Dr. Whitlow W.L. Au, PhD, 79, of Kailua, HI, died at his home on February 12. Dr. Au is considered the preeminent world expert in the echolocation of dolphins and whales. Born in Honolulu, HI in 1940, Dr. Au graduated from St. Louis High School in 1958, earned a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1962 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, followed by a MS from Washington State University (WSU). He then served in the US Air Force as a scientist specializing in the study of radar signals. He returned to WSU for his PhD, graduating in 1970. He relocated to Hawaii in 1971 to join the U.S. Navy's Naval Undersea Center in Kaneohe, focusing on the study of dolphin biosonar, later transitioning to the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on Coconut Island. Dr. Au authored three books, including the seminal "The Sonar of Dolphins" (1993), edited three others, published 226 papers in the peer-reviewed literature, and served as President of the Acoustical Society of America. A devout Catholic, Dr. Au was also a leader of the Hawaii branch of the People of Praise, a nationwide ecumenical Christian community. He is survived by Dorothy, his wife of 53 years, as well as four children and 7 grandchildren. Wake: 5:30 pm on February 26 at Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary. Funeral service: Public viewing at 9:30am on February 27, followed by a eulogy at 10:30am and a Funeral mass at 11am, at St. John Vianney in Kailua. For those who would like to give a donation instead of flowers, Dr. Au was a longtime supporter of Praise Academy at Lakeside: https://www.praiselakeside.org/giving Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC
Dr. Whitlow W.L. Au, PhD, 79, of Kailua, HI, died at his home on February 12. Dr. Au is considered the preeminent world expert in the echolocation of dolphins and whales. Born in Honolulu, HI in 1940, Dr. Au graduated from St. Louis High School in 1958, earned a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1962 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, followed by a MS from Washington State University (WSU). He then served in the US Air Force as a scientist specializing in the study of radar signals. He returned to WSU for his PhD, graduating in 1970. He relocated to Hawaii in 1971 to join the U.S. Navy's Naval Undersea Center in Kaneohe, focusing on the study of dolphin biosonar, later transitioning to the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on Coconut Island. Dr. Au authored three books, including the seminal "The Sonar of Dolphins" (1993), edited three others, published 226 papers in the peer-reviewed literature, and served as President of the Acoustical Society of America. A devout Catholic, Dr. Au was also a leader of the Hawaii branch of the People of Praise, a nationwide ecumenical Christian community. He is survived by Dorothy, his wife of 53 years, as well as four children and 7 grandchildren. Wake: 5:30 pm on February 26 at Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary. Funeral service: Public viewing at 9:30am on February 27, followed by a eulogy at 10:30am and a Funeral mass at 11am, at St. John Vianney in Kailua. For those who would like to give a donation instead of flowers, Dr. Au was a longtime supporter of Praise Academy at Lakeside: https://www.praiselakeside.org/giving Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
