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Cindy Lewis and Ann Miller, two of the best sportswriters in Hawaii history, will be inducted into the University of Hawaii’s Circle of Honor.
Lewis and Miller were surprised Friday during a blind reveal on Zoom, just as June Jones was surprised Thursday during a luncheon arranged under the guise of a birthday celebration. Lewis and Miller were told by UH Assistant Director of Media Relations Jason Kinjo that they would be interviewed for the article.
“This is amazing. This is a great honor,” Lewis said.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Miller said. “I was kind of surprised. Cindy was really accommodating. She was able to speak for both of us (on Zoom).”
Legendary Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji appeared on screen to make a surprise announcement to award-winning sportswriters.
“Hey, Ann and Cindy,” Shoji said. “We’re not interviewing you for a story. Rather, we’re taking this time to talk about your career and everything you’ve done to promote women’s athletics specifically here at the University of Hawaii.” I wanted to honor you. You’ve both known each other for a long time, and I know how much you’ve struggled. It’s not noticed.
“So, we are proud to welcome both of you as new members of the College Sports Circle of Honor Class of 2024.
“I am very honored to be able to introduce you all.”
Surprise guests included Cal State Athletic Director Craig Angelos and longtime volleyball veteran Chris McLachlin.
“I’ve read all of your articles since you were writing them,” McLachlin said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you’ve done. It’s been an amazing lifetime’s work.”
Lewis said: “Anne would probably agree with this. We didn’t do this for the honor. We did this because we didn’t want to write about and cover the University of Hawaii team. Because it was an honor to do it. And we just did our job, so I think we did well enough.”
“Apparently you guys did a very good job. More than enough,” Angelos said, adding that he “looks forward” to seeing them at the May 5 inauguration.
Lewis and Miller, who had more colleagues and friends than rival journalists, became involved with Shoji during decades of record-breaking feats in women’s volleyball (four national titles).
“We felt an obligation to the university because they put out such a great product,” Lewis said. “They made us better writers, because they were good, so we had to be good.”
Lewis and Miller’s long careers as sportswriters coincide, and both came to Hawaii after starting their sports journalism careers elsewhere.
Mr. Miller, a graduate of San Francisco State University, joined the Honolulu Advertiser in 1980, coming from the Oakland Tribune. Ms. Lewis is a proud graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and joined the Honolulu Star as the Gannett Chain’s first female sports editor from Guam. -1981 newsletter.
When the newspaper companies merged to form the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in 2010, the two companies combined with the same staff.
Lewis left the Star-Advertiser in 2020 but continued writing on social media, and Miller left in 2014. Both continued to write columns for the Star-Advertiser for several years after their retirement.
Lewis enjoys semi-retirement as an instructor at Iolani Palace and a volunteer at Washington Place. Miller enjoys traveling and playing golf, but she cut that time short to attend a Friday Zoom gathering.
Their careers documenting Hawaiian sports have earned them numerous awards.
Lewis received the USA Volleyball Recognition Award and the AVCA Print Media Award in 2005-2006 and 2018-2019. She also won the PacWest Conference Media Award in 2011. Ms. Lewis said that she and her son Tiff and her Wells were the first mother-son pair in sports media. Wells She has been the voice of Cal State Volleyball radio since 2014.
Miller received awards from the PGA Aloha Division and the USTA Hawaii Pacific Region in the areas of golf and tennis.
She was a founding member of the Women in Sports Media Association in 1987. For her first 10 years she served as the treasurer of the association, and then she became a director of the board of directors. In recognition of her contributions to her organization, she received the Crystal Award. The award named in her honor, the Ann Miller Service Award, has been presented annually since 2013.
The rest of the class includes former football coach June Jones (1999-2007), former offensive lineman James Carilli (1967-70), and the 2010 softball team that played in the Women’s College World Series. It consists of
