The territory has lost a statesman, an educator, gifted musician and a stalwart of the Samoa culture with the passing yesterday morning of former senator High Chief Pulefaasisina Palauni Mariota Tuiasosopo.
Pulefaasisina died at 4:00am yesterday in Hillsboro, Oregon at the age of 82. He was surrounded by his wife Faatupuagaatamaliioalosina Cecilia, and children and daughters of his late sister, Mere Betham.
His life of public service was inspired by his late father who many consider as the founder of the modern day Legislature of American Samoa, Tuiasosopo Mariota Tiumalu.
Pulefaasisina was educated at Punahou High school in Honolulu and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon and a Master of Arts degree in Pacific Island Studies from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
He began working for the American Samoa Government in 1962 as an assistant to Governor Rex Lee and later to the first elected governor Uifaatali Peter Coleman.
In 1985, with the endorsement of then Governor A.P. Lutali, Pulefaasisina was selected as Secretary General of the South Pacific Commission, the first and only American Samoan to lead the regional organization.
He later joined the staff of the American Samoa Community College with a special mandate to develop the Samoan and Pacific Studies program at the college.
This led to what is now the Samoan Studies Institute.
Pulefaasisina left ASCC when he was selected as senator of Alataua in 2005 and held the seat until 2008 when he retired from public service.
He was a lay preacher for the Congregational Church of Jesus in Samoa, Fagatogo Parish since 1968 until he was ordained a minister of the church in the summer of 2000.
What is perhaps his most well known role is as conductor of the American Samoa Arts Council Choir which traveled extensively throughout the Pacific, Hawaii and the west coast.
Pulefaasisina established the choir in 1972 and former members can attest that he was a strict disciplinarian. As choir master he raised the bar for choral music in American Samoa and the Pacific. And he shaped and molded his protégés , many now music directors themselves with the likes of Flo Wendt, Julia Foifua, Larry Purcell, Sina Solomona Tilo and his own son Kuki Tuiasosopo, now chairman of the Fine Arts Department at ASCC.
Pulefaasisina is survived by his wife of 55 years Faatupuagaatamaliioalosina, 12 children, 31 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
We extend our deepest sympathies to them for their loss.
