Benneth Lau, MD, Colonel(Ret)
US Army Veteran, Exemplary Volunteer, Philanthropist, Humanitarian
HMA Treasure #10

Treasure #10 is the son of one of the early pioneers of Adventist education in Hawaii.  His mother started teaching our school at a very young age when the school was actually called Bethel Grammar School in 1916.  In 1918, the General Conference of Seventh day Adventist appointed Mr. & Mrs. L. L. Hutchinson to Hawaii to take over the teaching duties but could not arrive until December.  It was Juliette Kaiuaola who is credited with keeping the school operating during this crisis.

On May 28, 1930, Treasure #10 was born to Luck Yee Lau and Juliette Kaiuaola in Honolulu, Hawaii and they named him Bennett after Floyd Bennett, pilot for Explorer Richard Byrd.  Bennett’s father worked as a dental technician in Honolulu and mother taught our schools until she retired in 1950.  Bennett is the last of four children, Francis Y. K. Lau, MD, Majella Lau Hsu, RN, and Virgil M. S. Lau, DDS. 

All of the Lau children attended Hawaiian Mission Academy and in 1947 Bennett graduated.  He attended La Sierra College in California and graduated in 1951 with a BA in Chemistry.  He entered medical school at College of Medical Evangelist (Loma Linda University) in Loma Linda, California and received his MD in 1955.  Bennett took his internship at the Los Angeles County Hospital and in 1956 was drafted into the US Army Medical Corps.

Bennett’s military career started in Buedigin, Germany.  In 1957 he was transferred to Munich Army Hospital in Germany then to Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco, California as a resident in general surgery.

On April 23, 1961, he married Yvonne Yip who at the time was working as a secretary at the Neurological Institute at the White Memorial Hospital. On completion of his general surgery residency, Bennett became the Hospital Comander of the 43rd MASH Hospital in Korea.   Bennett and his wife Yvonne moved to Frankfurt, Germany wher he was Chief of Surgery at the 97th General Hospital unitl 1966.

Bennett was transferred to Walter Reed Army General Hospital and completed is residency in Plastic Surgery in 1968.  He was then transferred to Honolulu where Bennett was the Chief of the Plastic Surgery Department at Tripler General Hospital until 1979 when Colonel Bennett Lau retired after serving our country for 23 years.

After retirement from the military he opened his private practice in Honolulu as a Plastic Surgeon.  He was also appointed Associate Professor in Clinical Surgery at the University of Hawaii John Burns School of Medicine.  In 1995, Bennett sold his practice and moved to Hong Kong where he and his wife volunteered their services at the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital.  Bennett worked as Vice President for Medical Affairs and Yvonne as secretary to the president of the hospital.

In 1997, Bennett once again tried retirement.  This did not last too long.  In 2001 they returned to Hong Kong.  Bennett accepted a position as Vice President for Medical Affairs at both the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital and Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital and Yvonne worked as the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Finance.

In 2005, they again retired this time to Carlsbad, California.  They have one daughter, DeeAnn, a Psychologist in Colorado.

Dr. Lau has spent a lifetime is service to others.  He spent many years as the church organist and choir director at Aiea Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hawaii.  He has received many awards including the HMA Alumni’s Abigail Kawananakoa and Ka Lamku awards.  His services to others have been recognized around the world.  In 2006, La Sierra University recognized Bennett as the Alumnus of the Year.

This HMA Treasure is an outstanding individual, an Army Veteran, an exemplary volunteer, a philanthropist, and humanitarian.