David Y. Ige

Governor Ige and four other outstanding individuals were honored by the Hawai‘i United Okinawa Association (HUOA) Nov. 12 for their contributions to the community. Besides the governor, the Legacy Award recipients were Jake Shimabukuro, ‘ukulele virtuoso; Shinye Gima, military intelligence service (MIS) veteran and educator; Hidehito Uki, CEO of Sun Noodle Hawai‘i; Herbert Yamamoto, 442nd Regimental Combat Team and MIS veteran.

The program highlighted the governor as the first in the nation of Okinawan descent but also described his reputation as someone of humility and integrity with “vision, heart and a servant-leader mindset.” A high point of the evening was an ‘ukulele duet by Jake Shimabukuro and the governor of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Before their performance, the governor joked with the crowd, “I want you to know that when Jake and I practiced, we played flawlessly. But you guys are making me nervous.”