Retired international lawyer and longtime University of Hawaii supporter Frank Boas died Saturday in Honolulu, said Avi Soifer, dean of the UH William S. Richardson School of Law. Boas was 82.
"For the law school it’s a tremendous loss, and we’re not alone in that," Soifer said. "He was extremely helpful and supportive across the community. The other most palpable thing about his loss is the realization we’ll never have his cheerful presence and wisdom. He could solve problems with remarkable skill, and he was always looking ahead. He was a true internationalist and a model for us all."
Born in Amsterdam, Boas moved to the United States with his family at the age of 10. After graduating from a private New Jersey high school, he attended Harvard University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1951 and Juris Doctorate in 1954.
He served in the Office of Army Staff Judge Advocate General in Paris before working as an attorney in the Office of the Legal Adviser for the U.S. State Department for two years.
In 1959 he opened a private practice in Brussels in international law, later opening offices in London and Washington, D.C.
Having traveled to Hawaii in the 1970s for his work with the Dole agricultural company, Boas moved to Hawaii with his wife, Edith, after retiring from active practice in 1979. Edith Boas died in 1992.
In the islands he was known as a philanthropist and an active member of the community.
"I think of him as a sincere philanthropist, a great supporter of the community, just someone with very broad interests," said East-West Center President Charles Morrison, who knew Boas for nearly 30 years. "I don’t know how he decided to come to Hawaii, but when he came here he wanted to make a difference and he did."
Boas was involved in a number of organizations, including the Honolulu Academy of Arts and East-West Center, championed autonomy from the government in the appointment of UH Board of Regents members, and helped create and fund several programs at the UH law school, Soifer said.
In 2004, Boas received the Jefferson Award, a national award that honors individuals for outstanding community and public service, and received several awards from the Belgian government. He continued to fund two scholarships his parents had endowed and named after him for graduate study at Harvard.
"He was an optimist," Soifer said. "He remained optimistic about the state of the world and had faith in the next generation. He was particularly involved with the next generation in Hawaii.
"In a quiet way he was a leading citizen. Unless you knew him, you had no idea of all that he did."
