Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said Tuesday his department had renamed the Kilauea Point Lighthouse on Kauai in honor of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said Tuesday his department had renamed the Kilauea Point Lighthouse on Kauai in honor of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye.
Federal officials said the name change “is in recognition of his distinguished career and longtime support of conservation in Hawaii and, in particular, the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge,” in a statement released Tuesday. A formal ceremony to dedicate the Daniel K. Inouye Kilauea Point Lighthouse will be held at the lighthouse May 4.
“Sen. Inouye is truly an American hero, from his courage on the battlefields of World War II to his long and distinguished career representing the people of Hawaii in the U.S. Senate,” Salazar said. “His contribution to the American people will be forever memorialized on the lighthouse that stands as a monument to Hawaii’s colorful past. His legacy will continue to shine a light on the preservation and conservation of the island’s wildlife and cultural heritage.”
Inouye was a key supporter of establishing the Kilauea Point refuge, a part of the Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex in 1985 after its transfer from the U.S. Coast Guard. Located two miles north of the town of Kilauea, the refuge includes 203 acres of protected land and is one of the few Hawaiian refuges open to the public. Kilauea Point attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually.
Inouye became the nation’s first Japanese-American congressman in 1959. Three years later he was elected to the U.S. Senate and eventually became the second longest-serving senator in American history.