Hawaiian alumni have held a strong connection to the UMKC School of Dentistry for decades. After World War II, the school welcomed Hawaiian students of Japanese descent with open arms at a time when many in the country were fearful of U.S. citizens with Japanese ancestry. The result is a decades-long friendship between UMKC and Hawaii, where so many are of Japanese heritage. Since the 1940s, the School of Dentistry has accepted several Hawaiian students a year, often on scholarship.

Hawaiian alumni share their culture with the school each year by bringing a bit of their home to Kansas City for the Midwest Dental Conference. During the Rinehart Recognition Luncheon, Hawaiian alumni bring macadamia nut treats and leis made of anthurium flowers, one of Hawaii's main exports. According to Russell Tabata (D.D.S. '67), the tradition was started in the 1970s by George Tanaka (D.D.S. '49) to "thank the school for all they do for Hawaiian students." The flowers and nuts are offered at the luncheon as gifts for attendees.

Tanaka recruited Tabata to help him with the transportation of the nuts and flowers, and Tabata has ensured that the tradition continued through the years. Tabata and a few of his fellow Hawaiian alumni bring the gifts when they fly the nearly 4,000 miles to Kansas City each year for MDC.

"It's a little something special from Hawaii to Kansas City," Tabata said.