April 2, 1936 - November 6, 2022
This amazing man was born in Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii on April 2, 1936. He was the second youngest child of Saburo and Toshiko Toyama. Because of his blindness, he was required to attend the Territorial School for the Deaf and Blind on Oahu at the age of 8. He also attended Kawananakoa Intermediate School, Kohala High School, and graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology in 1959.
He began working for the publishers of the World Book Encyclopedia, Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, where he rose to become their District Sales Manager. In 1962 he became part of the State Vendors, Inc., a corporation of 10 blind stockholders who won the bid to operate the newsstand concessions at the Honolulu International Airport. During their 8 years in business, Warren served as the president and general manager.
His career path changed when he entered the Blind Vending Facility program in 1982. He started working at his first vending facility on October 5, 1982, the 5th floor cafeteria at the Department of Health. In 1985 he moved to the old Honolulu Police Department, where he operated a small snack area in the lobby. The last facility he operated was at Tripler Army Medical Center starting in October 1992. He retired in December 2017 after 25 years of service.
In 1967, he selected a small group of people and created the Hawaii Federation of the Blind. They worked with legislators and educators to provide equal access and opportunity for blind individuals, and fought tirelessly whenever barriers arose that would hinder their quest for happiness and independence. Not only did he teach blind people to understand their own value, but he also taught the general public to understand blind people too. In 1983, the organization changed its name to the Hawaii Association of the Blind, and it still continues to advocate for the visually impaired people of Hawaii.
On March 17, 1984 he was given the Eva H. Smyth Award by the Hawaii Association of the Blind, a coveted award not presented every year, and is only given to an individual who has made distinguished contributions to the welfare and well-being of the blind people of Hawaii. On July 3, 2000, Warren was awarded the Don Cameron Advocacy Award by the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America in Louisville, Kentucky. He traveled to Birmingham, Alabama on July 4, 2004 to accept the George Card Award that was presented to him by the American Council of the Blind. And on July 4, 2005 he was presented the Vendor of the Year Award by the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America in Las Vegas, Nevada. These notable awards are just a few of the many accolades he received throughout his lifetime. He was praised as a great leader for all blind individuals and commended for all his years of advocacy.
Warren passed away on the evening of Sunday, November 6, 2022 at the age of 86.