About

The Gromet Foundation was established by Ben Gromet in 1990 in memory of his late wife, Janice.

Ben was born in Vancouver, Canada, into a life of poverty.  His father was killed in an accident when he was a child and his mother passed soon after. He had no relatives other than an older sister who was unable to help him.  

At the age of twelve, having no other options, Ben left school and signed on as a cabin boy on an ocean-going freighter. He spent his adolescent years at sea and along the way managed to self-educate himself.

Despite his humble beginnings, Ben never stopped learning.  He had a relentless curiosity and a first-class analytical mind.

After World War II, Ben settled in Honolulu as a Parker Pen salesman on military bases in Hawaii.  Over the years he became an extremely successful real estate operator and developer in Hawai’i.

Ben and his wife unfortunately did not have any children.  After his wife passed away, Ben decided to use his fortune to help children from Hawai’i who were in circumstances similar to his own when he was a child.  He always said the best way out of poverty was education.  

To accomplish his goal, Ben set up The Gromet Foundation with the help of his good friend Chuck Rolles and his good friend and lawyer, Jim Stubenberg.  

Ben passed away in 1993 but he lived long enough to see the Foundation help deserving students from Hawai’i.