Remembering Betsy Young

Remembering Betsy Young

by Carole Hayashino, President Emerita

On December 29, 2025, I received the devastating news of Betsy Young’s passing. An award-winning teacher and school librarian, Betsy retired from the Department of Education and went on to become one of the longest-serving volunteers at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi (JCCH). She was a guiding force in preserving the Honouliuli Internment Camp and in ensuring that the sites and stories of the World War II incarceration of Japanese in Hawaiʻi were researched, protected, and shared. From a valued JCCH volunteer, Betsy became a colleague, trusted advisor, and dear friend to me.

I met Betsy when I joined the JCCH staff in 2012. Along with Jane Kurahara, she was one of the Resource Center’s most knowledgeable and committed volunteers; together, they had previously co-managed the Resource Center. Ever the teacher, Betsy served as a docent for school groups touring the historical gallery, Okage Sama De. She also helped develop traveling exhibits, designed instructional materials to teach the lessons of incarceration, organized the first Day of Remembrance at Honouliuli, led numerous tours of the site, and participated in public presentations to build support for the preservation of Honouliuli as a national monument.

Betsy helped students and teachers understand the difficult World War II history through context, empathy, and storytelling. She authored Voices of the Internees, which shared the music, poetry, and words of those incarcerated—seeking to reach not only the public’s minds, but also their hearts.

A teacher beyond the classroom, Betsy was never averse to rolling up her sleeves—whether clearing weeds and overgrowth at Honouliuli or hiking the muddy hills of Kaleheo to locate the site of the Kaleheo Stockade on Kauaʻi. She approached each job with enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, and care.

Betsy believed deeply in the responsibility to educate future generations, and I believe it was this sense of responsibility that motivated her service to JCCH. Whether assisting researchers, guiding students through the gallery, or advocating for the preservation of Honouliuli, she brought integrity, patience, and quiet determination to her work. Her contributions strengthened JCCH’s mission and ensured that this history would not be forgotten.

In 2015, when Honouliuli was designated a national monument, Betsy recalled that the most memorable moment was returning to the site with Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “The past, the hardships… we can let that go now,” she said. “Let’s go forward with the blessings for the future.”

Thank you to Kory, Kara and Betsy’s family for sharing Betsy with us. Her absence is deeply felt, but her legacy endures in the many lives she touched and in the stories she helped preserve for generations to come.