Upon meeting Virginia Macdonald, don't let her white hair fool you. She was a firecracker with a lot of spunk and energy.
Upon meeting Virginia Macdonald, don't let her Caucasian face fool you. She was Hawaiian at heart with much aloha for the keiki and the aina.
Upon meeting Virginia Macdonald, don't let her grandmotherly looks fool you. She was a glass ceiling breaker, a pioneer in a field dominated by men!!
I first met Virginia Macdonald in the mid-80's in Volcano. I loved to talk story with her, to hear about her adventures, to learn about her ideas about architecture that was made for the Hawaii / Volcano climate, to learn about passive energy and solar considerations in building construction. She mentored me when we had questions about creating a camp for children and families. She worked on Camp Timberline and had some good advice such as using available public facilities to "try" out the camp program. We did so and ran the Maluhia Enrichment Camp for three years in Volcano.
Her ideas about passive solar and home construction are a factor in the construction of our Volcano home. She was my mentor when I was the principal at Mountain View Elementary and needed someone to revise our master plan. She did the architectural plans for the Mountain View School cafeteria.
She was an inspiration to women who were looking to try new things. We bid aloha 'oe to a grand lady who had so much to do with altering people's ideas in Hawaii whether we are talking about architecture, hiking trails, children's education, the environment. Her passing will be marked by the things she did that remain alive today. Kealoha piha e Virginia.
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