Accounting scholarship honors Hawai‘i accountant Manny Sylvester

Marge and Manny Sylvester

Accounting firm Accuity LLP and accounting faculty at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business joined forces to establish a $50,000 endowed scholarship in honor of Manuel “Manny” R. Sylvester, former managing partner of Coopers and Lybrand.

Accuity LLP contributed $35,000, with the balance coming from individual donations from accounting faculty. The gift will be used to fund scholarships at the School of Accountancy in the Shidler College of Business.

Sylvester’s efforts were instrumental in the creation of the School of Accountancy, where he served as advisory board chair for many years. He and wife Marge also established the Marge Sylvester Scholarship Fund to provide tuition aid for accounting students.

“Manny had the foresight to understand the importance of having a strong accounting program, as well as a supportive accounting community,” says Hamid Pourjalali, director of the school. “He played an important role in helping the school expand its accounting program, gain community support, and recruit talented and diverse faculty from the mainland. This scholarship is our way of honoring his legacy at the school.”

More on Manny Sylvester

Sylvester grew up in Kalihi as part of a large family of 14. He learned early on that a good education would be the key to his success. With hard work and determination, Sylvester put himself through Saint Louis High School and UH Mānoa by working part-time at the Piggly Wiggly grocery store. In 1952, he earned a UH accounting degree, joined the military service and received his CPA certification four years later.

Sylvester began his career with the accounting company Baker and Gillette, which later merged with Coopers and Lybrand. In 1978, he became the managing partner of the offices of Coopers and Lybrand in Hawai‘i. After working 50 years in the accounting profession and mentoring many, Sylvester retired in 1992 and moved with his wife to Incline Village, a retirement community in Lake Tahoe, which they helped to establish. In 2015, he and his wife returned to Honolulu to be near their family.

Learn more about the Shidler College of Business School of Accountancy.