Fall 2024

Dr. Daniel W. Y. Kwok (1932-2024)

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Emeritus Professor 郭颖颐 Daniel W. Y. Kwok.

Daniel W. Y. Kwok was born in Shanghai, China, in 1932. His father, Tak-Wah Kwok, was an official in the Republic of China’s Shanghai Foreign Office during the turbulent years before the Communist takeover. His father studied political science at the University of Washington, Harvard, and Cambridge. His mother, Grace Wong, came from a Shanghai Episcopalian family and was educated at Oberlin College and the New England Conservatory of Music and performed as a concert pianist before marriage. Since his father’s work focused on the defense of Shanghai, the family was acutely aware of the social and political issues of the times and of the impending disaster. In the 1930s, they traveled often to Hong Kong and the interiors of China.

Daniel left Hong Kong to attend Brown University (BA 1954, History), where he met his wife Nancy Campbell Kwok (Pembroke, BA 1954, French Literature). He then attended Yale University where he earned an MA in Far Eastern Studies (1956) and a PhD in History (1959). He was a lecturer at Yale from 1957-1959, during which time he and Nancy brought their two children, Alison and Theodore, into the world. At Knox College (1959-1961) he introduced new courses on Asia. During these early years his homesickness for China led him to a lifelong interest, in experimenting and cooking Chinese food, to achieve just the right tastes from his childhood memories.

He joined the faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi in 1961 where his principal field was the history of Chinese thought. His broad-ranging scholarship, teaching, and sphere of influence helped shape the history and humanities curriculum at UH Mānoa to include Asia-Pacific historical realities through various programs, courses, and university engagements. Throughout his prolific academic career, he advised and graduated a large number of students pursuing PhD and master’s degrees in Chinese history. A staunch believer in both undergraduate and graduate education, he regularly taught large core curriculum courses such as World Civilization, as well as smaller seminars, and supervised numerous graduate dissertations and theses.

Aware of the crucial role journalists play in informing the public about Asia, he notably created and mentored a fellowships program for mid-career journalists established at the University of Hawaiʻi in 1974. The 160 graduates of the program can be found on many major US newspapers and virtually every US news bureau in East Asia. Last, but not least, many past and current Center for Chinese Studies faculty were frequently invited as guest-speakers of the truly remarkable and meaningful program.

Daniel Kwok retired in 1997 and resided in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He enjoyed his family, especially his grandchildren Anne and Alisa, friends, the delights of life, and correspondence with many journalists and former students who will always remember him fondly.

Today, the Daniel W. Y. Kwok endowment continues to support the great value that he placed on history education and Asia-Pacific. You can read more about his amazing life on his personal website.

Our condolences and warmest aloha go to his son Ted Kwok and his family.