Bill Porter, the founder of E-trade was many things, including a cowboy, ex-Navy, MIT graduate, innovator, entrepreneur, father, husband, grandfather and great-grandfather. But to those who live on Kauai, he was a philanthropist that used his fortune to improve the community through organic farming, recreation and community and education. He passed away on Wednesday at his home in Princeville at 87 years old.
Bill lived a full life which started in Boulder, CO where he grew up on a ranch and learned about discipline and self confidence through his days riding horses. In high school, he dropped out of school to join the Navy but was too young at the tender age of 16. He re-enlisted when he was old enough and served a tour of duty.
His education included Mathematics & Physics degrees at Colorado Adam's State College & Kansas State University. He later gained his Masters at MIT where he earned his Master's of Business Administration as a sloan fellow. In 1982, he started E-trade which revolutionized stock trading by allowing individual investors to make their own trade. After the success of E-trade, he co-founded the International Securities Exchange. 30+ years after gaining his Masters at MIT, he retuned to MIT as a professor of entrepreneurship at the school he earned his Master's degree and donated $25 million to the Sloan School to construct the William A. Porter Management Center.
When asked about his contribution to MIT, Porter said, “My wife and I decided to give one major thing that would have significant meaning for humankind, and trying to leverage the Institute’s technological capability through entrepreneurship for the betterment of the human condition is it.”
When Bill moved to Kauai in 2004, he was 76 years old. Him and his wife Joan purchased 500 acres with a dream to use the land to give back to the community through arts, education, recreation and agriculture. When Bill and Joan purchased Wai Koa Plantation, the Stone Dam was hidden and not easily accessible to the public. It was there that his vision for Anaina Hou, or “a new gathering place" took shape.
Anaina Hou in Kilauea, which includes the Stone Dam that Bill loved so much, is also home to the 5 mile Wai Koa Loop trail, skate park, mini-golf course, playground, cafe/gift shop, nursery, park and ride lot, recycling center, bike rentals & farmers market.
If you've ever hiked the Wai Koa Loop trail, you'll see the fruit trees, mahogany groves and hydroponic greenhouses of Kauai Fresh Farms which sells organic greens and vegetables to the Kauai community on the Wai Koa Plantation. It is the first farm on the island to gain food-safety certification through the state Department of Agriculture.
When asked about Anaina Hou, Bill told The Garden Island, “It gives a place for the community to come together, and we’re very glad to do that."
E ho'omaha me ka maluhia and Mahalo Bill Porter for your contributions, time and love for this beautiful island we call home.