ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS
A RESOLUTION
NO. 2020 – 23
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF BARBARA “BOBBEE” MILLS DIAZ
WHEREAS, Barbara “Bobbee” Mills Diaz was born on October 3, 1922 in Haverhill, Massachusetts to Wallace Everts Freeman and Marjorie Pitcher Fox, and was raised in Haverhill and Brookline, Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, Bobbee was youngest of four children, and the granddaughter of Charles Fox, a significant historical figure in the town of Haverhill; and
WHEREAS, she was an avid tennis player in her youth, and also enjoyed playing baseball, and spent her elementary school years in Haverhill where the local elementary school is named for her grandfather, and later moved to their home in Brookline; and
WHEREAS, both homes (Haverhill and Brookline) stand today and are on the historic register; and
WHEREAS, Bobbee was the loving wife of Dr. George Hiʻilani Mills, had three sons George Hiʻilani Mills, Jr. (deceased March 18, 2020), Kilburn Whitney Mililani Mills (deceased May 1, 2020), and James Wallace Ualani Mills, and Elsa Marjorie Puanani Mills Kaʻai, and has six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Bobbee and George were married in 1944 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and were married for 48 years before George’s passing in 1992; and
WHEREAS, the family home was in Punaluʻu, Oʻahu, where many Hawaiian Civic Club functions were held; and
WHEREAS, Bobbee attended Colorado College, in Colorado Springs where she earned her degree in Philosophy before moving back to Boston after graduating college, where George completed his medical school at Boston University School of Medicine, and following his graduation from medical school, Bobbee and George moved home to Hawaiʻi; and
WHEREAS, Bobbee’s career has been spent promoting Hawaiʻi through tourism as she began as a teacher of Hawaiian culture for the tourism industry, and went on to work for the Hawaiʻi Visitors Bureau as Vice President of Visitor Satisfaction for 15 years, and held the position of Executive Director of the Hawaii Army Museum Society from 1995 to 2005, after which she retired and dedicated her time to volunteering with multiple organizations; and
WHEREAS, after commuting for a number of years between their home in Mānoa and the beach home in Punaluʻu, Bobbee, George and the children spent their lives in Punaluʻu and quickly realized that the ocean and the lifestyle in Punaluʻu was where their hearts were, and that it would be the place that would nurture their own and many other families and she shares the blessing of Punaluʻu that it gave us the chance to have the children thrive immersed in Hawaiian practices which were part of their heritage; and
WHEREAS, Bobbee’s involvement in the Hawaiian Civic Clubs grew as she supported George, who was the President of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, and was a life member of the Koʻolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club, the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club, and an honorary member of the Prince Kūhiō Hawaiian Civic Club, was the creator of the Hawaiian Moon Calendar which is now owned and published by the Prince Kūhiō Hawaiian Civic Club, and was also an active member of the Punaluʻu Community Association; and
WHEREAS, Bobbee will be dearly remembered for her service to the Hawaiian community and for her kind generosity in sharing her love of the Hawaiian culture, being born far from our islands, Bobbee embraced the culture of Hawaiʻi, and perpetuated our indigenous knowledge of fishing and farming through a calendar born from her inquisitive nature and her desire to learn that began early in her adult life in these islands she so loved; and
WHEREAS, with her passing on May 8, 2020, she spent 71 of her 97 years in these islands loving, learning, and contributing to our community.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 61st Annual Convention held online, in the malama of Makali‘i and the rising of ʻOlekūkolu, this 22nd day of November 2020, celebrating the life of Barbara “Bobbee” Mills Diaz; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to her son James “Kimo” Wallace Ualani Mills, daughter Puanani Mills Kaʻai, Koʻolauloa Hawaiian Civic Club, and Prince Kūhiō Hawaiian Civic Club, as well as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chair of the State Senate subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the State House subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.
The undersigned herby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of Makaliʻi and the rising of ʻOlekūkolu on the 22nd day of November 2020, at the 61st Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs held online.
Hailama V.K.K. Farden, President
