PAGE ANDERSON / HONOLULU ATTORNEY
Integrity was hallmark of Harvard Law School grad
Page Anderson didn't preach.
He exemplified integrity and expected others to follow.
Page Anderson: After retiring, he became an advocate for "death with dignity"
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"He was one of those people who would go back to a store if a teller gave him too much change," said his son, Bruce. "That characterized his life. He was someone I always looked up to."
Anderson, a well-known attorney who served for more than 40 years at the firm his father helped start, died Oct. 13 at a Honolulu retirement home. He was 85.
Services are set for Wednesday at the Arcadia Retirement Center Chapel.
Anderson was born in the islands and attended Punahou School until his late teens, when he went off to a boarding school in Connecticut.
From there, he attended Yale University and pursued a bachelor's degree in English literature.
But his study was interrupted by World War II.
Anderson volunteered to join the Army and served in the Pacific, including Saipan, as a radio operator.
After the war, he finished his undergraduate education and then got into Harvard Law School. When he graduated, Anderson headed back to the islands and joined the firm where his father was a partner, specializing in property law and soon becoming an expert in Hawaiian history.
"He had a reputation in being very thorough," said his son, the former state Health Department director. "He never allowed hearsay to influence a decision."
Over Anderson's career, Anderson Wrenn and Jenks, where his father was a partner, became Goodsill Anderson Quinn and Stifel. The Anderson in the latter is Martin Anderson, who is not related to Page Anderson.
After he retired, Anderson became a vocal advocate for a variety of so-called "death with dignity" bills, testifying before state lawmakers and writing letters in local newspapers. "He was a very compassionate man and I think he was wanting to be sure that people didn't suffer and that they maintained their pride and dignity throughout their lives," his son said.
Anderson is survived by son Bruce, daughters Catherine and Mary Brown, sister Rosemary Blake, and five grandchildren.