Frater Unveils Hawaiian Quarter

DENVER, Colo. - Frater Ed Moy (Lambda, Univ. of Wisconsin) greeted Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle and a delegation of fellow Hawaiians at the Denver Mint for the striking of the first of that state's commemorative quarters - and the last in a 10-year series commemorating all 50 states.

Hawaii's coin features monarch King Kamehameha I stretching a hand toward the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Inscribed is the state motto, "The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness," in the Hawaiian language. It will go into circulation Nov. 3.

"It's our vision for Hawaii's future, and it shows our respect for all the land," Lingle said of the quarter's design and motto. "And it also shows that although there are many islands, we're united as a state."

Delegation members, including Lingle, state dignitaries and coin collectors, lined up to push a button on a stamp press that spits out individual quarters. Many had their picture taken while flashing the shaka, a common gesture of greeting in Hawaii that is sometimes referred to as the "hang loose" sign.

Kamehameha, who ruled in the early 1800s and unified the islands, beat out designs that featured a hula dancer, Diamondhead on the main island of Oahu, and a surfer modeled after a young Duke Kahanamoku.

Mint officials expect about 520 million Hawaii quarters to be produced.

The state quarters have been released at 10-week intervals in the order the states were admitted into the Union.

More than 34 billion coins have been produced. They've been snapped up by roughly 147 million collectors in the U.S., bringing in $3.5 billion in profits by the end of last year, excluding special-issue sets. The coins are also produced in Philadelphia.

Adapted from the US Mint News Release and the Associated Press. If you would like to see your chapter news here, contact Director of Communication Tom McAninch.