Former lecturer and assistant professor Fred Soriano will be recognized today for his work and service to the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College.
UH-Hilo interim Chancellor Marcia Sakai and HCC Chancellor Rachel Solemsaas will present a proclamation to Soriano at 11 a.m. today at the Rose and Raymond Tseng Terrace at UH-Hilo.
A former lecturer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and HCC and a former assistant professor of sociology at UH-Hilo, Soriano dedicated more than 30 years of classroom and community work in higher education and social services.
Born and raised in Pahala, Soriano was the son of sugar immigrants from the Philippines who came to Hawaii to work in the sugar industry.
A 1962 graduate of Ka‘u High School, Soriano served in the U.S. Army from 1962-65, and attended UH-Hilo before receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology and master’s degree in social work from UH-Manoa and a doctorate in social welfare from Brandeis University in Massachusetts, according to the proclamation.
Soriano has also contributed to research on Hawaii’s social issues, including migration, immigration and the end of the sugar era on Hawaii Island.
He has also contributed to the local and university landscapes as an artist and sculptor honoring Hawaii’s people, culture and history.
“The university communities extend to Dr. Soriano sincere thanks and gratitude for his years of teaching, research and community outreach distinguished by his commitment to excellence in education, perpetuating Hawaii’s history and the Hawaiian culture and protecting Hawaii Island’s ohana,” the proclamation reads.
Long-time friend Gerald De Mello, a retired UH-Hilo administrator, said “the proclamation is a vehicle, but this is more than a proclamation.” It’s a “recognition ceremony acknowledging his contribution the University of Hawaii at Hilo as well as Hawaii Community College.”
