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Scholar of Life
Cincinnati, OH. Apr. 16, 1999 - Jerry Tupper was one of the recipients of the Scholar of Life award at the Awards Banquet of St. Joseph Orphanage.
The award recognizes those who have affected the lives of children in a positive manner and are advocates of children and families in both word and deed.
Tupper received the award for his work supporting the activities of the Fundação Esperança.
Joseph Orphanage has changed its principal mission over the years to providing mental health to neglected, abused and emotionally troubled children and their families. St. Joseph has been helping families for in the greater Cincinnati area for over 171 years.
Sweet Leilani's Brother
Harry Owens, sr. Leader of the famous Royal Hawaiian dance band, wrote the song "Sweet Leilani" as a lullaby for his first born child, Leilani.
While vacationing in the islands, Bang Crosby heard the song and asked for permission to use it in his forthcoming movie "Waikiki Wedding." Harry Owens was reluctant to commercialize the song and refused permission. Crosby persisted and overcame Harry's reluctance by suggesting that any royalties from the song be placed in an educational trust fund for Leilani and any other children that Harry and Bess might have.
"Sweet Leilani" was sung by Bing Crosby in the movie and won the academy award for the best song. The royalties were placed in an educational trust fund and helped pay for the education of the second child , Harry Owens, Jr. at St. Louis University and St. Louis University Medical school.
Harry, jr. Practiced with the Eskimos in Nome, Alaska and, while serving as a volunteer with the Hope Ship, heard of Dr. Luke and his work. Harry soon joined Luke on the Amazon and took the hospital ship ESPERANÇA on its first life saving voyages. When Luke, who had been out of medical school for 17 years without advanced medical training, returned to the United States to update his medical Education, Harry Owens, Jr. became the Fundação Esperança's medical director.
Harry initiated an intern program with the University of Pará at Belém, Brazil where senior medical, dental, and laboratory students would spend 6 months with the Fundação Esperança, both to obtain experience and to acquaint the students with the medical problems of the people of the Amazon. Even after years as Fundação Esperança's medical director, Harry continued to volunteer.
Mary Hartman
Many of people will remember the popular comedy series of that name in the 1970's. Fundação Esperança's third medical director and his wife Mary Hartman, a pediatric nurse, with their three children, arrived in Brazil in 1976 to take over the medical reins.
Mary was just as happy to leave the U.S. for a while and escape the inevitable comments on her name. According to Fred and Mary, their 6 year old son, Brett, put down his suitcase, went outside to play with the other Brazilian children and "disappeared into the culture." Within a couple of weeks Brett had absorbed a great deal of Portuguese and was giving nightly language lessons to his parents.
The Hartman's spoke only Portuguese during their two years in Brazil and their year old daughter Chandra, could not speak English when they returned to the United States two years later, much to the chagrin of Chandra's grandparents.
Both Fred and Mary worked in the Fundação Esperança program and Fred initiated the highly successful training program of village health auxiliaries, or "barefoot doctors," that soon provided the only medical help available in many of the remote villages of the Central Amazon. Years after this work with Fundação Esperança, Dr. Fred Hartman continues to provide valuable assistance and advice to us and has visited our projects on several occasions.