Attorney Ray Tam always regretted that his paternal grandparents passed away without leaving any record of their long and interesting lives, and thus resolved to leave his own story for his children and grandchildren. Working with biographer Lance Tominaga—author of the Clarence T.C. Ching biography A Prophecy Fulfilled—Tam pays tribute to the life lessons learned at alma mater Saint Louis School with his own book, A Saint Louis Man. Also greatly inspired by his father, who left school after the fourth grade to help support his family (“You will be what I cannot be!” he told Ray), Tam went from country town to big-city courtroom to the People’s Republic of China, in a career that included guiding a Hawai’i law firm employing some of the biggest names in Hawai’i law and politics, raising the bar in personal injury litigation, and establishing the China Program, a celebrated international effort which assists the Chinese in the drafting of their laws and the establishment of the Rule of Law in China.

This type of book can be created with the ‘Ohana Package or Professional Package, customized to have a hardcover with dustjacket.

A Saint Louis Man: The Story of Hawai‘i’s Ray Tam is available via our online store and at local bookstores.

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Judge Arthur S.K. Fong’s memoir, Judge Arthur S.K. Fong: Living A Life That Matters, takes its title from one of his favorite poems, “A Life That Matters.” Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. / It’s not a matter of circumstances, but of choice. / Choose to live a life that matters. “There are always periods of high and low moments in life,” Judge Fong observes. “In my professional life, we are proudest when tough problems are solved. I have lived and participated in the most dramatic, exciting time in Hawaiian history. Some of the records of what happened during those years are forever lost. Most of my contemporaries are now long gone, or their memories faded. I wanted my story to be written so my great-grandchildren and the generations to follow would have some insight into my involvement in Hawai‘i’s history.” Fong also credits the “constant, insistent prodding” of his eldest son, Peter, with motivating him to work with veteran biographer Jerry Burris to chronicle his life story.

After earning a law degree and a masters in business administration from the University of Michigan, Fong, the grandson of Chinese immigrants, went on to distinguish himself in the legal profession, imposing strict standards of professionalism upon himself and those around him. As a confidant of such leaders as Governors William F. Quinn, John A. Burns and George R. Ariyoshi, he helped guide the Islands into statehood and through the challenging years that followed.

This type of book can be created with the ‘Ohana Package or Professional Package, customized to have a hardcover with dustjacket.

Judge Arthur S.K. Fong: Living A Life That Matters is available via our online store and at local bookstores.

Cover and sample pages from the interior:

An avid philanthropist, Dods is donating all of his income from sales of his memoir to Aloha United Way.

Politics, business and community interests often collide in modern Hawaii. In a small island state, there is no way to avoid it. One man who stood at the intersection of these three waves throughout his career is banker Walter Dods Jr.

Dods was born in Honolulu just before Pearl Harbor, the first of seven children in a close-knit family that struggled to pay its bills. From those modest beginnings, Dods grew to play a role in the modern history of Hawaii. He helped to sustain a political dynasty through his work for the campaigns of Gov. George Ariyoshi and Sen. Dan Inouye. He built the state’s largest and most successful business, First Hawaiian Bank/BancWest Corporation. His focus on community service and charitable fundraising has helped to support a society too often fractured by the divide between an immigrant, plantation past and the more modern forces of contemporary America.

This memoir describes many of the steps – and occasional missteps – along the way and concludes with Dods’ observations on the nature of power and ways in which Hawaii’s next generation can find success while staying true to “local values.”

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run and endflaps added to the softcover.

Yes! A Memoir of Hawaii is available via our online store and at local bookstores.

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