Ralph Clifford Hook Jr 's Obituary
Dr. Ralph Clifford Hook Jr., life-long educator and former Dean of the University of Hawaii Graduate School Of Business died January 18, 2014. He was 90.
For more than 40 years, Hook dedicated his life to enriching the lives of thousands of students.
Hook was born May 2, 1923 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Educated in a one room school house, he was quickly identified as a promising student, athlete and thespian. He was an all-conference running back and track star at Lee’s Summit High, where he earned the nickname “Lana” for his curly blonde hair which resembled that of starlet Lana Turner.
Upon graduation from high school, Hook attended University of Missouri and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. During his second year of collage he was called to serve in the Army Artillery in World War Two. He became a field artillery spotter pilot earning the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.
After returning from the war, he resumed his education at University of Missouri. During this period he courted and married Joyce Fink. They wed on January 20, 1946 and remained together until his death. They had two sons.
Hook earned a BA and Masters from University of Missouri in 1948. He earned a PhD from the University of Texas in 1954. During his distinguished teaching career, he taught at the University of Missouri (1947-’48), Texas A & M University (1948-’51), Kansas City University (1953-’58) and Arizona State University (1958-’68).
In 1968 Dr. Hook was named Dean of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Hawaii, a position he held until 1974. From 1983-1988 he was the Chairman of the Marketing Department and was later named Professor Emeritus in Marketing.
Hook received numerous honors for his accomplishments and contributions over the years including Hawaiʻi Jefferson Award for Volunteerism in 2004, Junior Achievement Hawaiʻi Business Hall of Fame in 2000, Marketing Educator of the Year in 1998, and the Wayne A. Lemburg Distinguished Service Award from the American Marketing Association in 1995.
Hook’s other honors included serving as the Commandant of the U.S. Army Reserve School (Pacific) in Honolulu from 1974-1977 and advisor to Pi Sigma Epsilon, a national marketing fraternity, from 1974 until his retirement in 1995.
He is survived by wife Joyce of 67 years, sons Ralph C. Hook III, John G. Hook along with two grandsons and his three brothers, Oliver, James, and Harold.
He will be buried in the family plot in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
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