HONOLULU — The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa received a $2 million bequest from the estate of Clifford and Blanche Hee to expand their scholarship in honor of their sons, Thomas and Michael Hee. Both sons unfortunately predeceased their parents due to complications arising from Hemophilia.
“Thomas was an outstanding student and leader at the college and an inspiration to many people who knew him,” said Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. “Prior to the passing of Mrs. Hee in 2017, the couple made a commitment to honor their sons by committing their estate to fund The Clifford and Blanche Hee Endowed Scholarship in Honor of Thomas and Michael Hee. We are very grateful for this wonderful act of generosity to help other students achieve the same success as their sons.”
“Thomas and Michael Hee faced enormous challenges in life, but did not complain about their situation and instead, endeavored to be the very best that they could be. Although their lives were cut short, their parents have established scholarships to help deserving students facing challenges to complete their education and become contributing members of our community,” said Tony Ching, trustee and brother to Blanche Hee."
The Hees first established their endowed scholarship in 2002 in honor of their younger son Thomas Hee who was a Shidler College graduate. Through their support, the college has awarded scholarships to 11 students thus far. With this additional gift, the college will be able to impact more students with scholarships in the future. The estate has committed to annually funding the scholarship with $50,000 until the bequest is realized. In addition, the estate will fund the modernization and naming of the college’s Undergraduate Computer Room to further honor Thomas’ leadership and legacy.
Thomas Hee graduated in 1978 with a degree in accounting and management information system. During his academic career, Thomas co-founded the Management Information System (MIS) club and received the outstanding senior in management information systems award at Business Night. He enjoyed a successful career rising to vice president in the controller’s division at First Hawaiian Bank. Thomas selflessly served the community as president of the Ala Moana Jaycees and the MIS director of the Honolulu Marathon Association. He was a staunch advocate and volunteer for the Hemophilia Foundation. Thomas was also the founder and co-owner of Star Computer.
If you would like to learn how you can support UH students and programs like this, please contact us at 808 376-7800 or send us a message.
Left to right: Unyong Nakata, executive director of development, Shidler; Tony Ching, trustee and brother to Blanche Hee; Mr. Clifford Hee, Sharon Brown, president, FHB Foundation; Vance Roley, dean, Shidler; Bob Harrison, president & CEO, FHB.
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The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration, the college was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation's top graduate schools for international business by U.S. News. Long recognized for its Asia Pacific focus, the college is a professional school offering a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the state of Hawai‘i and Vietnam accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu.
The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students thrive in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit manoa.hawaii.edu and manoa.hawaii.edu/news. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/uhmanoa and Twitter www.twitter.com/UHManoaNews.
The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. www.uhfoundation.org
