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It is with much sadness that I report the death of our good friend and colleague Kevin Ebata on December 31, 2001. Kevin passed away that morning after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Kae Warnock and I have been in regular contact with Kevin's wife Kelli during his illness which was diagnosed this past June. Throughout his illness, Kevin continued to keep NLSSA, NCSL and his many colleagues in his thoughts.

For those of you that knew Kevin well, I don't have to tell you that he was a great man. Attending many NLSSA and NCSL meetings and sharing a hotel room with Kevin on numerous occasions, I can tell you that he was very, very proud of his family, his position with the State of Hawaii and his many friends throughout the United States. I had the privilege of sharing many late evening hours talking about everything under the sun with Kevin. Kevin was a sincere, genuine individual and always paid the utmost attention to detail to ensure that his responsibilities were handled in a very professional manner.

During his tenure as an NLSSA member, Kevin took on many roles within the organization. He served as Secretary/Newsletter Editor, Vice-President and was currently serving his third term as our President.

He also hosted the NLSSA 25th Annual Training Conference in Honolulu in 1998. Kevin was currently a member of the Legislative Staff Coordinating Committee and represented NLSSA at NCSL meetings. Kevin had hoped to serve on the NCSL Executive Committee this year, however his illness forced him to withdraw his nomination from consideration.

A finer man than Kevin Ebata cannot be found. I consider it a privilege to have known him and to have learned from him. Kevin made this world a better place to live while he was with us, and I know that now that he will be doing the same in his new home.

Kevin and his family appreciated the support shown by NLSSA members during this difficult time. We want to especially thank Tony Beard Jr. for traveling to Honolulu on December 28th to present Kevin the Tony Beard Sr. Award which Kevin was to receive at the fall training conference. Kevin told me on numerous occasions that he was truly honored to receive this prestigious award from his peers. Tony also presented Kevin with the LSCC Legislative Staff Achievement Award. Tony, Kelli and Kevin's staff were in attendance for the presentation.

Cards or letters may be sent to Kelli Ebata at:

Kelli Ebata
700 Richards Street, #1905
Honolulu, HI 96813

Ebata Memorial Fund

To Kevin, our good friend and colleague, we say Mahalo (Thank You) for all you have done for us. We miss you and will work diligently to ensure that NLSSA continues to be a vibrant organization. Your efforts to provide professional training to all NLSSA members will continue. To your family we give our sincere condolences and offer our assistance in any way we can.

Sincerely,

Jon H. Hochkammer
Sergeant at Arms
Wisconsin State Senate
Jon.Hochkammer@legis.state.wi.us