Flags to Fly at Half-Staff For Lawmaker, UHH Official

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has ordered that all national and Hawaii flags at state offices be flown at half-staff Saturday in remembrance of former state lawmaker Wilfred Clinton “Buddy” Soares.

Soares was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1966 where he served a decade, including six years as minority Republican leader. He was appointed to the state Senate in 1975, serving there until 1986.

Although he grew up on Oahu, Soares later had ties to the Big Island.

After leaving the Senate he was hired as director of university relations at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and in the early 1990s served as president of Destination Hilo.

Soares died Nov. 25 in Hollister, Calif., at the age of 83.

“Buddy Soares was what every legislator should aspire to be – knowledgeable, open to all, a friend to everyone, a master of relationships, and able to close on any contentious issue leaving everyone content they were treated fairly,” Abercrombie said in a statement issued today.