HONOLULU, HI — The National Notary Foundation has awarded a special scholarship grant to the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law in the name of State Attorney General Mark J. Bennett, who was honored as the National Notary Association’s 2009 March Fong Eu Achievement Award recipient.
Bennett and Deborah M. Thaw, Executive Director of the Foundation, personally presented the grant to the School of Law’s Dean Aviam Soifer during a special event held on campus.
“The William S. Richardson School of Law is grateful to the National Notary Foundation, and to Mark Bennett for selecting the School as the recipient of a generous and meaningful contribution that will help support its core mission,” Soifer said.
Attorney General Bennett chose the school to receive the Foundation’s grant after receiving the NNA’s prestigious award — named for its first recipient, former California Secretary of State March Fong Eu — at the Association’s 2009 Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bennett was recognized for enacting administrative rules that require Hawaii’s Notaries to abide by The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility. The Code has significantly strengthened the ability of Notaries in the state to protect citizens against document fraud and identity crimes. “Attorney General Bennett’s achievement in establishing rigorous standards of conduct for Notaries Public in Hawaii is truly an accomplishment that warrants his recognition,” Thaw said.