LIHU‘E — Betty Bell, the first licensed pharmacist on Kaua‘i and former CEO of Wilcox Hospital, passed away peacefully at the Regency at Puakea on Feb. 18. She was 96.
“Before her passing, we established and funded a scholarship fund for Kaua‘i women with the Hawai‘i Community Foundation called ‘The Betty Bell Scholarship Fund,’” said Lee Morey. who is the trustee for the Bell estate. “Several Kaua‘i women have already been awarded scholarships from this fund. The bulk of her estate will further fund these scholarships and also a Zonta Club scholarship fund.”
Morey said Betty was born May 21, 1927, and adopted as an infant by Herman and Hazel Bell.
“She dearly loved her adopted parents and always appreciated the education and love they provided,” Morey said. “She graduated from high school at age 16, and Purdue University at 20 years old.”
Ada Henne Koene, a resident at the Regency at Puakea and the author/lead researcher of The Koloa Plantation Days book, described Betty as “a bit of a legend.”
After graduating from Purdue, Betty worked in Hammond, Indiana, as a pharmacist from 1948.
“In 1966, she noticed an ad in a local newspaper — a hospital on Kaua‘i was looking for a pharmacist,” Koene said of an article appearing in “The Coconut Wireless,” a newsletter for the Regency at Puakea. “She had not heard of Kaua‘i, but was up for an adventure. She answered the ad and flew to Lihu‘e for an interview.”
Betty was accepted as the pharmacist at Wilcox Hospital, becoming the first licensed pharmacist on Kaua‘i.
“She thought she would stay for a few years and go back to the mainland if she was not happy,” Koene said. “But happy she was.”
During her pharmacist days, Betty started the unit-dose distribution system that eventually was widely accepted and adopted by other hospitals in Hawai‘i.
“Wilcox Hospital and Kaua‘i are indebted to Betty Bell for her work at Wilcox,” said Dr. Richard Goodale of the Wilcox Health Foundation and a Wilcox Health board member. “She set the groundwork for what Wilcox Medical Center is today — an exceptional regional medical center that all of Kaua‘i can be proud of.”
She later was named administrator of the hospital in April 1972 and served as chief executive officer from May 1976 through January 1980.
“Betty Bell’s innovative and visionary contributions to Wilcox Medical Center continue to inspire us to this day,” said Jen Chahanovich, the president and CEO of Wilcox Medical Center and CEO of Kaua‘i Medical Clinic. “Her work at Wilcox, first as a pharmacist and later as a leader and CEO, will impact Kaua‘i families for generations to come. Betty’s commitment to ensuring the best possible care for our community is her legacy.”
Koene said one of her enduring projects was the development of a senior living community on Wilcox property known as Sun Village, which is still operating, today.
“One day, life would take a sudden but cruel turn,” Koene said. “Early one morning as she slept in her house in Weli Weli Tract in Po‘ipu, she was awakened by her little black Scottie. Her house was on fire and flames were shooting out of her kitchen cupboard. It was too hot to collect anything, so all of her possessions, including her car, were destroyed. They never did find the Scottie, who undoubtedly saved her life.”
And, what did she do?
“She borrowed a car and some clothes from a neighbor and went to work,” Koene sayd. “She told Dennis Fujimoto of The Garden Island in a “Talk Story” interview, ‘If I didn’t go to work, then my patients in ‘Ele‘ele would not get their medicine.”
Koene said Betty eventually left the hospital and went into real estate as many people did during those days.
In around 2008, Betty woke up to a new challenge — she was legally blind.
“Not one to feel sorry for herself, she ultimately became a member of the Kaua‘i Mayor’s Advisory Committee for Equal Access, and a member of the State Board for the National Federation of the Blind.”
Betty continued to be active in other community projects, including being a founding member of the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i, and working diligently on raising funds for scholarships.
“I met Betty in the ‘60s on a hiking trip into Alakai Swamp,” said Marge Akana of the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i. “She immediately became a friend. She blazed her own trail, and broke the glass ceiling. She was a dedicated member of Zonta Club of Kaua‘i for nearly 57 years, and it was my pleasure to work with her.”
Cyndi Ayonon, the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i president, said Betty was a great role model and will always be remembered for her contributions to our community as a trailblazer for women.
“Her dedication to our island and her passion to serve is inspiring,” Ayonon said. “Rest in love from your Zontian sister.”
Betty Bell’s Celebration of life will be held at the Lihu‘e United Church starting at 11 a.m. on March 23.
Betty requests that donations to the Lihu‘e United Church as Kaua‘i Hospice be made in lieu of flowers.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
