Main Article: Celebrating 100 Years of Storytelling
During my interview with former longtime editor Lee Ann Bowman, she recalled several times how grateful she was for the support she received when she began working at Punahou. In particular, she mentioned Margaret Smith (1922) Young, Lucinda Smith (1927) King and Martha Clifford ’41.
Curious to learn more about these women, I wondered whether their devotion and selflessness to the School had been recognized with distinctions such as Punahou’s “O” in Life or The Old School Award. Our records confirmed this, so we turned, of course, to the Punahou Bulletin.
Each year, the publication diligently chronicles the recipients of official School distinctions. There we found the following writeups about these remarkable women, whose many contributions continue to make an impact and spark conversation today.
Margaret Smith (1922) Young
In the Punahou Bulletin (Autumn 1973), Punahou Alumni Association President Cedric Chun ’73 described the many reasons why Young was receiving the “O” in Life distinction: “The 1973 recipient attended Punahou for 11 years, later married a schoolmate and is the parent of two graduates.
Interest in the school covers dedicated staff work; alumni association activities such as board membership, service as an association officer, carnival, lū‘au, records, reunions, fund raising, anniversary celebrations. The recipient’s range of community interest and contributions matches the Punahou record in depth and selflessness … a person whose devotion to Punahou, its people and its traditions is long overdue for recognition.”
Young wrote a letter of appreciation to the Alumni Association, which was published in the same issue:
“My heartfelt thanks for the honor you have accorded me as a recipient of the 1973 “O” in Life. The beautiful calabash with its inscription will be a precious, tangible reminder of the joy and vital experiences that have made Punahou so dear to you and to me all of these years. In my eyes that calabash will be very full and overflowing with thoughts of classmates, friends, faculty and staff who share the spirit of Punahou.”
Martha Clifford ’41
Received The Old School Award in 1977.
The Punahou Bulletin (Summer 1977) provided the following description about Clifford: “Martha graduated from Punahou with the Class of 1941. Her ‘professional association’ with Punahou began in 1951, when she went to work as a kindergarten assistant. In 1952 she became the Director of Publicity, and she held that position until her retirement in August 1976. It was largely due to Martha Clifford’s time and efforts that the Punahou Bulletin came into existence and became the publication that it is today. Martha’s two sons are Punahou graduates and now she has two granddaughters attending the school.”
Lucinda Smith (1927) King
Received the “O” in Life and the Old School Award in 1979.
In 1979, Smith was the recipient of both the “O” in Life and The Old School Award. The Punahou Bulletin (November 1979) described her as a “longtime alumni board member who served on the Oral History committee as a member and as a chairman. A faithful volunteer, Lucinda was also, for many years, a librarian at Punahou. She also received the “O” in Life award at the June Lū‘au.”