Alan Yabui (right) with wife Carol (centre) and Kiku Hayashi at Bellevue College’s 2005 Hoops Dinner (Photo courtesy of Leslie Lum)
Dr. Alan Yabui will be celebrating life on April 12th. He died on February 24 at the age of 81 from a head injury from a fall. He has also been dealing with chronic renal failure and Alzheimer’s disease.
Born in 1940 at Pioneer Cannery Camp Hospital in Lahaina, Maui, Yaboui spent his childhood in Lahaina.
He served in the United States Air Force for over 24 years as an officer and earned the rank of lieutenant colonel. He served in Vietnam as a radar weapons controller and as an air defense staff officer at the Tactical Air Control Center. As commander of the 570th Strategic Missile Squadron, he helped successfully deactivate 18 Titan II strategic missiles at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
“You didn’t apply, it was picked from a small number of eligible lieutenant colonels. Timing is one thing, but even being on this list demonstrates his leadership and skills as a missileman,” Nisei Veteran Commission Commander Michael Yaguchi said.
Yabui also served as Deputy Commander of the Nisei Veterans Commission from 2004-2005.
In addition, Yabu was active on the Seattle JACL Board of Directors in the early 2000s.
Former JACL President Bill Tashima said, “Alan was a staunch supporter of JACL events and, along with Kiku Hayashi (who passed away last fall), was always cheerful with a welcoming smile.”
Yabui worked to make Minidoka’s first pilgrimage a reality and was instrumental in the 2007 National Endowment for the Humanities grant that funded Bellevue College Memorial Day.
Yabui joined Bellevue Community College in 1993 to teach communications and later Hawaiian studies and retired in 2015. He is very popular among all students who find him approachable and friendly, especially among international students who find his Intercultural Communication program a space where they can thrive. Yaboui’s work on intercultural communication was cited when the college won the Senator Paul Simon Award for internationalizing its campus.
Yaboui served two terms as President of the Bellevue University Higher Education Association (Association of Teachers) and served as Vice-Chairman from 1999 to 2012.
He is one of the founders of the Bellevue College Grassroots Leadership Diversity Caucus, along with Sayumi Irey and Leslie Lum. Bellevue College named Yabuy one of the “Outstanding 50” in 2016 for the College’s Outstanding Growth and Development.
Yaboui is survived by his wife Carol, three children, three grandchildren, five stepson and seven stepgrandchildren.
Alan’s Life Celebration on April 12 will be held in the Bellevue College Cafeteria (Building C) from 3:30-5:30 pm. Wear your best Hawaiian clothing.
Contact Leslie Lum llum@bellevuecollege.edu to know more information.
