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A descendant of the missionary families of G. P. Judd and J. W. Smith and the great-grandson of Hawaiian monarchy officials Henry A. P. Carter and Judge Alfred S. Hartwell, Paul Lawrence Wysard was born in 1936 to Paul and Martha Hartwell Wysard. He was raised in the family home in Manoa when the valley was semi-rural, a landscape that featured three dairies, pastures, and several small farms which produced flowers and vegetables and minded chickens and pigs.He attended and graduated from Punahou School, where he played football, baseball, and served on the Student Court. After graduating in 1954, he attended Dartmouth College, where he majored in History, was active in creative writing classes and clubs, played varsity football, was elected president of his fraternity, and became a member of the Sphinx Senior Honor Society. During the summers of his college years, he served as a seaman on Young Brothers tow-boats, working both inter-island trips and in Honolulu harbor. Those full summers usually afforded some time with friends for fishing and hunting in island valleys, such as Kalalau and the more remote Wailau and Waimanu.
Following graduation from Dartmouth in 1958 and a tour of active duty as an Army Reserve Infantry Officer, he returned to Honolulu. Statehood had just been formalized when he started work towards his Master's Degree in History at the University of Hawai'i. In June 1960, he married Jan Priest of Maui and the couple moved to Punahou School, where he began a career of 35 years as a teacher, coach, dean, and Vice President and Treasurer.
After retirement, the Wysards lived in Olinda, Maui for more than ten years, during which time he taught classes in History and Economics at Seabury Hall, St. Anthony High School, and the University of Hawai'i-Maui while Jan devoted much of her time to landscape painting and to the development of their home and property. They also traveled extensively and visited countries such as Ireland, Italy, China, Indonesia, and New Zealand, just to name a few.
Community involvement was another aspect of his adult life. He was a past president of the Hawaiian Mission Houses and Society, was a former chairman of Maui's Hale Makua Foundation, served terms as a board member of the Pacific Club, and was a retired trustee and treasurer of the Anne Strong Foundation.
Additionally, he was a dedicated fan and student of baseball from his pre-teen years to the very end of his life. He published articles and columns on the game and its players in The Sporting News, The Maui News, and for the Society of Baseball Research.
He is survived by Jan, his wife of 60 years, sons Jay of California and Lon of Honolulu, two daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, five nieces and nephews, and a sister, Cordie Pearce, also of California.
Private services were held. Memorial donations by those interested could be made to the Hawai'i charity of one's choice.
Arrangements Provided By: Oahu Mortuary
