One Voice - My Life, Times and Hopes for Hawaii

For nearly four decades, Dan Akaka’s quiet but powerful voice resonated in the halls of Congress, as “Danny” brought the spirit of aloha to Capitol Hill with lasting contributions in health care, scientific research, veterans affairs, the environment, consumer protection and the rights of indigenous peoples. In One Voice, Senator Akaka traces this long life of service in his own words, from his childhood in pre-war Hawaii to today’s initiatives in environmental awareness and Native Hawaiian affairs. Dan Akaka’s story is a rare book of record—a detailed, dramatic account of the inner workings of government—told with great warmth and candor in the trademark Akaka style.

Daniel K. Akaka served in the United States Congress for thirty-six years—in the House of Representatives from 1976 to 1990 and in the Senate from 1990 until his retirement in 2013. Born in Honolulu in 1924, he attended the Kamehameha Schools and served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, before earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He was a high school teacher and principal and later held several positions in state government, including that of chief program planner for the state Department of Education and director of the Hawaii Office of Economic Opportunity.

Jim Borg earned a journalism degree at Northwestern University and worked in Chicago, Georgia and Rochester, New York, before starting as a reporter for the Honolulu Advertiser in 1979. Jim has also taught news writing and magazine writing at UH Manoa and was editor of Hawaii magazine for three years. He joined the Honolulu Star-Bulletin full-time in 2001, working as a copy editor, then as a reporter and currently as assistant city editor of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.