Project Inspiration

Gambrelle Brown c/o ʻ89 Died at age 16 "I believe that my world is round...it is like the song by Harry Chapin, ʻAll my lifeʻs a circle.ʻ When we were younger, everything was so much easier, so much more simple. As we grow older we have more responsibility and life becomes more complex. Our circle just goes on and on. We meet new friends as we say goodbye to old ones. We move on to different experiences, yet never forgetting the past. We treasure our memories, yet long for more knowledge. We go on to bigger and better things. Everything we do prepares us for something in our future." -G.B. (December 1987)On December 9, 1987, the class of 1989 lost a dear friend. All who knew her would agree that Gambrelle Brown was an unforgettable human being. In our hearts and memories, Gambrelle will always be that young HPA junior with a brilliant smile and an infectiously kind personality. Gambrelle was the type of student who creates the foundation for HPA’s excellence.  She was a strong student, an athlete, and a member of the student council.  Her involvement and efforts made HPA a better place to live and learn.

View from above the project site.The class of 1989 is beginning a project that will allow us to recognize Gambrelle and her contributions to HPA.  We want to honor her for her passion for our school and for her inspiration for living a kind and productive life. We realize that many people who have been part of our HPA ‘Ohana have been inspired by someone during their time here, and we would like to make this project about them as well. 

View from the side of the project siteProject locationProject Inspiration will be a hillside seating area with a small, circular platform located on and around the bank between the Ko Kakou Student Union and the Dyer library. Both the seating area and the platform will be surfaced with small bricks. Inscribed bricks are available for dedication at several different donation levels starting at $150. These bricks can be engraved with the name of a person, a group, or even a thought that inspired you during your time at HPA or later. Once the project cost has been covered, remaining donations will be pooled into a scholarship endowment to be named after Gambrelle and awarded to a junior student each year based on the criteria set by Gambrelle’s family.

If you are interested in contributing to this project, either in Gambrelle’s name, or to honor someone who inspired you, please choose from the options below:Something like this ring will be on the lower portion of the seating area.

  1. Purchase a brick: Click here and go to BricksRUs.com where you can buy a brick and engrave it with a message of your choice.  Brick sizes are 4X8 @ $150 / 8X8 @ $250 / 12X12 @ $500.
  2. Donate a specific dollar amount: Click here and donate via a secure online form.
  3. Write a check:  Please make the check payable to Hawaii Preparatory Academy and put the words "Project Inspiration" in the memo field.  Mail the check to:
    Hawaii Preparatory Academy
    c/o Development Office
    65-1692 Kohala Mountain Road
    Kamuela, HI 96743

The goal is to raise $25,000. We are requesting that all Class of 1989 members contact HPA and make a donation to this worthwhile project for our friend and classmate.  We want to lead this effort and reach 100 percent participation before our 20th reunion this summer (May 29-31, 2009).  Please take the time to reconnect and help us to remember Gambrelle.

Donate HereAlso, we would like to acknowledge that Leslie and Chris Agorastos’ son, Chris, lost his life in the same accident with Gambrelle. Chris had two brothers, Nick ’90 and Jock ‘93, who attended HPA. Both Gambrelle and Chris are forever in our thoughts.