A beloved and respected leader in her own right
By Valerie Monson
Special to the Herald
When young Gloria Lutu arrived in Hawaii from Samoa with her family, she had to adjust to a new country, a new culture and a new language. Only a few years later, she faced her biggest challenge yet when she was diagnosed with leprosy, a disease unknown to her at the time.
“The doctor said I have two choices: Kalaupapa or Hale Mohalu. I don’t know anything about Kalaupapa,” Gloria said during an interview. “I say, ‘What about Hale Mohalu?’ They say, ‘Hale Mohalu has a school.’ I just turned 16. I said, ‘I like go Hale Mohalu. I like continue my education.’”
Gloria never lost her determination to learn and succeed.
Those early classes at Hale Mohalu in Pearl City were the beginning of an impressive resume that eventually included: co-owner of Marks Concessions with her husband, Richard Marks; co-owner of Damien Tours with Richard; sole owner of Fuesaina’s Bar; president of the Kalaupapa Lions Club; and the longtime chairwoman of the Kalaupapa Patients Advisory Council.
She had also served on the board of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa since the organization formed in 2003, and frequently testified — in person or by letter — at government hearings about Kalaupapa.
She was a great dancer and would be called upon to entertain the entire room during community parties.
Most importantly, there was her family: her husband, Richard, and their five children, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Gloria died Oct. 10 on Oahu at the home of her daughter, Elouise Carroll, with hospice care. She was 87.
After completing her education at Hale Mohalu, Gloria transferred to Kalaupapa in 1962 to marry Richard, the outspoken activist. They started Marks Concessions where they sold everything from frozen food and cigarettes to appliances and bedroom sets.
Four years later, they began Damien Tours, the most successful business ever at Kalaupapa which educated thousands of visitors over 50 years. Richard did the talking while Gloria handled reservations and bookkeeping.
In those days, she was often dismissed as “just the wife of Richard Marks.”
After years of working behind the scenes, Gloria’s potential was noticed by Mary Beth Maul, then the state administrator at Kalaupapa, who encouraged Gloria to take on the position of secretary of the Kalaupapa Patients Advisory Council.
Gloria, still struggling with the nuances of English, recalled her long nights of preparing minutes of the meetings.
“The first time I was council secretary and had to do minutes, I was up until 3:30 in the morning trying to get them right,” she said. “At first, I didn’t know anything. I was so afraid people would make fun of me. I would get so uptight. I would lie awake half the night. So I learn, little by little. …”
She learned so well that she was eventually elected president of the council, beginning her long stretch of leadership at Kalaupapa.
Mary Beth was not surprised at Gloria’s transformation.
“In my opinion, Gloria has changed more than anyone else in Kalaupapa — and I mean she’s changed for the better,” said Mary Beth in 1991. “She’s really grown over the past several years.”
During her long career as a businesswoman, Gloria realized that not everything she was taught was true in real life.
“I’m not of the belief that the customer is always right … that’s bull,” she said. “Sometimes the customer doesn’t know beans about it.”
Together, Gloria and Richard could be ingenious. In 1967, Gloria was at Richard’s side when he invited the press to Kalaupapa to show how people at Kalaupapa still lived under draconian rules even more than 20 years after the medicine that cured leprosy had been introduced.
That bold action led to the end of isolating anyone newly diagnosed with leprosy.
The couple also shrewdly circumvented the state government’s policy which prevented the residents of Kalaupapa from having their children with them on the peninsula.
Richard knew that the area near the Kalaupapa Lighthouse was owned by the federal government where the age limit of the state did not apply. Two cottages at the site, once accommodations for lighthouse keepers, were vacant.
To everyone’s surprise, Richard and Gloria leased the houses — and brought their kids over from time to time — not only to their delight, but to the delight of many in the community who would bring food and gifts for the youngsters. Gloria recalled how some residents would drive out to the lighthouse simply to listen to the voices and laughter of the children.
In 2006, shortly after the 40th anniversary of Damien Tours, Richard and Gloria were presented with a lifetime achievement award for small business owners on Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
By then, Gloria was no longer simply “just the wife of Richard Marks.” Her husband was her biggest fan.
“I’m Mr. Gloria Marks,” he boasted.
Services for Gloria will be held Dec. 10 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu with visitation at 10 a.m. followed by Mass at 11.
Above: Gloria and Richard Marks at a celebration in Kalaupapa in 1996. (Valerie Monson)