Today we present three special sections commemorating the 50th anniversary of statehood.

One section looks at the rapid change that occurred in Hawai'i from 1959 to today in the areas of the economy, the military, Native Hawaiian affairs and pop culture. Another includes a timeline of events leading up to statehood and photos of local landmarks then and now.

The third will stir up the most debate as we selected the 50 people who most shaped Hawai'i. Compiling any such list practically invites disagreement and disappointment, so it's instructional to explain our criteria.

We assembled editors, staff writers and outsiders to look at those whose impact was felt over the past several decades. Many important and recognizable names were left off the list not because they didn't make a contribution but because they didn't establish the legacy that others had.

For example, Mortimer Feldman, who founded the Tori Richard clothing line, is not a household name but his legacy influenced a burgeoning fashion line. Vladimir Ossipoff designed many of the high-profile structures we see today. Waipahu-born William Patterson was the first president of United Airlines, which transformed air travel to Hawai'i.

The first 30 or so names came fairly easily but then the choices got difficult. At some point, we realized we had too many politicians and needed more areas to be represented, such as fashion, art, education, science, religion and the military. Two unusual choices were not individuals but groups — the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Outdoor Circle — because we could not pinpoint one individual to represent such important institutions.

Some of the names may be familiar and some won't be, but hopefully it will be fairly apparent why they were chosen.

"They are people, big and small, who made a lasting impact on the state and how it is viewed by the rest of the world," said Advertiser political columnist Jerry Burris, who helped develop the list. "In some cases, their impact was immediate and obvious. In other cases, it is only in retrospect that their contribution becomes clear."

Developing a final list, with the help of our readers, took several weeks with many revisions, but in the end, seemed solid to all of us.

Readers will let us know if they feel differently.