Dear Greg,

2006 SEAOH Installation Banquet – January 27, 2006

Our banquet started at 7:15 p.m. with an invocation by Kimo Scott of O.K. Hardware. We had a dinner buffet which included a variety of salads, hot entrees, prime rib and dessert. After dinner we started our formal program at approximately 8:15 p.m. Ibbotson Kellet, our emcee, called up Dr. Chiu to discharge the 2005 officers and to install the 2006 officers. Dr. Chiu called up the 2005 officers, thanked them on behalf of SEAOH and discharged them. He then called up the 2006 officers and had each officer state their name, “I hereby solemnly swear to ….”, and state an oath. He performed the installation wonderfully and showed no signs of illness. After the installation, we took a few minutes to thank some sponsors who made donations and then Ibbotson introduced Andy Bumatai our featured entertainment.

Andy Bumatai performed for about 45 minutes between 8:30 and 9:15 p.m. Dr. Chiu sat through the performance and when it ended he shook hands with the new President Bennett Fung who was sitting next to him, I shook his hand and went to meet with Ibbotson so we could pay the bill. On his way out, Dr. Chiu probably said goodbye to other people and made his way to the parking structure with Amy Taniguchi, Brian Murdock and Jonathan Murai of KAI Hawaii. According to Jonathan - Amy and Dr. Chiu was walking slowly and they got separated. From what Amy had mentioned, Dr. Chiu had difficulty crossing the street and she had to help balance him. That is why she thought he had too much to drink. Dr. Chiu had mentioned to her that he had experienced something similar in Singapore and he told family that “I’m an old man… and my balance is not what it used to be”.

My husband and I left with Ibbotson and his wife after the bill was paid. This must have been around 9:30 p.m. Ibbotson and his wife had parking privileges so their car was near the hotel. My husband and I walked to the parking structure and once we crossed the street we headed towards the stairs. On our way to the stairs, we bumped into Jonathan Murai (headed in the opposite direction), who was looking for Amy and Dr. Chiu at the elevator. He told us that Amy called his cell phone to tell him that Dr. Chiu may have had too much to drink and she didn’t think he would be able to drive home. When Jonathan told us what Amy said I told him that Dr. Chiu does not drink, he did not have any liquor, and therefore could not have had too much to drink. At that point we were worried and we walked with Jonathan to the elevator. When we arrived, Dr. Chiu was slumped down, leaning against the elevator, with his eyes closed. According to Amy, Dr. Chiu had bent down to pick up some Kleenex that he dropped and could not stand back up. He did not appear to be feeling well and told him that we should call the ambulance and his wife. He told us that he was fine and that we shouldn’t call Mrs. Chiu cause he didn’t want her to worry. We first called 911 at around 9:45 p.m. and shortly thereafter the Hotel Security people arrived at the scene. They said that they are always canvassing the property and noticed us gathered at the elevator. (Hotel employees also stopped by and asked what group we were with.) The security people took over and started taking our names and asked Dr. Chiu for his address and phone number. Dr. Chiu was able to give his home phone number to the security people and they asked to see his driver’s license. While we waited for the ambulance, one of the security officers held on to Dr. Chiu’s right hand and took his pulse, stretched out his legs, and laid him down with the help of a Coast Guard man and my husband. After the ambulance arrived the paramedics spoke directly to the security officers to find out about the situation. After the ambulance arrived I called Mrs. Chiu to tell her what had happened and she had mentioned that they belonged to Kaiser. I passed that information onto the security people/paramedics. The paramedics attended to Dr. Chiu and placed him on a stretcher and took him to the ambulance. We waited around, and once the security officer told us what hospital he was being taken to, I called Mrs. Chiu again to tell her he was being taken to Straub. We left the parking structure around 10:30 p.m., (me and my husband, Jonathan Murai, Amy Taniguchi, Brian Murdock, Brian Ide and his wife and young daughter), which was before the ambulance left. The next morning, I was worried so I called Mrs. Chiu and found out that Dr. Chiu had suffered a stroke.

This synopsis is what I remember happening to the best of my recollection and I hope it helps you and your family comprehend the events of that evening. Like you said in one of your emails, Dr. Chiu’s day on January 27th is typical of his busy schedule devoting his time to family, colleagues, research, UH, SEAOH, Chi Epsilon and many other community services. I myself attribute a lot of what I am today to Dr. Chiu. He had the utmost confidence in his students and encouraged them to go away to get a masters and that a graduate of UH is just as good as a graduate from a mainland school. His references helped many of us get into Stanford and U.C. Berkeley, we went away for our masters and eventually returned to Hawaii to practice engineering. Through Chi Epsilon, he was able to instill in us the fellowship and social aspect of engineering and having to work together as a team. The Chi Epsilon students have that special bond that will be with them for a lifetime. Looking back, these are just a few examples of how he taught his students not just academics but was preparing us to be good engineers and leaders. I am so fortunate to have had him, he was so inspirational and a big influence on my life.

Yours truly,

Beverly Ishii-Nakayama