BEMIDJI — Like many youngsters who grew up in Bemidji during the 1950s and '60s, Steve DeKrey remembers enjoying an idyllic childhood.

But it was the one year his family spent in Hawaii that opened his eyes to a bigger world and led to an accomplished career in education around the globe.

DeKrey, 72, is nearing the end of that career. His current title is senior advisor, professor emeritus of management and honorary fellow at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Business and Management. He and his wife, Veronica, have homes in her native Hong Kong, and on Lake Movil near Steve's hometown.

The DeKrey family spent the 1967-68 school year in Hawaii, where dad Don was on leave from his position as a psychologist with Upper Mississippi Mental Health and adjunct prof

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