the Library of Congress to provide in-depth, historical information to the public, especially younger generations. They also will collaborate on projects that promote public understanding of U.S. history and government.
Inouye’s widow has been the instrumental in the project.
"HE HAD dedicated his life to being the champion of freedom and fairness," said Irene Inouye during the ceremony. "The many stories that will be illuminated through his papers and the work here at UH and the Library of Congress will ensure that his legacy of public service will be shared for future generations."
Inouye presented a $250,000 check from the Daniel K. Inouye Institute Fund to UH-Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple to help support the project. Also, Ken Inouye presented his late father’s Bachelor of Arts degree diploma from UH in 1950.
"We’re humbled and honored to bring home and house valuable portions of his life’s work at his alma mater," Apple said. "His impact to the university is so far-reaching, it’s really incalculable."
Two archivists will be hired to digitize selected content.
Another key initiative of the legacy project includes an oral history. Audiotapes of Inouye’s fellow soldiers of the decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team will be part of the digitized content. During the ceremony, Mark Sweeney, preservation director of the Library of Congress, handed Apple seven oral history videos of Inouye’s fellow soldiers.
WHILE Inouye’s contributions in public and military service are highlighted, his son said he wishes there was a way to convey how great a family man he was.
"The fact that he was able to be the kind of parent he was, the kind of father he was with the kind of time, scheduling and work demands, that’s pretty remarkable," said Ken Inouye after the ceremony. "It gives me a high bar to try to meet."
Ken Inouye has a 3-year-old daughter, Maggie, named after his late mother, Margaret "Maggie" Shinobu Awamura Inouye.
