Dorothy Mae Elizabeth Soares Thompson (May 16, 1921 – March 19, 2010), widely known as Auntie Dottie, was an American

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

organizer, who is credited with co-founding and developing the

Merrie Monarch Festival The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long cultural festival that takes place annually in Hilo, Hawaii during the week after Easter. It honors King David Kalākaua, who was called the "Merrie Monarch" for his patronage of the arts and is c ...

. The Merrie Monarch Festival, which is held in Hilo, is Hawaii's premier

hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song ( mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visua ...

event. It was developed by Thompson and hula dancer,

George Naope George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

. Dorothy Mae Elizabeth Soares was born on May 16, 1921, the youngest of five children. As a sophomore in 1937 she was named best female athlete of Hilo High School. She graduated from

President William McKinley High School President William McKinley High School, more commonly referred to as McKinley High School, is a comprehensive public high school in the Honolulu District of the Hawaii State Department of Education. It serves grades nine through twelve. McKinley i ...

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

in 1939. She had four children with her husband Ronald Saiki. Her second husband was George Thompson. Thompson served as the Merrie Monarch's

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

since 1968 with Naope. She remained the festival's head until her death in 2010. Thompson initially had to push hard for funds and media coverage during the festival's early years. Throughout her tenure as director of the festival, Thompson was careful to keep its main focus on hula. She kept admission prices low and resisted efforts to move Merrie Monarch from Hilo's Edith Kanaka'ole Tennis Stadium, where it has traditionally been held, to a larger facility. Mayor of Hawaii Billy Kenoi proclaimed February 13, 2010, as ''Auntie Dottie Thompson Day''. Dorothy "Auntie Dottie" Thompson died from complications from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

at the Hilo Medical Center in Hilo, Hawaii on March 19, 2010, at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Dottie 1921 births 2010 deaths Hawaiian cultural activists Hawaii culture Deaths from pneumonia in Hawaii People from Hilo, Hawaii