Back to Hawaii News index

Posted: Monday, February 28th, 2005 5:30 AM HST

Former president of Punahou School, dies at 76

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) _ Former Punahou School president Roderick Fulton McPhee has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 76. Associates and community leaders are calling McPhee one of the architects of modern Hawaii education. During his 26-year tenure at Punahou, McPhee raised 40 (m) million dollars. He also launched a building boom on the 76-acre campus, with the construction or renovation of almost half the buildings. McPhee came to Hawaii in 1968 to take the helm at Punahou. The school was chosen in 1985 by President Reagan as one of six schools in the nation in the Exemplary Private School Recognition Project. McPhee came to Punahou from his position as superintendent of the Glencoe public school system in Illinois. Before that he spent four years as an assistant professor of education at Harvard Graduate School of Education and three years as director of the Advanced Administrative Institute, also at Harvard. He earned his doctorate in administration at the University of Chicago. (Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.)