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Who doesn’t have strong memories of a favorite teacher? To close our series featuring the three main candidates for governor and their thoughts on education, we asked them to share a personal story about a teacher.

Democrat Neil Abercrombie tells us how Frank Coward at Williamsville High School changed his life by introducing him to literary tools like irony.

Republican James “Duke” Aiona says his parents are his favorite instructors — they had the greatest influence on his appreciation for knowledge.

Democrat Mufi Hannemann tells us of how Thelma Takemoto, his sixth-grade teacher at Fern Elementary School, intervened at a critical time to set his priorities straight.

But let them tell you their stories.

The question: Did you have a favorite professor or teacher? If so, who was it and why?

Neil Abercrombie

Yes, and he changed my life. When I was a junior at Williamsville High School, I met a teacher, Frank Coward. He told our class, “I’m about to enrich your life far beyond your ability to ever repay me.” Those words have stuck with me ever since. The first thing we read was Julius Caesar and that’s when I began to understand the concept of irony. Mr. Coward’s class opened my mind to critical thinking. After graduating, I went to Union College because Mr. Coward went there. And at Union College, I saw a posting about a teaching assistant’s job in Hawaii that brought me to our islands.

Sadly, Mr. Coward died within the last month at the age of 91. A teacher can change a student’s life, like the way Mr. Coward changed mine. Every child deserves a teacher like him. We can create an atmosphere in our public schools where teachers like Mr. Coward are empowered, supported, and rewarded.

James “Duke” Aiona

I have had many favorite teachers and professors over the years. However, the best teachers would have to be my parents. My mother, who was an educator for 40 years, instilled in me the importance of knowledge that you get from education.
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Her impact on my life is beyond measure, and it’s my sincere hope that I have installed in my children the same appreciation and love for reading and learning that she gave me.

Mufi Hannemann

Thelma Takemoto, my sixth-grade teacher at Fern Elementary School.��I was 5’11” in the sixth grade — a foot taller than anyone else in the class. She told me to spend more time exercising my brain than my body; truer words were never spoken. She reinforced what my parents instilled in me at home, about the importance of education. Thanks to Thelma Takemoto, my parents, and other teachers and coaches, a Harvard education became possible.