HONOLULU – Thanks to the generosity of The Michael J. Marks Foundation; The Cades Foundation; Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; and Mr. and Mrs. Daniel E. Stoller, the Michael J. Marks Distinguished Professorship in Business Law has been established at the William S. Richardson School of Law. This professorship honors Mr. Marks who died on October 5, 2010 in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. He moved to Colorado after retiring in 2003 as Vice President and General Counsel of Alexander & Baldwin.
“Michael J. Marks was a true friend of the William S. Richardson School of Law,” said UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw. “This professorship will fittingly honor his memory by helping prepare our law students for excellence in their service to our community.”
According to A&B, at the time of his retirement Mr. Marks was the longest serving general counsel among Hawai‘i’s publicly traded corporations. He was a prominent lawyer and business man and his 39-year legal career included 28 years with A&B and many years in private practice in Honolulu and New York.
“We hugely appreciate all that Michael Marks accomplished during his lifetime,” said Aviam Soifer, Dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law, “and it is a wonderful tribute to him that his former colleagues and friends have joined in such a fitting way to honor his memory.” Soifer continued, “This professorship underscores the Law School’s emphasis on keeping up with the latest insights and trends in business law.”
Gunner Schull, a director of The Michael J. Marks Foundation and The Cades Foundation, remembers Michael’s enthusiasm as a gourmet and his droll sense of humor. “A lifelong hobby, which began as a joke over Michael’s ample girth, resulted in Michael’s collection of more than 2,000 hippopotamuses from around the world in every conceivable medium, including wood, precious metal, papier mache, ceramic and paintings.”
Mr. Marks served on the boards of the Hawaii Opera, Honolulu Aquarium, Honolulu Zoological Society, the Arts Council of Hawaii and the Governor’s Council on the Ocean Center. He also served as a lecturer in law for a number of years in the College of Business Administration (currently the Shidler College of Business) and twice the students voted him Professor of the Year.