The President-elect’s Extraordinary Grandmother

As I’m sure you know by now, Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and spent his teenage years here, graduating from prestigious Punahou School.The person most responsible for raising him was his maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, and by all accounts she was quite a remarkable lady. Among other accomplishments, she became the first female vice president at Bank of Hawaii, then Hawaii’s largest and most prestigious bank.No doubt you also know that Madelyn Dunham died just one day before her grandson was elected President of the United States.In her final days, hundreds of local folks sent her flower arrangements and leis … which, according to a local media report, prompted Mrs. Dunham to say, “Oh my! With all of this hullabaloo, it’s going to be embarrassing if I don’t die!”

Quite a lady, wouldn’t you say?

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