MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – In remembrance of former Hawaii Board of Education member, Rev. Canon Darrow L. Kanakanui Aiona, Gov. Neil Abercrombie has ordered that all national and Hawaii flags at state offices and agencies as well as the Hawaii National Guard are to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, the day of his burial.

Rev. Aiona was an elected member of the Board of Education for 20 years and an Episcopal priest for nearly 50 years. He died of heart failure Dec. 20 in Honolulu at age 77.

“Rev. Aiona’s deep devotion to education, especially in the Native Hawaiian community, was a powerful inspiration to students and educators in Hawaii,” Gov. Abercrombie said. “On the Board of Education and throughout his life, he was a forward-thinker who recognized how education plays a part in transforming lives and entire communities.”