Stephen Hwa-Kuo Yeh

Stephen Hwa Kuo Yeh of Hawaii Kai, 89, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2021. He is survived by his loving wife Jeanne, sons Terence and Christopher, daughters-in-law Cheryl and Shino, and grandsons Harrison and Carter.

Stephen was born in 1932 in Beijing, China. In 1950, he came to the United States, with his parents and two brothers, to start college. He received a B.A. from San Francisco State University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from New York University. He was a Population Council postdoctoral fellow in demography at Princeton University. He started his teaching career at the McBurney School and Adelphi University in the New York City area and later at the University of Chicago. From 1966 to 1972, he conducted applied research at the Economic Research Center, University of Singapore, with Ford Foundation support. In 1973, Stephen joined the University of Hawaii at Manoa as a professor of sociology and professor of urban planning. He retired in 2011.

In addition to the academic career, Stephen spent much time consulting in low-income housing policy for governments in East and Southeast Asia, especially in Singapore, over many years. In 1970, the Singapore government awarded him The Public Service Star at an investiture ceremony. His other government consultancies include Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. He published four books on low-cost housing, one of which was translated into Japanese. Stephen also consulted for a number of international agencies on various aspects of social development. These include the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, WORLD COMMISSION on Culture and Development, Harvard Institute for International Development, and Canadian International Development Research Center. He was appointed Honorary Professor by Beijing Institute of Management in 1989.

The memorial service for Stephen will be held at Borthwick Mortuary on February 3, 2022.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.BorthwickOahu.com for the Yeh family.