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WHEREAS, former State Representative Cynthia Thielen was born on September 22, 1933, in Los Angeles, California; attended Stanford University and Case Western Reserve University; and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawaii and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen was first elected to the State of Hawaii House of Representatives in 1990 as the State Representative for House District 50, comprising the Kailua and Kaneohe Bay areas of Oahu; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen represented District 50 for three consecutive decades until her retirement in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen was a respected leader throughout her tenure in the Legislature, serving as Minority Floor Leader from 1992 to 1997 and Assistant Minority Leader at the time of her retirement; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen was well-respected by both Democratic and Republican members of the Legislature for her bipartisanship and served as a unifying voice to promote causes such as gender equality, environmental protection, and industrial hemp production; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen's unifying leadership often extended beyond the Legislature, including the time and resources she contributed directly to the Kailua community; and

WHEREAS, one of Representative Thielen's lasting contributions to Kailua is the leadership she provided in several projects at the Kailua Public Library; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen is one of the first life-time members of the Friends of Kailua Library, a non-profit organization established in 1989 that raises funds for special projects and programs that enrich the services of the State of Hawaii Public Library System beyond the limits of the funds appropriated or authorized from state and federal funds; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen, through the Friends of Kailua Library, founded the Birthday Book Club, which collects books to be donated to the Kailua Public Library in honor of a person's birthday; and

WHEREAS, Representative Thielen further supported and guided the Friends of Kailua Library by establishing a public-private partnership with the State of Hawaii in 1999 to obtain matching funds for a grant from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation; and

WHEREAS, funds from this grant partnership led to the creation of a master renovation plan for the Kailua Public Library, with special focus on the library's circulation area, workroom, and administration offices; and

WHEREAS, as a direct result of Representative Thielen's efforts to secure funding for the renovation, the Kailua Public Library was expanded to accommodate a greater number of patrons and services; and

WHEREAS, Kailua Public Library remains an important gathering place for people of all ages and literacy levels; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Education is the policy setting and governing authority for the Hawaii State Public Library System and the State Librarian; and

WHEREAS, Board of Education Policy 600-4 provides that a room or section within a library facility may be named for any person for a meritorious reason; provided that the proposal for the naming is reviewed and recommended by the State Librarian and approved by the Board of Education; and

WHEREAS, this body finds that it is appropriate to honor Representative Thielen as a leader of distinction who served the people of Kailua with respect and integrity; and

WHEREAS, dedicating a section within the Kailua Public Library in Representative Thielen's name will serve as a permanent reminder of her tangible contributions to the facility and her commitment to unifying the community; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that the State Librarian and Board of Education are requested to dedicate a section within the Kailua Public Library in honor of former State Representative Cynthia Thielen; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the State Librarian, Chairperson of the Board of Education Committee on Public Libraries, Branch Manager of the Kailua Public Library, and Chair of the Executive Board of the Friends of Kailua Library.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Kailua Public Library; Dedication; Cynthia Thielen; State Librarian; Board of Education

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	92
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII