By The Way...

Twenty-five Hawaii Pacific University students in a graduate marketing class have been tasked with researching, implementing and evaluating a promotional campaign for the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the FBI Collegiate Marketing and Recruitment Program.

Through the program, an HPU student-run marketing agency, created by the class, will receive a $2,500 budget from the FBI to execute the campaign, working to improve upon and sell the FBI’s image. The Bureau has tasked these college students to help the FBI community better mirror society through target marketing.

“The students have a real marketing campaign to carry out, with real money to spend, real deadlines to meet, and real clients to impress. This is a wonderful hands-on learning experience that gives them a rigorous training ground in the fundamentals of marketing,” said Dr. Joseph Ha, assistant professor of marketing.

After presenting their marketing plan to the FBI, the student-run agency will implement the campaign and evaluate its impact on the target market of young, active adults. The campaign culminates in a formal, agency-style presentation to FBI leaders at the end of the fall semester.

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One of Hawaii’s “living treasures” is the subject of a new biography to be released next month. “Hawaiian Son: The Life and Music of Eddie Kamae” tells the story of an extraordinary musician and pioneering filmmaker. Award-winning novelist James D. Houston wrote the book, working in close collaboration with Kamae. It was designed by Barbara Pope of Honolulu-based Ai Pohaku Press.

As a young man in the late l940s, Kamae developed a jazz picking style that forever changed the status of the ukulele. He became its reigning virtuoso. For 20 years the legendary band he founded with Gabby Pahinui, The Sons of Hawai‘i, played a leading role in the Hawaiian cultural renaissance. By the mid-1970s Kamae himself had become a folk-hero, known for his instrumental genius and for a vigorous singing style that carries the spirit of an ancient vocal tradition into the late 20th century.

During the l980s, while continuing to perform, arrange, and lead the band, Kamae launched a second career as a filmmaker, once again proving to be a cultural pioneer. In documentaries such as “Listen to the Forest” and “Words, Earth and Aloha,” he found a filmic voice that speaks from deep within his own island world.

The 250-page volume includes more than 60 photographs, drawings and album covers that help to chart the high points of an influential career that has spanned more than half a century. The clothbound book, which has a suggested retail price of $24.99, will be available in stores in November.

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Saint Francis School celebrated its 80th Anniversary with “A Night in Assisi” at Hilton Hawaiian Village last month. The evening, emceed by Linda Coble, featured an Italian feast, special performances by the Honolulu Brass Quintet and Na Leo Pilimehana, and a presentation by author JoAnn Deak. The event reunited Sisters, alumnae, families, faculty and dignitaries from the Catholic sector. Proceeds from the event benefit the school’s 80th Anniversary scholarship fund.

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Nominations from Oahu are being sought for the Jefferson Awards, a national program that honors everyday heroes who dedicate an abundance of their time and energy making a difference through volunteering. Nominations will be accepted until Oct. 20.

Nominators are asked to write two paragraphs, 250 words or less, about the outstanding efforts their hero has made and how those actions have helped hundreds in the community. Nomination forms can be found on the web at www.honoluluadvertiser.com.

A panel of local judges will review the nominations and select five outstanding recipients, one of which will travel to the national Jefferson Awards ceremonies in Wash., D.C. Judges include Christine Camp Friedman, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and president of Avalon Development; Mayor Jeremy Harris; Irving Lauber, president of Aloha United Way; Carol Kai, local entertainer and founder of “Carol Kai Charities”; and Frank Boas, last year’s Hawaii representative to the national awards event.