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Well-traveled Hinckley called Laie "a Unique and Wonderful Place"

Gordon B. Hinckley logged many thousands of miles while president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and through these travels he was well aware of the uniqueness of BYU-Hawaii and its surrounding entities.

"Nowhere in all the whole world do we have what we have here on this great campus in Laie, where we have the magnificent house of the Lord, and this tremendous BYU-Hawaii, [and] the PCC [Polynesian Cultural Center]. We have a gathering of institutions here which are unique and different," Hinckley said during a regional fireside in 2003.

"And all of this has come because of love on the part of the leadership of the Church for the people of these beautiful islands, this wonderful part of the world which is…so tremendously inviting and lovely."

President Hinckley's visits to Hawaii often came with his trademark candor and wit. While breaking ground in 2003 for extensive renovation to Hale La'a Boulevard, Hinckley quipped of the project's completion, "Hopefully I will be able to make it, but to the contractor I want to say, hurry!"

He did "make it" for the project's dedication, and shared more of his tender feelings for the location. "I have been coming to this part of the world for some forty-five years. I think I have set foot on all of this area that we call Laie, and there has been in my heart a great love for this place."  

"From the time of George Q. Cannon to the present, there has been something unique and beautiful and wonderful and we pray that it may continue and be enlarged and that the strength of our people will become an ever important factor in the citizenship of this great state of the union."

In 2003, BYU-Hawaii awarded President Hinckley a doctorate of Christian service and leadership honoris causa for his contributions toward humanitarian efforts and leadership in Asia and the Pacific, which became the university's target area. "President Hinckley does not need this honor but we have a great need to bestow it," Eric B. Shumway, then president of BYU-Hawaii, said at the occasion. Upon receiving the award, Hinckley stated he hoped "to live worthy of it."

His counsel to that year's graduates proved to be characteristic of Hinckley: "I urge you to reach out in the matters of the heart. This sick and mean old world cries out for men and women in whose heart there is love and kindness and a desire to lift, help, and improve. You and I must stand taller than those in need, we must be willing to reach down and lift them by the hand and assist them to stand."

Gordon B. Hinckley was no stranger to what Hawaiians call 'the Spirit of Aloha.' "You have been exposed to the Aloha Spirit here, it is the aloha mystique. It is a unique and wonderful thing we have in these beautiful Hawaiian islands that speaks of kindness, love, and affection and helpfulness. Take it with you and never shed it."

Eighteen months later, Hinckley again spoke at graduation. At the 2004 commencement, he encouraged graduates: "Believe in yourself. Believe in your capacity to do great and good things. Believe that no mountain is too high that you cannot climb it. Believe that no storm is too great that you cannot weather it. You are not destined to be a scrub. You are a child of God, of infinite capacity."

He continued in classic fashion, "Believe that you can do it, whatever it is that you set your heart on. Opportunities will unfold and open before you. The skies will clear when they have been dark... We can see only so far ahead, and our vision beyond this point must be a vision of faith."

Recognized for his optimism as well as his humor, President Hinckley will undoubtedly be missed by many throughout the world. Among other things, the 97-year-old leader was known for his ability to connect with youth and emphasis on the building of temples. He also seemed to have a keen appreciation and understanding of history.

"I am now an old man, and I know that in the natural course of events it will not be long before I will pass on," he said in December 2004, during a talk which would be his last delivered speech in Laie. "And I anticipate that when that happens, I shall have the opportunity and the responsibility of meeting with President Joseph F. Smith, George Q. Cannon, Heber J. Grant and others of the Brethren who have had such an effective influence concerning this area."

One can't help but wonder if he has now been given that chance.