A Tribute to Nancy Bannick Blaisdell Concert Hall Friday, November 7, 2008 Featuring: Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, Beebe Freitas
Tickets are Free, Seating is General Admission/Unreserved
Presenters: Chamber Music Hawaii, Friends of the Natatorium, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Hawaii Public Radio, Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, Honolulu Symphony, Historic Hawaii Foundation Kapiolani Park Preservation Society & Save Diamond Head Association
NANCY BANNICK / 1926-2008 Preservationist championed isle landmarks
Nancy Bannick’s legacy lives on in the charm of historic Chinatown, the wide-open feel of Kapiolani Park, the ongoing campaign to preserve the Waikiki Natatorium and the sounds of violins at Blaisdell Concert Hall.
Without her dogged advocacy and personal generosity, they literally might not be there. Nancy was one of Hawaii’s most prominent preservationists and patron of the arts and journalists.
“I’ve never encountered anyone who as a purely private individual has had such an impact on the community they live in,” said Michael Titterton, president and general manager of Hawaii Public Radio, one of Bannick’s many causes.
“She was an early preservationist before it was front-of-mind for a lot of people,” said Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of Historic Hawaii Foundation, where Bannick was a charter member.
“She was a tiny person in physical stature, but she was huge in determination,” said David Cheever, a fellow preservationist and co-author. “She was brusque, and some people could be offended by that. I don’t think Nancy had any time for herself. She didn’t have time for anybody who wasted her time.”
“She lived modestly, but she gave generously to all her causes,” said Wes Kinder, a retired architect who worked with Bannick to preserve Diamond Head from development and often swam with her. “Not only did she give money, she gave time. She worked and worked and worked. If you wanted something done, you gave it to Nancy.” Other nonprofits Bannick supported included Chamber Music Hawaii, Hawaii Opera Theatre and the Contemporary Museum.
“In all honesty, we’re still trying to adjust to the reality of a world without Nancy in it,” said Titterton. “When you’re around somebody like Nancy, it’s like the sun coming up in the morning. She was a force of nature, an absolute force of nature.”
