Just a week ago, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye described Hollis Crozier and Gary Baldwin as “characters” who went to Washington and sold the senator the idea of a high-technology future for Kaua’i. Early Monday morning Crozier quietly passed away
Just a week ago, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye described Hollis Crozier and Gary Baldwin as “characters” who went to Washington and sold the senator the idea of a high-technology future for Kaua’i.
Early Monday morning Crozier quietly passed away at Wilcox Memorial Hospital, after suffering lengthy, multiple illnesses. He was 58.
He and Inouye over the years became close friends, and the senator visited Crozier and his wife Lorraine at their Wailua Homesteads home last week, said Ron Sakoda, a friend of Crozier’s who is also Inouye’s Kaua’i representative.
“They got to be personal friends, very close friends,” Sakoda said of the senator and Crozier. “He’ll be missed by plenty people. He had a special way.”
Inouye’s interest in helping to rebuild Kaua’i after Hurricane ‘Iniki which struck in September, 1992 sparked Crozier’s desire to get involved in securing federal funding for his home island, Sakoda said.
Crozier had a high-tech dream for Kaua’i, “and I hope he accomplished it,” said Sakoda, who worked with Crozier, Inouye, Baldwin and others to secure federal funds for the building of the first two phases of the West Kaua’i Technology & Visitors Center in Waimea.
Sakoda first met Crozier when Crozier was manager of the Kaha Lani condominiums near Wailua Golf Course and Lydgate Park, and watched him rise to island manager for Colony Resorts, while also working on the Po’ipu Sands and Po’ipu Kapili developments with Mel Ventura, Sakoda recalled.
Later, Crozier opened his own condominium-management business, which is when he became involved with the Hawai’i Visitors Bureau, Kaua’i Visitors Bureau and the Kaua’i Economic Development Board.
“Anyone who knows Hollis knows his passion,” said Sue Kanoho, executive director of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau. “He was a real go-to kind of guy,” one known to fix problems by bringing in all the pertinent players for a sit-down, or simply making the right phone call, Kanoho said.
“His fervor just amazed me. His tenacity was unbelievable. His blood, sweat and tears helped make phase one and phase two reality,” Kanoho said of Crozier’s work on the Waimea high-tech center.
In the business arena, he was equally tenacious. Crozier built what is now Cingular Wireless on Kaua’i, soon to become AT&T Wireless, into an island leader in cellular service.
His work paved the way for other cellular services to follow, resulting in Kaua’i having one of the highest per-capita use of cellular phones in the United States.
Crozier served as director and board president of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau, and the Hawai’i Visitors Bureau before KVB existed, and ended a lengthy run of service on the Kaua’i Economic Development Board, as officer and director, given the title chairman emeritus shortly before his death.
He was also a past president of the Hawai’i Hotel Association’s Kaua’i chapter.
Born William Hollis Crozier in Jonesboro, Ark., he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of the Ozarks.
After graduation, he left Arkansas for New York City, where he worked for deluxe-tour operator Tauck Tours. In 1968, Crozier arrived in Hawai’i as the director of Hawai’i operations for Tauck Tours, responsible for statewide operations.
He left Tauck Tours for Colony Hotels and Resorts, first as a condominium manager, and eventually as vice president of operations.
Advanced Management, Inc., Crozier Management Corporation, and Island Pacific Resorts were all founded and run by Crozier. After several years of successful operations, he sold the companies.
At that time, CyberTel Corporation was looking for a general manager for its Kaua’i cellular operations, and Crozier, whose expertise was the visitor industry, decided on a career change.
CyberTel was acquired by Ameritech in 1992, and Crozier continued his management position with the company when Ameritech was acquired by Southwestern Bell Company (SBC) in 2000. He retired in 2002 from Cingular Wireless, the joint venture of SBC and Bell South.
Expected to close in the second quarter of this year is a swap of wireless licenses that will give all Kaua’i Cingular customers to AT&T Wireless, in exchange for Cingular receiving wireless licenses in five Mainland states.
Crozier is survived by his wife, Lorraine “Sweetie;” son Keith; daughter-in-law Noel; and grand-daughter “Princess” Samantha Makena, of Portland, Ore. He is also survived by two brothers: Joe, Jr. (Wanda Lou) of Memphis, Tenn., and Alfred (Judy) of Houston, Tex.; and a sister, Dorothy Wright Spillman, of Plano, Tex.
Friends may visit with the family this Friday, May 2, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Borthwick Kaua’i Mortuary Chapel in Koloa. The family suggests casual attire.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
