Punahou School lost a beloved member of its community yesterday with the unexpected passing of Hattie Eldredge '66 Phillips, veteran Hawaiian Studies teacher and director of the school's annual May Day and Holoku programs. She was 62.

"We are stunned and deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Hattie Eldredge '66 Phillips, our long-time faculty member who was very much at the heart of the Punahou School community," wrote President Jim Scott in a letter to faculty and staff. "We extend our deepest condolences and aloha to her family during this tremendously difficult time."

"Auntie" Hattie, as she was known to generations of students, embodied the aloha spirit. Whether she was showing youngsters how to strum an 'ukulele or guiding dancers toward a deeper understanding of Hawaiian culture, she taught with an effervescent warmth and generosity.

Hattie's connections to the school ran deep: Her mother, Leilehua Judd '26 Eldredge, brothers Dave '49, now deceased, and Pal '64 also are alumni.

Hattie began teaching at Punahou in 1970. Hired as a first-grade teacher in the Winne Units, she later taught in the second and third grades. In 1996, she moved to the Academy and took over the Holoku Pageant director's post from her older brother, Dave. At her passing, she was K – 12 Director of Hawaiian Resources in the Kuaihelani Center at Case Middle School.

"Auntie Hattie taught generations of Punahou students about the depth and breadth of Hawaiian culture, sharing not only her knowledge, but her generous spirit and abiding compassion," wrote Scott. "From her student days as a song leader through decades of inspirational teaching and leadership, she inspired us all to treasure Hawai'i, Punahou, and each other."

Hattie served as Punahou Alumni Association president, sang and directed the Alumni Glee Club and was a key organizer of the Flaming 'P' and numerous other alumni activities. In recognition of her extraordinary dedication to the school, Hattie was presented with the 2008 'O' in Life award by the Punahou Alumni Association.

"Hattie will be sorely missed," Scott wrote, "but her joyous and generous spirit lives on in the thousands of members of the Punahou ‘ohana who were blessed by her boundless aloha."

Public memorial services are planned for Sunday, July 25. Visitation will begin at 9, services at noon in Hemmeter Gym.

Memorial service webcast