RICHARD KUI CHI LEE

Richard Kui Chi Lee was born on October 2, 1909 to For Seu and Lo Shee Lee in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was one of ten children in the family. He married the former Dorothy Elizabeth Culpepper of Louisiana on August 25, 1936. His second marriage was to Alavana Chang daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Chang on May 17, 1952.

He received his early education at Kaahumanu School and graduated from McKinley High School in 1927. He attended University of Hawaii 1927-29 and attended Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1930. He received his doctor of medicine from Tulane Medical School in Louisiana in 1933. He interned at Hotel Dieu Hospital in New Orleans from 1935-1936. Subsequently, he attended Yale University School of Public Health in 1936-1938 and received his doctorate in public health in 1938. His thesis was entitled "A Study of the Venereal Disease Problem in the Territory of Hawaii".

Dr. Lee was appointed Acting Director of the Bureau of Maternal and Infant Hygiene in 1936. In 1937 he was appointed Director of the Bureau of Crippled Children. He served as acting Director of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases from September 1937 to April 1938. He was with the Bureau of Tuberculosis from August to September 1938. He was Deputy Territorial Commissioner of Public Health from April 1936 and Acting Territorial Commissioner of Public Health at various times from 1937-1939. In 1943 he became Director of Public Health. In 1953 Dr. Lee was appointed President of the Territorial Board of Health by Governor Sam King. He had served as acting Health department chief after Dr. Charles L. Wilbar, Jr., his predecessor, had left that position.

In 1945 Dr. Lee took a leave of absence to study at New York Post-Graduate School for a year to study dermatology and syphilis. He was appointed to be Director of Hawaii's Department of Health in 1960. In 1962 he resigned from the Department of Health to be Director of the Public Health Department at University of Hawaii. Two years later when the Graduate School established the School of Public Health, Dr. Lee was appointed to serve as its first Dean, a position he held until 1968 when he retired. He then joined Straub Clinic to practice general preventive medicine. He was named Executive Director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii. When the Cancer Act of 1971 established Hawaii as one of fifteen sites in the country for comprehensive cancer research, Dr. Lee was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer for the Cancer Center of Hawaii.

During his career he served on many committees and commissions. In 1952 he was appointed consultant to the U.S. delegation to the U.N. special committee on information for non-self governing territories. He was appointed Chairman of the Hawaii State Committee on Aging by Governor Quinn in 1959. In 1960 he was appointed by President Eisenhower to the National Committee on the Selection of Physicians, Dentists and Allied Specialists for the Selective Service. He was appointed member of the National Health Resources Advisory Committee of the U.S. Office of Civil Defense Mobilization in 1961. He was asked to develop a program to assist Guam in teaching workers in the medical field. Dr. Lee toured Guam, Saipan and the Trust Territories to evaluate their problems prior to creating the program. In 1963 he was appointed President of the Health Facilities Planning Council of Hawaii. He was also a member of the State Commission on Children and Youth, member of the Advisory Committee on Adult Education, Honolulu Y.M.C.A. and Public Health Nursing, University of Hawaii.

Dr. Lee represented the United States and Hawaii in many national and international conferences on public health issues. Many trips and travels were made globally which created some negative comments concerning time away from his State position and the costs associated with the meetings which he ably represented the U.S. and the State Governments.

Dr. Lee attended many major meetings. In 1951he attended the 2nd International Poliomyelitis Conference representing the Hawaii Chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, 1952 the World Health Organization's (WHO) 3rd Western Pacific Regional Committee Conference in Saigon, French Indo-China as observer from the Territory of Hawaii and Adviser to the U.S. delegation to the conference. He was able to review the medical needs of what was later called Vietnam. In 1953 he attended the Western Pacific Region of the WHO Conference as a delegate in Tokyo. In 1954 he attended the State and Territorial Public Health Officials at Bethesda, Maryland, 5th annual WHO meeting in Manila as one of two delegates from the U.S. In 1955 he toured Korea, Formosa, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya and Indonesia as representative of the International Educational Exchange Program of the U.S. State Department to encourage democratic forces abroad and correct misconception about the U.S. In 1956 he attended the State and Territorial Health Officers meeting in Washington, D.C. followed by attendance of a meeting of the American Public Health Association in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1956 he led the three member U.S. delegation to the WHO meeting of the Western Pacific Region in Manila. In 1957 he attended the WHO Conference in Switzerland. In 1957 he was Committee Director at the 96th annual conference of State and Territorial Health Officers in Washington, D.C. where he was named Chairman of the Hospital and Mental Health Committee. In 1957 Dr. Lee attended the American Public Health Association meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Western Pacific Regional Meeting of WHO in Hong Kong.

In 1958 he attended the WHO Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the 9th Western Pacific Regional Meeting of WHO in Manila. In 1959 he attended the 12th WHO Geneva Conference as the "Roving Assistant"to Dr. Leroy Burney, U.S. Public Health Service Surgeon General and former President of WHO. In 1960 he attended the annual meeting of the Association of State Health Officers in Washington, D.C. During that meeting he conferred with President Eisenhower on International health. He attended the annual American Public Health Association as well as the State Provincial Health Authorities of North America meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1960 Dr. Lee attended the annual meeting of the State Health Officers and the American Public Health Association in San Francisco, California, the WHO Western Pacific Regional meeting in Manila where he was elected Chairman, and the Western Mental Health Council Meeting in Juneau, Alaska as Hawaii's representative. In 1961 he attended the 14th WHO Assembly in India, 4th annual meeting of the Western Council on Mental Health Training and Research in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1964 he attended the WHO meeting in New Guinea, and was the U.S. delegate to the 15th WHO Western Pacific Regional Conference in Manila. In 1965 he attended a conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania and served on the task force studying professional medicine and public health schools following attendance at the White House Conference on Health held in Washington, D.C. In 1966 he attended WHO meeting in Taiwan. In 1968 he was appointed to serve on temporary active duty with the Bureau of Health Manpower National Institute of Health in Arlington, Virginia, and aslo in 1968 Dr. Lee attended WHO Western Pacific Regional Committee meeting in Manila and was Chief of the U.S. delegation.

He was a lecturer on Public Health Administration at the University of Hawaii from 1937-1939, Public Health Nursing at U.H., Communicable Diseases for student nurses at Queen's Hospital 1937, Tulane University and presented papers at Yale University Department of Health.

Dr. Lee received many honors during his lifetime including: 1958 Pacific and Asian Affairs Council honored him for his outstanding contributions in relations between the U.S. and the people of Asia and the Pacific 1960 presented the Pfizer Merit Award for outstanding contributions to the non-military defense effort of the nation 1961 Hawaii State Senate honored him for his national and international recognitions to public health programs and twenty five years of government service 1962 recognition by the Honolulu Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration 1963 presented the Crumbine Award from the Paper Cup and Container Institute for being one of two outstanding public health workers in the U.S. 1973 honorary degree awarded by Tulane University 1979 on the occasion of the State's 20th year in statehood the Star Bulletin honored him for his work and achievements 1984 Sertoma International Club recognized him for his work in the health field. 1982 the University of Hawaii in observance of its 75th year recognized him as one its distinguished graduates.

Dr. Lee was a member of the Honolulu County Medical Society, Hawaii Medical Association, American Medical Association, Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, American Public Health Association and served as a member of the Governing Council; Hawaiian Academy of Science and was President in 1965, Board member of the Mental Health Association of Hawaii, Consultant to the Oahu Health Council and Trustee for Leahi Hospital.

Dr. Lee was associated with the Community Chest, member of the Civil Defense Agency, a member of the Public Health Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Honolulu, Medical Director for the U.S. Public Health Service Reserve, official of the American and Western Public Health Association and Western Mental Health Council of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in 1960. He was with the Office of Civil Defense Mobilization and sat on the Policy Committee and Board of Directors for the National Citizens Committee of WHO. In 1961 he became Vice-President of the American Public Health Association. He also served on the Presidential Task Force which surveyed health conditions in Vietnam in 1952. He served on the Cancer Center of Hawaii Advisory Board in 1981. Dr. Lee also served on the Advisory Committee of Occupational Therapy Association, American Social Hygiene Association and Honolulu Council of Social Agencies.

He was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, Delta Omega, a Master Mason, a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner. He was a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Medical Reserve Corps. He was licensed in Hawaii and Board Certified in Public Health in 1935.

Dr. Lee's mother was honored as Chinese Model Mother of the year in 1959. One of his brothers was former State Senator Herbert K.H. Lee.

He was an avid tennis player and played doubles weekly until his health did not allow him to do so.

Dr. Lee died in Honolulu and was survived by his second wife, Alavana, and two daughters from this marriage, Laurel Kathleen and Jennifer; and Ann, an adopted daughter from his first marriage to Virginia Gail.

Medicine in Hawaii: Oral History Series

In Memoriam Index