ALICE GUILD Obituary

ALICE FLANDERS GUILD July 6, 1934 - April 14, 2024 Alice Flanders Guild passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 14 in Honolulu. As a kamaaina of native Hawaiian heritage, she lived her life with true Aloha Spirit and was loved and admired by all who knew her. Born in San Francisco, Alice sailed to Honolulu at three weeks old with her parents, Walter and Muriel Macfarlane Flanders. She claimed that at the time, she was the youngest passenger to ever cross the Pacific on an ocean liner. Alice was raised in Nuuanu with her sisters Mary Philpotts McGrath (deceased) and Judith Flanders, who were collectively known as "AlMaJu". After spending four years in California during WWII, Alice re-entered Punahou School in the 7th grade and graduated in 1952. From there, she enrolled at Colorado Women's College in Denver, where she majored in Commercial Art. Alice joined the Outrigger Canoe Club when she was 14 years old, following in the steps of her grandmother, parents and uncle Walter Macfarlane for whom the annual 4th of July canoe regatta in Waikiki is named. One summer day after graduating from Punahou, Alice was having lunch at the Outrigger with her best friend who dared her to ask a tall "very thin" older boy out on a date - the reward being a free lunch. The young beauty accepted the dare and confidently approached Robert "Rab" Guild before becoming flustered and instead asked, "Will you marry me?" Rab was quick to respond, "Sure, but why don't we have dinner first!" The rest is history, and the marriage that resulted from the best dare Alice ever took lasted 62 years until Rab's death in 2016. Shortly after being married, Alice and Rab began a family and built their home in Makiki. It was a compact but beautifully designed house by well-known architect George Hogan. It was there that they raised four children and entertained their large family and many friends. Alice often marveled how a home originally built for two adults and two small children ended up holding a family of six! The charming house they built as a young couple in their 20's, is the same home they lived in the rest of their lives. While her children were young, Alice went back to work as a freelance illustrator before becoming the Advertising Manager for Security Diamond Company. She later accepted the position of Advertising and Promotions Manager for Ala Moana Shopping Center, and was promoted to General Manager of the Center in the 1980's. The final chapter in her career was as Managing Director of The Friends of Iolani Palace where she retired - twice. Alice's passion for both the Junior League of Honolulu and Iolani Palace is well documented. As chairman of the League's Project Finding Committee in the late 1960's, Alice and fellow committee members were intrigued by Beadie Dawson's suggestion that the organization spearhead the restoration of Iolani Palace, which had been vacated of government offices due to the opening of the new State Capitol. The League wasn't qualified to take on such a project, so instead adopted a three-year commitment to fund and research all that was known about the Palace and its history, documenting every detail on 5x7 index cards that are still referenced today. In 1966, together with the late Princess Lili'uokalani Kawananakoa Morris, Alice and members of the Junior League of Honolulu helped establish The Friends of Iolani Palace whose mission is to preserve, restore and protect the Palace. Alice remained a contributing member of both organizations. In 1980, Alice was the first female elected to the Board of Directors of Central Pacific Bank, making her one of the first women to serve on the board of a major Hawaii corporation. She remained on the board for 25 years, and maintained her strong ties to the Bank, its management and staff for the rest of her life. Alice became a grandmother late in life, which gave her time to perfect the skill. Affectionately known as "Tudi", short for Tutu Divine, her grandchildren were her greatest joy and each considers her their best friend. Family time spent at their home on the Big Island allowed Tudi and Rabbie to have a rare bond with their grandchildren. At AK Ranch, the grandchildren looked forward to Tudi's traditional "first night spaghetti", learning how to a ride a horse with her by their side, evenings around the fireplace listening to her stories and life lessons gently taught. A master storyteller, in her 80's Alice authored a series of children's historical fiction books, illustrated by her dear friends Georg James and John Dinsmore. Her first book "Kolea and the Chief's Cloak", received the Hawaii Book Publishers' Association 2019 Award for Excellence in Children's Literature. The second book, "Kolea and the King's Crown" was equally as impressive and both are now being reprinted. Late last year she was excited to finish and submit her third book in the series, "Kolea and the British Bird", to the Publisher. Alice was a tireless supporter of the people and state of Hawaii. She served on the Board of Directors of Child and Family Service, Aloha United Way, The Better Business Bureau, Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Hawaii Community Foundation and Honolulu Academy of Arts (Honolulu Museum of Art). In 1970, she was appointed by Governor George Ariyoshi to the Governor's Conference on The Year 2000. She is a past president of the Junior League of Honolulu, The Friends of Iolani Palace, The Garden Club of Honolulu and served as a trustee of La Pietra, Hawaii School for Girls for over thirty years before stepping down as Board Chair in 2017. Always willing to share her mana'o, Alice was a director of the James and Abigail Campbell Family Foundation at the time of her death. Alice's lifelong contributions to the community have been widely recognized and she was the recipient of numerous awards, including The Garden Club of America Zone XII Civic Improvement Award 2024 as well as the Historic Preservation Award in 2000, the Punahou Alumni Association Charles Judd Humanitarian Award, the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce 'O'o Award, the President's Call to Service Award presented by President George W. Bush, the American Advertising Federation's Silver Medal Award for service to the community and the advertising industry, the Junior League of Honolulu's Laura Dowsett Award and was a YWCA of Honolulu Leader Luncheon Honoree. Alice is proudly survived by her children Rici (Frank B. Shaner), Walter (Jackie), Di, Lissa (John Eveleth), grandchildren Ian and Lia Eveleth and Ryder Guild, sister Judith Flanders, seven treasured nieces and nephews, a multitude of cousins and a world of close friends. A celebration of Alice's remarkable life will take place at 9 am, Friday, May 17th at the Outrigger Canoe Club, Honolulu. Parking is limited, so please carpool or consider alternative transportation if attending. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the James and Abigail Campbell Family Foundation, The Friends of Iolani Palace or The Paniolo Preservation Society in Waimea.