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GROWING UP IN THE 'OHANA
 Mark Edmund Duke Bainum was born on July 21, 1952, in a Hospital located in Maryland just a few miles from Washington, D.C.
Duke was raised as part of an ohana. Duke and his brother lived with their parents, grandmother, and aunt and uncle, all in the same home, under one roof, on a farm in Arkansas. Duke and his brother Tim helped with chores, hoed the corn, and did all of the sorts of things that are part of country farm life. The extended family upbringing on a working farm is what gave Duke a strong sense of family and instilled in him good values and hard work ethics.
My older brother Tim has always been the "best" older brother and caring friend anyone could ever ask for. My brother took care of me and helped me all my life. He was kind and patience with me (I was a rascal child). He was a supportive trailblazer through high school and college.
When he decided at age 11 that he wanted to become a doctor then that same day, I of course, declared that I "was going to become a doctor". My brother became an outstanding, caring, compassionate family physician. A healer whose patients cared for him because he cared about them. ~ Duke
COUNTRY SCHOOLING
Duke attended the Bonnerdale Seventh-Day Adventist Elementary School from grades 1-4, a two-room country school which his mother and grandmother also attended. Duke's Grandma Florence encouraged him to use his spare time to read. Duke read biographies of people like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt, which taught him that this is a great country, and that people could do great things no matter what their background.
After the fourth grade, Duke's parents moved the family and built a house up north so Duke's brother Tim could attend a High School that offered a Christian education. Duke entered the 5th grade at a much bigger school than he previously attended. It was scary and exciting at the same time to go from a 12-13 person schoolhouse to a brick and mortar school with over 300 children.
My parents valued a Christian education, and the ethics that come from hard work. While moving to the larger school meant more modern experiences, we still raised cattle and horses on our farm my daily chores continued to include feeding the cows and horses, plus helping water and feed young chicks at the chicken house. I can still recall the forceful smell and odor of 1500 hungry, thirsty, chirping chicks. ~ Duke
At his new school, Duke continued his old love of reading.
The teachers at the new school inspired me to learn and do more. The school principal was a dedicated educator who doubled as the school librarian. She loved helping students who had the desire to learn. I recall her telling me right before I left the 8th grade that I was the first student to read every book in the school library. ~ Duke
Duke also made a lot of new friends.
My earlier values of respect, cooperation, and caring were re-enforced at this school. With so many other kids around, I also learned to get along with people, even if they did not agree with my view of the world. The playground became the laboratory of learning how to work with people, no matter what their backgrounds. ~ Duke
Duke did the usual things in high school. He played quarterback and first base, as well as forward on the basketball
 team. He played the trumpet and snare drums, and served as president of the student council and the senior class.
A day I remember so well was the first Earth Day -- I stood out on the steps of my high school and wished everyone coming to school a happy first Earth Day. I seemed to be the only person who knew what Earth Day was -- I was concerned about the environment even then. ~ Duke
FAMILY BUSINESS
At the age of three, Duke moved with his family to the Eastern Shore of Maryland because his father, a plumber, could not get enough work in Arkansas to feed the family. There, using their small savings and borrowing the rest from Duke's grandmother, Duke's parents bought the lumber and nails and glass and built from scratch, literally with their own hands, a 14-room motel in Ocean City, Maryland. During the summer, Duke would leave the farm to work at the motel, watering the grass and picking up cigarette butts. Later, he graduated to beach boy and lifeguard, as well as making up rooms and handling the front desk.
As a boy growing up in a family that owned its own business, I learned essential values like responsibility, honesty, and hard work, and, as my family began to prosper and succeed, the concept of giving back. ~ Duke
DUKE'S PARENTS
 Irvin and Evea Bainum both came from very humble beginnings. During the Great Depression, Irvin would pick up fallen coal along the railroad tracks during the winter, and Evea lived and worked on a chicken farm. Together, Irvin working as a plumber and Evea as a teacher, they struggled to give their sons Tim and Duke the opportunities they never had. The three values that they worked to impress upon their sons were Hard Work, Honesty and Service. Irvin and Evea strongly believed that if you work hard to build your dreams, live a life of honesty, and constantly give back to the community, you will find happiness and success. Their hard work and perseverance eventually paid off, and the Bainum family soon found themselves in a position in which they were able to help others. For example, the Bainums built a gym in their community where kids could go to play instead of getting into trouble. And when five people perished in a fire in the town where Duke grew up, the Bainums raised the funds to build a firehouse.
My family started out poor, and with vision and perseverance, changed our situation. ~ Duke
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Duke's aunt was a nurse, and she served as a role model for Duke and his brother; both became doctors. Duke graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1980, and came to Hawaii to fulfill his internship requirements with the University of Hawaii's Surgical Residency program, working at Queens, Kuakini, Kaiser, and St. Francis.
My Auntie was a public health nurse and seeing her head out every morning clutching her black bag (on her way to go out and help people) was a memory that burned in my and my brother's mind; she is the reason that we both became physicians. ~ Duke
PUBLIC SERVICE
 Duke came to Hawaii for his surgical residency, intending to be a practicing physician for the rest of his life. But in 1984, he heard about the need for a volunteer doctor in Nepal, and answered the call. His experience there changed the course of his life forever.
Duke was the only doctor at a 36-bed hospital in Himalayan Nepal for four months. Sometimes, he was forced to operate by flashlight because the electricity was not always reliable. Resources were so scarce and conditions so primitive he often performed three different roles in one operation: anesthesiologist, surgeon, and nurse. Every day was a life and death challenge. Duke recalls his first caesarean was performed, "with the book propped open."
At the end of four months, Duke had a revelation as he was leaving Nepal. He realized that many of the problems he had treated were due to poor nutrition and poor sanitation. These were the root causes of many of the illnesses his patients faced every day. As a physician, he could treat one patient at a time, but to truly improve peoples' lives and living conditions, the Nepalese government needed to step in.
Similarly, in Honolulu or any city, county or town, Duke felt the local government must treat the root causes of its problems, not just the symptoms. Wanting to impact the lives of more people, Duke made a promise to himself to get involved in government when he returned to Hawaii.
GETTING INVOLVED
 Duke lived up to his promise when he returned to Hawaii by joining the staff of Senator Bertrand Kobayashi. His formal entry into politics came about when he served on the McCully-Moiliili Neighborhood Board. In 1990, he was elected to the State House of Representatives, representing the Kapiolani to Date Street to Waikiki areas. And, in 1994, he was elected to the Honolulu City Council, and served two terms, representing the area from Waialae-Kahala, to Palolo, to St. Louis Heights, to Kapahulu, to Waikiki.
A LEADER WITH BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
Duke plays an active role in some of his family's business interests, which has given him invaluable small business experience. In 1999, he expanded his formal education beyond medicine, graduating from the Western Regional Banking School. Thereafter, he served as Chairman of Diamond State Bank in Arkansas from 1999-2004. Early in his medical career, Duke designed, constructed, and managed two health clinics.
HAWAII IS HIS HOME
 Duke has lived in Hawaii and made it his home since 1980. He is committed to doing all that he can to help make it a better place for all who live here by staying involved in public service. Duke has been a licensed, practicing physician in Hawaii since 1980, and has been a member of the medical staff of the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children's Sex Abuse Treatment Center since 1987. He has also volunteered his medical services to victims of Hurricanes Iniki and Andrew, the Aloha Medical Mission, and the Chinatown Flu Shot program.
Duke is married to Jennifer Toma Bainum, who was raised on the Big Island and attended Salt Lake Elementary, and Moanalua Intermediate and High Schools.
25 years ago, I chose to make Honolulu my home forever. And today, my sense of connection to Oahu and the people of this City makes me feel as though I've always lived here. ~ Duke
A LEADER YOU CAN TRUST
 As a doctor, Duke took an oath to do no harm. He has lived by this pledge in his career as an elected official, as well. Duke has never accepted an illegal campaign contribution, and never been fined by the Campaign Spending Commission for accepting an illegal campaign contribution. In his four years in the State Legislature, and eight years on the City Council, Duke Bainum never violated ethics laws. He has a unique record of honesty, integrity, and making positive change happen in Honolulu.
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