In Memoriam: Stuart Ho ’57, former CMC trustee and distinguished alumnus

Stuart Ho '57 In Memoriam headshot

Stuart T. K. Ho ’57, a former CMC trustee and influential figure in Hawaii business, public service, and politics, died on July 26, 2025 at the age of 89.

Ho earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from CMC in 1957. He credited his father, Chinn, a titan in Hawaii business who broke the glass ceiling for Asians in boardrooms, with providing important opportunities for education. After CMC, Ho served in the military as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army before attending University of Michigan Law School and returning to his home state of Hawaii to start a business career.

As noted by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in its obituary for Ho, he followed in his father’s footsteps as CEO of Capital Investment of Hawaii, and served on a variety of boards, including Aloha Airlines, Bank of Hawaii, Gannett Co., Pacific Resources, and the College Retirement Equities Fund. Ho also entered the political arena as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1966-1970, including his role as Majority Floor Leader in 1968. 

He expanded his interests into health care, helping to found REHAB Hospital of the Pacific, and in retirement, stayed “busier than ever” as a volunteer state president of AARP Hawaii. In 2011, Ho told Generations Magazine that his volunteer work was guided by making Hawaii a “better place” so health care and long-term care could be “more affordable and accessible.”

“The Ho family has meant a lot to Hawaii, going back three generations now,” said Jeff Arce ’80, who lives in Honolulu and is a friend of Stuart’s son, Peter. “Stuart exemplified the CMC educational experience and is a prime example of the leaders it develops. He was a leader not only in his chosen career but in the community at large. I was honored to know him.”

Throughout his decades as a business leader, Ho contributed to a variety of CMC initiatives and scholarships, including one named after his father. He was an active member of the CMC Alumni Association, a member of the President’s Advisory Council, and in 1976, was named the recipient of the George C. S. Benson Distinguished Achievement Award, the highest honor granted by the CMCAA. 

In a sampling of recent Class Notes submissions to CMC Magazine, Ho wrote about the pride he had for his children and “the grandkids, who I love spending time with.” He also reflected on his four years at CMC, noting that he perhaps had “too much fun” while playing bridge, skiing Mt. Baldy, and being a member of the Tortugateers. Academic highlights were also plentiful, including a notable constitutional law class with Professor Gerald Jordan, whom he cited as one of his favorite teachers. Ho joked that Professor Jordan’s class “was my first encounter with Socratic teaching and the shock of circular answers (was) an experience so strange and yet so satisfying that it sucked me into law school for more self-flagellation.”

John Devereux ’57 remembered Ho as a “close friend and class leader” who excelled academically, especially as a writer. While Ho and Devereux shared bonds starting in 7th grade as classmates at Punahou School in Honolulu—and of course, later at CMC—they connected deeply over their ROTC and military service.

“We were both distinguished military graduates, and Stuart was very proud of that time in his life,” Devereux said. “He was an outstanding person, liked by everyone. When in Honolulu, Stuart and his lovely wife, Elizabeth, would host my wife, Lee, and me, along with other Punahou classmates. He was always so gracious and giving.”

Ho is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; his son, Peter; daughters Cecily L. Sargent and Cynthia Merlin; his siblings Dean Ho, Karen Hong, Robin Lee and Heather Lee; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Thomas Rozwadowski and Anne Bergman

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