Wesley “Wes” T. Park, a former University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa dean and East-West Center vice president, passed away on July 14, 2019.
Park served in various capacities with UH Mānoa’s College of Continuing Education, capping a seven-year career there as dean in 1982. He then served as vice president of administration for the East-West Center from 1982–1989.
Park was best known in the business community as a local-style leader and turnaround expert. He served as CEO of Hawaii Dental Service and published two books, Lessons Learned On A Corner In Kalihi and Lessons Learned On Bishop Street.
Quintessential Wes Park advice can be found in a Hawaii Business 2004 article, “Local Style for Lolos: Should Lessons on Hawaii’s Complicated Cultural Landscape be an Elective Course or a Core Requirement?” Park said, “…when it comes to being a successful leader or businessperson, it all boils down to being effective at work and a good person, not an incompetent jerk.”
In 2005, Walter A. Dods Jr. (then chairman of the board of First Hawaiian Bank) wrote in his introduction to Lessons Learned On A Corner In Kalihi, “Wes has taught me a lot by example. This book teaches us all that a few well-chosen words can have power. Mahalo, Wes.”
