{"id":232653,"date":"2026-04-21T13:05:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T23:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=232653"},"modified":"2026-04-21T15:29:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T01:29:45","slug":"in-memoriam-george-ariyoshi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/21\/in-memoriam-george-ariyoshi\/","title":{"rendered":"In memoriam: Former Gov. George R. Ariyoshi"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"George
Ariyoshi receiving the East-West Center’s Asia Pacific Community Building Award in 2010 (photo credit: East-West Center)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former Hawaiʻi<\/span> Gov.<\/abbr> George R. Ariyoshi died on April 19, 2026, at the age of 100. As Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s third and longest-serving governor (1973–1986), and the first Asian-American elected to a governorship in U.S.<\/abbr> history, Ariyoshi left an indelible mark on both the nation, state and the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"Ariyoshi
Ariyoshi, fifth from the right, and Chief Justice William S. Richardson, sixth from the right at the groundbreaking for the William S. Richardson School of Law in 1981 (photo credit: Miyamoto Photograph Collection, Archives & Manuscripts Department, 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ariyoshi\u2019s connection to 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> began early in his academic journey—he attended 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa before transferring to Michigan State University. In 2009, he was named a distinguished 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> alumnus. He received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa in 1986. Throughout his remarkable career in public service, his leadership continually intersected with and championed the university\u2019s research and educational missions.<\/p>\n

‘Quietly and effectively’<\/h2>\n

His campaign slogan touted him as working “quietly and effectively” for Hawaiʻi<\/span>. During his time in office, Ariyoshi played a pivotal role in advancing critical health research at 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr>. He notably signed the legislation that created the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Tumor Registry<\/a>, working alongside former director Lawrence Piette. This foundational legislative support helped the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Cancer Center<\/a> grow into the world-class, NCI<\/abbr>-designated research institution it is today.<\/p>\n

\"George
Gov. George Ariyoshi signs legislation for the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Tumor Registry with former director, Lawrence Piette.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ariyoshi\u2019s visionary approach to international relations laid the groundwork for expanding 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr>‘s global academic footprint. Drawing on his family\u2019s roots, he spearheaded the creation of the Hawaiʻi<\/span>-Fukuoka sister-state relationship more than three decades ago—Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s first sister-state international relationship. This enduring diplomatic tie directly paved the way for system-wide international agreements between 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> and the Fukuoka-based Tsuzuki Education Group, enriching student exchange and collaborative research in fields such as sustainability, traditional medicine and disaster resilience.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on Ariyoshi\u2019s monumental impact, Gov. Josh Green said in a statement: “Governor Ariyoshi devoted his life to Hawaiʻi<\/span> with humility, discipline and an unwavering sense of responsibility to the people he served. He led our state during a pivotal moment with quiet strength and integrity, and his legacy as a trailblazer and public servant will endure for generations. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones.”<\/p>\n

Pacific connections<\/h2>\n

Ariyoshi also played a pivotal role in strengthening the East-West Center<\/a> (EWC<\/abbr>). In 1975, he worked with the Hawaiʻi<\/span> State Legislature to establish the center as an independent educational nonprofit corporation. He served as a member of its Board of Governors from 1995 to 2003, including six years as chair.<\/p>\n

\"Ariyoshi
Ariyoshi welcomed new 糖心Vlog官方 regents in his office in 1973 (photo credit: Miyamoto Photograph Collection, Archives & Manuscripts Department, 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

EWC<\/abbr> Board of Governors Chair John Waiheʻe<\/span> served as Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s lieutenant governor under Ariyoshi from 1982 to 1986 before succeeding him as governor.<\/p>\n

“George Ariyoshi was a leader of deep integrity and vision who understood the importance of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s connections across the Pacific,” Waiheʻe<\/span> said in a statement. “His support for the East-West Center and the Pacific Islands Development Program reflected his lifelong commitment to bringing people together in pursuit of shared progress.”<\/p>\n

Ariyoshi is survived by his wife Jean, daughter Lynn, and sons Ryozo and Donn.<\/p>\n

\"George
Dedication of the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Biomedical Bldg, 1971 Credit: Miyamoto Photograph Collection, Archives & Manuscripts Department, 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Library
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ariyoshi advanced education, health research and global partnerships that continue to shape Hawaiʻi<\/span> today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":232665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[756,9],"class_list":["post-232653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-in-memoriam","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/manoa-ariyoshi1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232653"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232749,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232653\/revisions\/232749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}