The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Travel Industry Management (TIM) and TIM International, the school’s alumni association, will honor the 85th birthday of Chuck Yim Gee, emeritus dean and an industry giant, at an August 24 dinner and August 25 Sustainable Tourism Forum.
“Chuck has mentored and influenced hundreds of TIM alumni,” said Clyde Min, TIM International vice president and a Honolulu-based hotelier consultant. “He is the longest serving TIM dean, took TIM global by attracting international students and extending our educational outreach, and shaped tourism policies and education/training priorities.”
Gee served as dean of the TIM school from 1976 until his retirement in 1999 and was a UH regent from 2009–2015.
He was named to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gallery of Legends in 2014 for establishing an important human legacy for the worldwide travel industry through education, training and research. He received numerous awards, including the Award of Excellence for Tourism Education from the National Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China and PATA‘s Presidential Award and Grand Award for Individual Educational Accomplishment.
Forum on tourism sustainability
There will be two panel discussions at the public forum, set for 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 25, in George Hall room 227 on the UH Mānoa campus. The first forum is on sustainable tourism and the second is on current topics in tourism. Chef Colin Chung, a 1968 TIM graduate, will give a special presentation on his award-winning book, Kana Vinaka: Contemporary Island Cuisine.
For more information on forum, read the news release or contact TIM Dean Tom Bingham at (808) 956-7166 or bingham@hawaii.edu.
Fundraising dinner
The TIM school will hold a fundraising dinner honoring Gee’s 85th birthday on Friday, August 24, at the Pomaikaʻi Ballrooms in Iwilei.
Proceeds will create the C. Yim Gee Sustainable Tourism Research Fund. The vision for the research fund is to encourage TIM faculty and students to explore sustainable tourism as it affects Hawaiʻi and the Asia-Pacific region.
Cocktails and a culinary tasting reception run by students start at 5:30 p.m., and dinner and entertainment at 6:30 p.m.
Individual tickets start at $185, with theme-sponsored tables of 10 starting at $2,000. Reserve tickets or tables online.
For more information, contact Lee-Ann Choy at (808) 864-9812 or lee-ann@pacificrimconcepts.com.
