(Honolulu, Hawaiʻi) — The Honolulu Community College recently received the historic Norman Loui Estate Gift of over $3 million. In recognition of this historic and transformational gift, the UH Board of Regents approved the renaming of the Kapalama Media Conference Center to the Norman W.H. Loui Conference Center. An intimate, dedication ceremony honoring the life and legacy of Norman Loui will be held December 1st, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Honolulu Community College. The gift is the largest single donation to a UH community college through the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, the university's private, nonprofit partner in fundraising.
Norman W. H. Loui was perhaps best known as one of the Loui brothers who owned Hawaiian Rent-All. Born and raised in Manoā, Norman attended Roosevelt High School. After winning the grand prize for a carpentry cabinet he built in school, he was inspired to study carpentry at Honolulu Community College. Norman furthered his studies in Chicago at DeVry Electronics Institute. The local boy then went on to work behind the scenes in electronics at several Chicago broadcast stations before rounding out his Chicago stint at Webcor Manufacturing, where he repaired tape recorders.
Returning home, Norman joined forces with his brother Gordon to open United Rent-All which subsequently became Hawaiian Rent-All, Honolulu's largest equipment rental company for more than 40 years. Norman's specialty during that time was to obtain spare parts to keep the rental equipment running, maintaining the inventory and purchasing the latest and greatest equipment to rent. After selling the business in 2003, Norman "retired" and was able to devote more time to his collection of 25 mostly Japanese motorcycles and scooters and his love for fishing.
Shortly before Norman W. H. Loui passed away on April 21, 2006 at the age of 65, his last wish was to create a gift of hope for future generations of students at his alma mater, Honolulu Community College. Today, his generosity provides financial support for students enrolled in the college's technical and trades programs.
UH President David McClain said, "The Loui Family legacy, and this deserved homage to Norman Loui, will benefit Honolulu Community College and the State of Hawaiʻi for years to come. I want to thank the Loui family not only for this special gift but also for the generosity they have has shown our institution over many years. They are truly helping UH create the future for the people of Hawaiʻi."
"We are grateful to the Loui Family for their extraordinary investment in the community colleges. Our core mission is providing access to higher education and training for Hawaiʻi's people. Private giving expands our resources and is crucial to providing the margin of success for our students, faculty and programs. The generosity of donors like Bernice and Norman Loui helps us to enhance access for students and better develop Hawaiʻi's workforce."
John Morton, Vice President for Community Colleges.
The Loui Family has a long history of supporting the Hawaiʻi community, and creating legacies at UH. Norman's mother, Bernice Char Loui, who, like UH, is enjoying her 100th year of life, has been a key investor in UH. Born in 1907, Bernice Char Loui was the sixth of nine children in a family that struggled financially. Her family did not have enough money to send her to college so it is this experience that led to her determination to support education for others. "I'm interested in giving because I didn't have the chance to go to college and it was pretty rough trying to get an education." Bernice Char Loui
In 1987 Bernice Char Loui, endowed the School of Travel Industry Management with a computer laboratory in memory of her late husband, Leong Hop. She also contributed to the creation of a student exchange program between the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and five similar schools in China.
Additionally, she has contributed generously to the Kapiolani Community College culinary education program as well as to KCC's Char Asian-Pacific Study Room named in honor of her late brother and sister-in-law, Tin Yuke and Wai Jane Char. In 1999 she became interested in the School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology and contributed to student scholarships in the Global Environmental Sciences Program and a Heʻeia fishpond class. In June 2005 Bernice endowed the UHM John A. Burns School of Medicine with a clinical skills room to help educate and train future physicians.
The Loui and Char families have supported UH programs and impacted the lives of countless students over the years. Today, with the Norman Loui Estate gift, they are making history with this gift, the largest in community college history, and the lead gift to date, supporting the community colleges during the Centennial Campaign.
"I want to thank Bernice Loui and the Loui family for their commitment to increasing access to public higher education in Hawaiʻi. Through endowed gifts which provide sustainable, renewable funding, our public universities and colleges are able to fulfill their critical mission in our community."
UH Foundation President Donna Vuchinich
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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.
