Photo above (L-R): Robyn Kneubuhl, Maile Montas, executive of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and Ginger Johnson
The future of a lucky music student at UH Maui College will glow a little brighter thanks to a $3,000 contribution to the Emma Veary Scholarship fund by Robyn Kneubuhl and Ginger Johnson, otherwise known as the Hula Honeys. Their decision to make the donation came about as the result of a successful cultural exchange between Kahului and the beach cities of Southern California.
“Emma Veary continues to be a huge musical influence,” said Johnson, part of the award-winning jazz duo. “After playing to packed crowds at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Redondo Beach and Mar’sels Restaurant, we saw how far that musical influence has reached. We wanted to help nurture the next generation of musicians the way Maui has nurtured our careers, so we decided to contribute part of the profits from that tour to the Emma Veary Scholarship.”
The multi-year Emma Veary Scholarship, named after Robin Kneubuhl’s mother, was established by a private donor in California who had enjoyed listening to Veary’s performances on the beach outside the Halekulani Hotel forty years ago. Veary would tell her paying audience that the next song was for ‘friends on the shelf’ or for her ‘scholarship friends,’ and she would then turn and sing to her fans on the beach who could not afford to buy a ticket to a Waikiki concert.
The scholarship will be awarded to a student who demonstrates ability and promise in all types of music, i.e. following the broad repertoire of the Golden Voice of Hawaiʻi, Emma Veary.
“We’re hoping that others in the local music community in Maui will help grow this important scholarship so that it can support more deserving music students, and inspire them to pursue careers in the industry,” said Kneubuhl.
FOR UH • FOR HAWAIʻI, The Campaign for the University of Hawaiʻi, is focused on raising $1 billion to support UH priorities on all 10 campuses across the state, including student success; research that matters; kuleana to Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi; sustainability, resilience and conservation; innovation and entrepreneurship; building Hawaiʻi’s workforce; and engaging our community. Learn more at uhfoundation.org/4UH4HI
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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.
