The Frank Boas Endowed Fund
Overview
The William S. Richardson School of Law has established the Frank Boas Memorial Fund to honor Mr. Boas’ exceptionally generous spirit and legacy. His generosity has provided the Law School with several awards and has been a large factor in the success of WSRSL International Programs, including Pacific Asia Legal Studies (PALS) and the Master of Laws (LLM) Program. His generosity supports the Frank Boas Harvard Visiting Professor each January Term (J-Term), the Frank Boas Award for the outstanding Second Year Seminar paper on a Pacific Asian topic, and the Frank Boas Scholarship.
About Frank Boas
Frank Boas, was a philanthropist, successful lawyer, board member of the UH Foundation and numerous other non-profit boards, and global citizen. Originally from the Netherlands, Boas came to the U.S. when he was in grade school. He graduation from Harvard Law School in 1954 and went on to work as an international lawyer in Brussels in the 1960s. It was during this time that Boas’ philanthropy began when he had a flourishing law practice in Belgium, and had just been appointed to the Fulbright Commission. Initially in collaboration with his parents, he forged a partnership between the Commission and Harvard University to establish the ‘Boas Scholarships’ that bring students from the Benelux countries to Harvard for graduate work. Boas also served for many years on the Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Thereafter Boas built a vast network of global student exchanges, including supporting academic and cultural exchanges for Hawai‘i students by partnering with the Wo Center at Punahou School after he moved to Honolulu in the 1980s.
“Frank Boas was a one-man network – deeply interested in other people and in getting things done in a civilized way. He was an exceptional teacher by example and a great lawyer – one filled not only with ebullience but also with grace.”
Aviam Soifer, former richardson law school Dean and retired law professor