ALEXANDER & BALDWIN FOUNDATION GIFTS $100,000 TO
HAWAII MARITIME CENTER’S FINANCIAL FREEDOM CAMPAIGN

HONOLULU, HAWAII - The Hawaii Maritime Center opened with great fanfare on November 16, 1988 on Pier 7 in the Honolulu Harbor.  It also opened with nearly $2 million in debt.  The HMC Financial Freedom Campaign was kicked off earlier this year to eliminate this debt, with tremendous support from businesses and individuals.

Bob Krauss spearheaded the campaign under the leadership of Bishop Museum president Dr. Bill Brown.  Krauss initiated the campaign with a personal pledge of $100,000 if others would join in to save HMC from a financial shut down. In response, Alexander & Baldwin President & CEO Allen Doane presented a $100,000 gift from the A&B Foundation to Bishop Museum Chairman Mark Polivka, President and CEO Bill Brown and Krauss.  Thus far, donations and pledges have exceeded $500,000.

With the hard work of generous, dedicated individuals and corporations, and the steady leadership of Dr. Brown, it is now anticipated that by 2004 year-end, the debt will finally be repaid. 

“The value of the Hawaii Maritime Center as a resource for the Pacific at large is truly irreplaceable," said Bill Brown, President & CEO of Bishop Museum.  “With the support of Bob and others within the community, the future of this treasured institution is strong.”

Those wishing to donate to the Financial Freedom Campaign should make checks payable to the Hawaii Maritime Center and specify they are for the Financial Freedom Campaign.  Checks can be mailed to Dr. William Brown, Hawaii Maritime Center, Pier 7 – Honolulu Harbor, Honolulu, HI, 96813. 

Hawaii Maritime Center celebrates Hawaii’s rich maritime history through exhibits, displays, and rare maritime artifacts.  Currently, it is home to Hokule‘a, a replica of a Polynesian voyaging canoe; Falls of Clyde, the world’s only surviving four-masted full-rigged ship; Navigating Change, an interactive exhibit centered around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands; 150 Years of Waterfront Reporting, a permanent exhibit that covers news reporting on Hawaii’s waterfront from ancient times to present day; and the world’s only two humpback whale skeletons.

As a sister institution of Bishop Museum, the Hawaii Maritime Center offers
visitors a look back at Hawaii’s extensive maritime history – from its discovery by
Polynesian navigators 1500 years ago, to contact with the western culture, to the
effects of whaling.  Located at Pier 7 at Honolulu Harbor, the Hawaii Maritime Center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For information, call 523-6151 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.

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