Loke Wan Tho

Datok' Loke Wan Tho, (b. 1913, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - d. June 20 1964, Taichung, Taiwan) was a prominent film entrepreneur who established the Cathay cinema, the first chairman of National Library Board, the first Asian chairman of Malaysian Airways, Chairman of the Malayan Nature Society and served as director in various companies.

Education
Early education: Victoria Institution
1929 : Chillion College, Montreux in Switzerland
1933 : King's College Cambridge, graduating in 1936 in English Literature and History.

Film entrepreneur
After his studies, Loke returned to Singapore in 1940. After the Second World War, Loke went about rebuilding the film business which his family had been involved in before the war began. Known as Cathay Organisation, the film business venture was founded in 1935 by his mother, a relative, Khoo Teik Ee and an Englishman, Max Baker with Loke as the fourth partner. Travelling to the United States and England in search for new facilities and equipment for his cinemas, Loke further expanded his chain of cinemas in 1948 to places such as Penang, Thailand and Borneo. In the 1950s, he further set up studios to produce films for his cinema chain, including Cathay-Keris which produced Malay films and Yung Hwa Studio which produced Chinese films.

Social contributions
Apart from his film business ventures, Loke was also active in other fields. He was not only the Chairman of Cathay Organisation and Malayan Banking at the time of his death, but was also the first Asian chairman of Malaysian Airways and director of large companies like The Straits Times. He also served as Chairman of the Malayan Nature Society and was Chairman of the first National Library Board from 1960 to 1963, and had accepted a second term of office for the period 1963 -1965.

Other interests
He was an active sportsman in his younger days, including being the school champion in athletics at Chillon College, noted as the Vand County long jump champion in UK, the badminton singles champion in London School of Economics.

His hobbies in photography and in birds are captured in several publications:
MacDonald, M. (1987). Angkor and the Khmers [with one hundred and twelve photographs by Loke Wan Tho and the author]. Singapore: Oxford University Press .
(Call no: R 959.6 MAC)

Loke, Wan Tho. (1958). A company of birds. London: M. Joseph.

Family
Father: Loke Yew, a renowned tycoon and philanthropist and a prominent member of the Chinese community. He gave generously to institutions such as the construction of Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore and the Hong Kong University.
Sisters: Loke Yuen Peng (Mrs Choo Kok Leong), Loke Yuen Peng (Lady Percy McNiece).

Loke Wan Tho died just six days after his 49th birthday when he and his third wife of nine months Mavis, were killed in an air crash in Taiwan.



Author
Michael Mukunthan



References
Lim, K. T. (1991). Cathay: 55 years of cinema. Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 791.43095957 LIM)

Biographies of prominent Chinese in Singapore (p. 11) [Microfilm: NL 10188]. [1950]. Singapore: Nan Kok Pub.

Singapore chronicles: A special commemorative history of Singapore (pp. 126-131). (1995). Hong Kong: Illustrated Magazine.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 SIN)

Celebrating 60 years of entertainment history. (1994, July 17). The Sunday Times, Special Supplement, p. 1. 



The information in this article is valid as at 1997 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Personalities>>Biographies>>Community Leaders
Loke Wan Tho, 1913-1964
Businessmen--Singapore--Biography
Motion picture industry--Singapore
Business, finance and industry>>Industry>>Leisure and entertainment

Librarian Recommendations
>> Cathay Building
>> Cathay-Keris Studio
>> Majestic Theatre


All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2005.