People Briefs
People Briefs
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In Memoriam
During his more than 12 years at the helm of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Pfeiffer became synonymous with business leadership in Hawaii. He charted a course of modernization and diversification, and led A&B through one of its strongest periods of growth and prosperity. At the same time he earned a reputation for leadership-personal as well as corporate-in support of charitable and community causes. - ADVERTISEMENT -
Pfeiffer's maritime and business career spanned 58 years, nearly 38 of them with A&B and its ocean transportation subsidiary, Matson Navigation Company, Inc. During that nearly four-decade period, he served as A&B's chief executive longer than all but two of his predecessors, and he piloted Matson for 19 years, longer than any of that company's chief executives since its founder, Captain William Matson. For his significant contributions to the mid- and late-20th-century modernization of American shipping, Pfeiffer was recognized with the transportation and maritime industries' highest honors. The descendent of an eight-generation line of sea captains, Pfeiffer was born in Suva, Fiji, in 1920. He came to Hawaii with his family the following year and spent his early childhood in Hilo and Kau on the Big Island. It was there, in a mostly Hawaiian community, that he learned to speak Hawaiian-"otherwise you couldn't eat!" he would later explain-and he developed an affection for the Hawaiian people that he never lost. He even learned the hula. His affection for Hawaiian people deepened when, as a young man, he worked on interisland steamers with Hawaiian shipmates. He developed enormous respect for their seagoing skills and "friendly, compassionate, generous" qualities. Pfeiffer's legacy at A&B was not all business. He was concerned with the well being of the community as well. In a landmark 1985 speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, he announced A&B's adoption of a policy of making charitable contributions equal to 2 percent of pre-tax income, and urged his listeners also "to consider the 2 percent solution." Pfeiffer explained that he viewed giving a portion of profits "back to the community where they are earned, not so much as an obligation, but as an opportunity to help shape the kind of community we would like to see." In 1992, Pfeiffer institutionalized what he called "A&B's long tradition of investing in the community's social fabric" by creating the Alexander & Baldwin Foundation. Pfeiffer is survived by his children, Elizabeth "Betsy" Tumbas and her husband Stephen; Margaret "Marga" Hughes and her husband William; George W. "Skipper" Pfeiffer and his wife Julie; Kathleen "Kappy" Pfeiffer; and nine grandchildren. His wife, Mary Worts Pfeiffer, died on Dec. 4, 2002, five days after the couple's 57th wedding anniversary. -SW
-A brief ceremony at the State Capitol Complex Atrium in Kosrae on Sept. 25 saw the swearing in of new board members to various national and state organizations. Thurston K. Siba, a longtime senator, became the newest Kosrae representative to the FSM Telecommunications Corporation. Chief Justice Yosiwo George swore him in. Katsuo William officially became a board member to the FSM Coconut Development Authority, an agency tasked with finding markets for copra and other finished coconut products. -OW -Former Tinian Sen. Jose M. Dela Cruz will spend two years in a U.S. mainland jail after pleading guilty at the U.S. Federal District Court to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud. Judge Alex Munson handed down the terms of the jail sentence on Oct. 7. His Senate colleague, Sen. Ricardo Atalig of Rota, was found guilty by a jury of 27 counts wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July of this year and was sentenced to five years in jail. Dela Cruz conspired with Atalig to have his daughter Marjorie hired as a full-time employee of the Senate on Saipan when she was actually attending the University of Guam as a full-time student. She was receiving a full salary of $16,000 annually for a total of $39,663 in three years. In addition, Marjorie also received to a total of $15,969 in scholarship grants from the CNMI and Tinian Municipal governments. She never reported to work. Dela Cruz transferred funds from his Senate account to Atalig's for Marjorie's salary. Dela Cruz in return, provided a "no show" job for Atalig's relative and assigned him to the island of Rota. -FR -Guam attorney Robert Torres was confirmed by the Guam Legislature on Sept. 22 to be a justice on the Guam Supreme Court. He had been nominated by Gov. Felix Camacho in April to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of former Chief Justice Peter Siguenza. Torres graduated from Father Duenas Memorial School in Guam, has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Notre Dame University and a doctorate in law from Harvard Law School. He has been in private law practice in Guam. -FW - Former Guam International Airport executive manager Gerald Yingling was indicted Sept. 25 by a Guam Superior Court grand jury. He is charged with two felony counts and a number of misdemeanor counts related to the improper use of a government-issued credit card. The indictment charges that Yingling improperly spent more than US$12,000 on items that include a massage in Malaysia, drinks from a hotel minibar in Korea and an evening at a strip club in Las Vegas. The government has also filed a civil suit against Yingling in an attempt to recover airport funds that allegedly were misspent. The criminal charges carry a maximum jail sentence of 18 years. -FW -Team Giant Bikes of Guam won the Guam Extreme Adventure Race 4 in 17 hours, 21 minutes on Sept. 20, 11 hours and 37 minutes ahead of the Saipan teams. Team Darkhorse and Marianas Adventure Racers, tied for second place. Racers ran, biked and kayaked over 40 miles of Guam terrain and coastal waters. Members of Team Giant Bikes were Haldre Rogers, Alan Morrison, Grant Loveridge and Rodney Bordallo. Of 18 teams entered in the grueling race, only four completed the course. Team Vortex, an all-women team from Japan placed fourth after racing for 31 hours, 19 minutes. Seven other Japanese teams entered the race. Members of Team Darkhorse were Rob Carruth, Chris Fryling, Yosh Gabaldon and Peter Sinclair. The Marianas Adventure Racers were Dawn Hammermeister, Tyce Mister, Russ Quinn and Stephan Samoyloff. -FW -American Samoa Community College student, Etelani Atiae, 18, was crowned in late September as the new Miss American Samoa for 2003-2004. A graduate of Waipahu High School, Hawaii, Atiae is the daughter of the late Faapulou S. Atiae and Lene Atiae, and the youngest of 8 children. In early September, during the annual Teuila Festivalin in Apia, Samoa, 24-year-old Cilla Brown was crowned Miss Samoa. She holds bachelors degrees in Commerce and Science from Auckland University. Atiae and Brown represent their respective countries in the annual Miss South Pacific Pageant this month in Apia. -FS -The Papua New Guinea government is reportedly split over who should be the country's new governor general. The Post-Courier reports Cabinet split between the Alliance Party's nomination of former Chief Justice Sir Arnold Amet and the Melanesian Alliance and People's National Congress support for former Speaker Bernard Narokobi. The governor general represents the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II to the PNG government. -P-C -A former Fiji deputy prime minister says the Pacific's first "embedded journalists" were reporters who worked too closely with George Speight's rebels in the ousting of his government. Launching the New Zealand edition of Pacific Journalism Review, Dr. Tupeni Baba told academics, journalists and delegates at the Pacific Islands Media Association conference that many reporters had been too influenced by Speight's militants. He also contrasted the good media relations that the first Labour Government, led by Dr. Timoci Bavadra, enjoyed before being deposed by a military coup in 1987 and an "unnecessary media war" between the Mahendra Chaudhry-led coalition government overthrown in Speight's putsch in May 2000. Baba, now a senior research fellow at Auckland University's Centre for Pacific Studies, and the Listener editor, Finlay Macdonald, both spoke at the launching hosted by Auckland University of Technology's School of Communication Studies. -PMW -Tongan pro-democracy MP Fred Sevele says members of the Police Special Branch have been attending the movement's meetings and perhaps intimidating members. Sevele says Police Minister Clive Edwards has told him the officers are there to ensure that nothing illegal takes place and that there is no attempt to incite the public. -RNZI/PINA Nius -A Fiji villager who tortured two police officers for five days during the Fiji coup has been found guilty of his part in the forceful seizure of Korovou town during the crisis. Sailosi Basituka locked Constable Jitoko Filipe and Sergeant Levi Seduadua in a police cell in Korovou after they were taken hostage, and Filipe identified Basituka as the man who poured water mixed with urine on them. As a result of continuous assaults and humiliation, Seduadua eventually collapsed and Filipe had to plead with their captors to stop. The court was told that after medical treatment, further assaults and threats by a man armed with a machine gun continued. The accused, Sailosi Basituka, told the officers that he was sent to look after them from Parliament where George Speight was holding the former Mahendra Chaudhry government hostage. The seizure of Korovou town was led by Speight's cousin, Vaninava Tiko. -FT, PINA Nius In Memoriam -Brian Farley, who worked for the Trust Territory-era Congress of Micronesia and then for a number of regional post-colonial governments that followed, died on Saipan in September. He was 61. Most of Farley's Micronesia career was spent as a public information officer, initially for the Congress of Micronesia. In that capacity, he worked on Saipan and Pohnpei. Farley also worked for eight years as a Special Assistant for then Gov. John Mangefel of Yap, before returning to Saipan. In the Northern Marianas, Farley served as deputy public affairs officer for Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, and as Special Assistant for Communications for Gov. Larry I. Deleon Guerrero. He worked briefly for the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Legislature before retiring from government service. Farley formed his own company, the Pacific Way Institute, which was based on Saipan. -FR -Longtime Guam businessman and civic leader, Peter Sgro died Sept. 29 at age 81. Through the years his businesses included Island Equipment Company, Island Home Improvement Center, Guam Towers and Royal Hawaiian Apartments. He served on the boards of a number of government agencies including the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority and the Guam Power Authority. Sgro was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Guam Chamber of Commerce and the Navy League of Guam. He is survived by his wife, Agnes; daughter, Florence and sons, Anthony, Peter and John. -FW |
