GLADYS KAMAKAKUOKALANI BRANDT (1906-2003) was also known as Gladys A. Brandt, 'Ainoa Brandt, or Auntie Gladys. She can be credited with a slate of accomplishments, including reviving Hawaiian traditions, the shake-up of the Kamehameha Schools trustee system and the creation of the University of Hawai'i's Hawaiian Studies Center.

Gladys Kamakakuokalani attended Kamehameha School for Girls, transferring to and graduating from McKinley High School. She then studied at the University of Hawai'i, turning to a teaching career and a marriage with Isaac Brandt in 1927. By 1943, she became Hawai'i's first woman public school principal. She was the first woman to be named superintendent of schools, in 1962. She become the principal of the Kamehameha School for Girls, in 1963. Although the institute was created distinctly for Hawaiians, Gladys was its first Native Hawaiian principal. She was promoted to director of the high school division in 1969, serving until 1971.



In 1983 then-Gov. George Ariyoshi appointed her to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents. She served six years on the board, including four years as chairperson. She also worked to found the UH Center for Hawaiian Studies. In March 2002, the center was rededicated in her Hawaiian name, Kamakakuokalani.

____________
* Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Kamakakuokalani_Brandt]
* Thursday, January 16, 2003, Honolulu Star Bulletin online "Famed and respected educator, civic leader and mainstay in the Hawaiian community dies" By Sally Apgar [http://starbulletin.com/2003/01/16/news/story1.html]