Press release
“Aloha i ke Aupuni o Hawai‘i!” (“Welcome to the Kingdom of Hawai‘i!”) Those might well have been the first words which 28 year old Ida May Pope, a native of Crestline, Ohio, and an 1879 graduate of Bucyrus High School, heard when she first stepped ashore in 1890 from the S. S. Zealandia in Honolulu, part of what was at that time the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. She had graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1886. Following a few brief years of teaching in Bucyrus and in Columbus, she went to Hawai‘i as a missionary teacher in the church-related all-girls Kawaiaha’o Seminary in Honolulu. Later on she assumed the position as the first principal of what would become a prestigious girls school established by a member of the Hawaiian Royal Family, The Kamehameha School For Girls.
It is this woman, Ida May Pope, who will be the subject of an illustrated presentation, “Aloha, Bucyrus—The Ida May Pope Adventure,” given by California author, counselor, and college professor, Dr. Sandra Bonura, at 7:00 PM on May 30, 2017 in the Community Room of the Bucyrus Public Library, 200 East Mansfield St., Bucyrus, Ohio. This will be the year’s Open Meeting of the Bucyrus Historical Society. All are welcome and there is no admission charge. Light refreshments will be available following Dr. Bonura’s talk. There will be adequate opportunity to interact with Dr. Bonura and ask questions. High school and middle school students are especially encouraged to attend. This is an evening for all those intrigued by Christian missionary endeavors, education in general, lovers of Crawford County history as well as those who might wish to know more about the history of Hawai‘i and the U.S. involvement in what was once a sovereign nation.
Dr. Bonura is extremely well qualified to present this program. She has recently completed a book about Miss Pope, Light in the Queen’s Garden, to be released this coming October, published by the University of Hawai‘i Press. Dr. Bonura has previously (2012) co-authored a book, An American Girl in the Hawaiian Islands, based on a large, recently discovered correspondence between another teacher at the Kawaiaha’o Seminary, Carrie Winter, and her fiancé back in the eastern United States. It was Dr. Bonura’s work with those letters which intrigued her about the life and times of these courageous and gifted young women, many who gave up an otherwise promising career as a teacher, potential wife and mother in America to serve in Hawai‘i and to bring Christian values and work ethic to the young women of Hawai‘i at a time when those islands were about to undergo political and social upheaval. These American women had a significant influence on what would become our 50th state 50 years later.
Bucyrus and Crestline can be very proud of Ida May Pope, their local pioneer! Mark your calendars and make plans to attend this informative meeting. “Oe e e olioli ana oe i hana ai!” (You will be glad that you did!)