STAND. COM. REP. NO.1618

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.R. No. 20

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.R. No. 20 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII RENAME THE RAINBOW BASEBALL STADIUM TO THE LES MURAKAMI BASEBALL STADIUM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the University of Hawaii to rename the Rainbow Baseball Stadium to the Les Murakami Baseball Stadium.

Your Committee heard testimony in support of the measure from the Lieutenant Governor, University of Hawaii, Kauai County Council, three coaches and thirty members of the 2001 University of Hawaii baseball team, Oakland Athletics Supervisor of International Scouting, Wichita State University head baseball coach, Lewis-Clark State College head baseball coach, and three private individuals.

Your Committee finds that the name of Les Murakami is synonymous with University of Hawaii baseball. Through his skill, leadership, and character the program developed from humble beginnings into one of the most respected teams in collegiate baseball, becoming in the process a great source of civic pride and opportunity for local athletes. There could be no more fitting tribute to the contribution made by Coach Murakami to the University of Hawaii and the State of Hawaii than to rename one of the crown jewels of his program – "the house that Les built," Rainbow Baseball Stadium, widely regarded as the finest facility in collegiate baseball - as the Les Murakami Baseball Stadium.

Your Committee further finds that, in light of his recent stroke, time is of the essence. It is already very unfortunate that he is medically unable to actively lead his team in his thirty-first and final season as head coach. Although your Committee expects Coach Murakami to be with us for many years to come, we simply cannot take the chance of allowing one of the great heroes of Hawaiian sport to pass on without providing him with a tangible symbol of our State's gratitude and aloha for his life's work.

Your Committee has amended the measure by requesting the University of Hawaii Board of Regents to waive their administrative policy mandating that individuals be deceased for a minimum of five years before buildings can be named after them and requesting the University of Hawaii to initiate any internal procedures needed to rename the Rainbow Baseball Stadium in honor of Head Coach Les Murakami.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 20, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 20, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair