At 36, Bode Uale has reached one of his life's ambitions, a feat most professionals in his field don't attain until their 50s or 60s.
He has been appointed a Family Court judge by the state of Hawaii, the first of Samoan ancestry to gain that honor. He was given the appointment Aug. 22 by Chief Justice Herman Lum of the Hawaii Supreme Court.Judge Uale of the Hawaii Kai 1st Ward, Honolulu Hawaii Stake, is proud of his Samoan heritage and enjoys being a role model for the expanding Hawaiian-Samoan community.
"There are only three Samoan and two Tongan-speaking lawyers in the state and they are not enough to meet the needs of the considerable Samoan and Tongan population here. Many of these people speak only their native languages and are not familiar with U.S. laws and customs," he explained.
He constantly encourages fellow Samoans to excel in career areas and community service, expanding their sphere of experience and influence in Hawaii.
The new judge readily admits that years of schooling at BYU-Hawaii and jobs at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) primed him for this position.
"I was a bus boy, danced in the PCC night show, and, after my mission, worked in the Waikiki ticket sales office, was a guide and drove the trolley around the PCC and to the Hawaii Temple. But my experience in the Samoa Apia Mission from 1974-76 was the greatest help preparing me to be a good lawyer and, I hope, a good judge," he said.
He attended the University of Hawaii law school from 1980-84, passing the bar exam in 1984.
His associates who worked with him while he was a public defender knew he was LDS and automatically provided for him non-alcoholic beverages at luncheons or other functions. One interesting conversation with another lawyer, not a member of the Church, stands out in his memory.
"He asked point blank if I paid tithing, even with the economy and costs soaring. I told him that was a very personal and individual thing, and yes, I did. I know he was very impressed," Judge Uale related.
Feeling deeply the weight of his new responsibility, he cited differences in being a defense lawyer and judge.
"It makes you think hard about having the ability to judge and determine consequences. It's a heavy responsibility trying to be fair, meting out punishment, at the same time being careful to protect not only interests of the youth [who appear in his courtT but also important concerns of the community," he said.
His father is the noted "Uncle Jack" Uale of the Polynesian Cultural Center's Human Resources department. His grandfather arrived in Hawaii in 1917 with an early group of Samoan immigrants. The grandfather, as a labor missionary, helped construct the Church College of Hawaii (now BYU-Hawaii) and the Polynesian Cultural Center.
The past six years Judge Uale has served as ward Young Men president, is involved in Scouting and is on the troop committee. He also takes an active role in the Honolulu Police Department's "No Hope in Dope" program headed by LDS police officer Leighton Kaonohi. (See Church News, Sept. 28, 1991.)
He spends his spare hours with his wife, the former Beth Parker, and their four children, Crichton, 12; Andria, 10; Justin, 6; and Travis, 4. Uale enjoys playing the guitar and ukulele.
