Evelyn and Alfred Laureta of Kapa‘a were recognized yesterday as outstanding senior citizens by Gov. Linda Lingle. Lingle recognized eight outstanding Hawaiian senior citizens, two from each county, who donate their time and talents each year to help others in
Evelyn and Alfred Laureta of Kapa‘a were recognized yesterday as outstanding senior citizens by Gov. Linda Lingle.
Lingle recognized eight outstanding Hawaiian senior citizens, two from each county, who donate their time and talents each year to help others in the community.
The recognition ceremony was held at Washington Place in Honolulu and coordinated by the Policy Advisory Board for Elderly Affairs and the Department of Health’s Executive Office on Aging.
Evelyn Laureta, 76, is a retired nurse married to retired Judge Alfred Laureta. She is a mother of four, grandmother of 12 and has one great grandchild.
After retirement, Evelyn continued to serve her community through various agencies, including the East Kaua‘i Y’s Men’s Club, which is the service club of the YMCA of Kaua‘i, and AARP.
Her volunteer work has included improvement projects at the YMCA’s Camp Naue; manning the Thrift Shop at Mahelona Hospital; board member for The Salvation Army, Association for Retarded Citizens of Kaua`i and the Agency on Elderly Affairs Advisory Committee; assisting at Wilcox Memorial Hospital and the AARP office.
Evelyn’s husband, Alfred Laureta, 83, is the first person of Filipino ancestry to hold a cabinet position, Director of DLIR (1962-1967), and the first Filipino appointed as a U.S. District Judge (1969).
He has served on the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawai‘i State Board of Health, Board of Directors of the Kaua‘i Government Employees Federal Credit Union, and the Board of Directors of the Association of Retarded Citizens of Hawai‘i.
An active member of the East Kaua‘i Y’s Men’s Club, which is the service club of the YMCA of Kaua‘i, he has devoted many hours with various projects throughout the years, including improvement projects at Camp Naue, helping at Kids to Camp project and assisting at the YMCA Annual Youth Run.
He also helps with carpentry work at St. Catherine Church and volunteers as a mediator through the Kaua‘i Economic Opportunity Mediation Program.
The other recipients were: Pat Inouye Endsley, 67, of Maui; Richard Toba, 69, of Maui; Ruby Silva, 74, of Honolulu; Peter Jhun, 79, of Honolulu; David Gomes, 72, of the Big Island; and Sumayo “Sue” Nakamura, 79, of the Big Island.
