Fond memories shared of Hawaiʻi radio and TV broadcast veteran Emme Tomimbang

Hawaiʻi is mourning the loss of veteran radio and television broadcaster Emmeline “Emme” Tomimbang Burns. She passed away Feb. 19 at the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu during an emergency aortic surgery.

Tomimbang, 73, was a trailblazer in the Filipino community and a pioneer in radio and television in Hawaiʻi. She was the widow of the late Hawaiʻi Intermediate Court of Appeals Chief Judge James Burns, son of Gov. John A. Burns, the namesake of the University of Hawaiʻi’s school of medicine. The university posted an online tribute to Tomimbang.

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing on Monday of Emme Tomimbang Burns. Emme was a force of nature,” said Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald. “From her work in the media to her support of the medical school, her warmth and passion energized all who came in contact with her. Emme’s light also shone brightly on the Judiciary. As the wife of former Intermediate Court of Appeals Chief Judge James Burns, Emme was an integral part of the ICA ‘ohana, both while Jim Burns was chief judge, and in the years since. She was a mentor and caring friend to many people in our community, including myself and many other judges and attorneys. Her love for the islands and their people shone brightly in all of her work, and she made it her mission to support others to achieve their goals. Emme will be greatly missed, and we extend our deepest aloha and heartfelt sympathy to her family.”

The Governor’s Office released a statement: “From her early days on the anchor desk for TV news to later producing television specials, Emme told stories from her heart. She tackled some tough subjects as a broadcast journalist, but also shared stories of compelling island people in her ‘Emme’s Island Moments’ specials and that is how most people knew her.”

US Senator Brian Schatz said: “Emme was a fixture of Hawai‘i TV and radio for decades and devoted her later years to expanding opportunities in medicine and journalism for students, particularly in the Filipino and Native Hawaiian communities. She will be dearly missed – but her impact across the state will live on. My condolences and aloha go to Emme’s ‘ohana.”

A graduate of the University of Hawai‘i, Tomimbang was a broke through barriers for local women in broadcast journalism. She hosted a radio show as a teenager, and started the Morning News on KHON Channel 2. She also founded Emme Tomimbang Multi-Media Enterprises. She was well-known for her production of “Emme’s Island Moments,” featuring interviews of Hawaiʻi newsmakers, local insights and inspirational stories.