The power of a name

by Michelle Orian-Lau | June 25, 2022
(Hawaiian diacritical marks included to appreciate the full story.)

As a Hawaiian Electric employee, I recognize the important roles substations serve to connect our services to our customers. But it wasn’t until Troubleman Ryan Pascual told me about Jacob (Jake) Fernandez that I learned how these critical infrastructures got their names.

Jake’s official company role is senior supervisor in Switching Coordination. But he has also voluntarily served as an unofficial in-house naming and Hawaiian language consultant who project managers on O‘ahu have tapped to help name new substations. In recent years, he’s helped name the Auiki and Pohakea substations. In April, he recommended the new substation serving Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam be named Waimomi.

Auiki Substation in Kalihi was named for one of five loko i‘a (fishponds) that once resided in the ahupua‘a. Pohakea Substation in Kunia, was named for a commonly-used route between ‘Ewa and Wai‘anae. Waimomi, or “pearl water,” honors one of the traditional names for Pearl Harbor.

“As a company born here in Hawai‘i, we need to be cognizant of how the Hawaiian culture is shown the respect it deserves, how that is reflected in our community and what that says about Hawaiian Electric,” said Jake. “We get respect by showing respect, and as such I am proud to be part of Hawaiian Electric.”

Thanks to Jake, I’m going to think about the power of names and my Hawaiian culture every time I drive past a substation. There’s something kind of poetic about that.

He first got involved in naming company property in 1991 when he spotted a grammatical mistake that was painted on the side of the new all-electric General Motors van while he was walking through the Ward baseyard. Our company planned to feature the EV at the auto show for our centennial anniversary. Jake saved us some embarrassment by pointing out Uila ka‘a did not properly translate to “electric vehicle.” Fortunately, the van was able to be repainted in time to debut correctly as Ka‘a Uila.

Jake’s passion for his Hawaiian culture is rooted in his love for his grandmother, Zelie Duvauchelle Sherwood. She authored the book, Beginner’s Hawaiian, and worked for Title Guaranty to translate legal documents from Hawaiian into English. “Growing up, my parents would ship me off to Moloka‘i with my grandmother,” remembered Jake. “If you didn’t speak Hawaiian, you’d get your ear pulled.”

It was his grandmother who taught him the importance of names. She also gave him his Hawaiian name, Kūliaikanuʻu, which was Queen Kapi‘olani’s motto meaning to “Strive for the highest.” His grandmother was given the name as a child by Queen Lili‘uokalani during one of her visits to Moloka‘i. It’s now shared by several of his family members, including Jake’s son.

Kūliaikanuʻu was fitting for a boy who’d one day grow up to climb to some of the highest points in our islands. Jake started with Hawaiian Electric as a helper in Overhead when he was 21 years old. He then indentured as an apprentice before becoming a journeyman lineman. As a lineman, he helped rebuilding efforts in Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i, after Hurricane ‘Iniki.

Unfortunately, his climbing career ended in the late ’90s after an injury when a platform collapsed at a job site in Makakilo. Since then, he served in several roles before settling in Switching Coordination.

For his voluntary role, Jake does all his naming research online, often starting with the University of Hawai‘i or Kamehameha Schools. He then follows citations to other credible sources to compile a thoughtful and comprehensive recommendation. He artfully weaves a narrative around the history of the area, mo‘olelo (stories), ‘ōlelo no‘eau (proverbs) and Hawaiian cultural sensitivities to tell a very compelling story for his name recommendations that still take into consideration how easily they can be communicated over two-way radio.

His Speech Communication degree, which he earned while working full time and through the support of the company’s Volunteer Education Assistance Program, likely honed his skill for storytelling. He even used his talents for radio. If you remember Jake Pupule, weekend DJ for the former Xtreme Radio station, that was Jake!

“Radio was the perfect job for me. I got paid to talk. And I’ve been told I have the perfect face for radio,” he joked.

Even though he played Top 40 hits as a DJ, Hawaiian music has been influential for his family. By age 9, his son, Pono, surpassed Jake’s own ‘ukulele skills. Today, Pono is a 16-year-old steel guitar master musician, who has been teaching others about the instrument and Hawaiian music. Jake is proud to see his son perpetuating Hawaiian culture and embracing lessons he learned from his grandmother. And he’s been happy to share some of those lessons with the company through his name contributions.

“I enjoy doing it. In a way it’s like leaving a legacy,” said Jake. “I imagine one day being 80 years old and driving around and telling my future grandkids, ‘I named that substation.’”

Michelle Orian-Lau is a senior communications consultant at Hawaiian Electric.