Lynn Hogan, who with her husband Ed built Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays into one of the country’s largest and most successful travel companies, passed away Nov. 24 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. She was 92.
“The employees of Pleasant Holidays are deeply saddened by the loss of one of the company’s founders, Lynn Hogan,” said Jack Richards, president and CEO of Pleasant Holidays. “We honor her legacy as a pioneer in the West Coast to Hawaii tourism market over 61 years ago by continuing to grow the Pleasant Holidays brand globally.”
Lynn did not start out in travel. After earning a degree in graphic arts from Brooklyn’s prestigious Pratt Art Institute, she worked in advertising and as a flight attendant. In 1951, she married Ed, her high school sweetheart, and joined Walt Disney Studios, where she worked on the animated feature “Peter Pan.”
In 1959, when Hawaii became the 50th state, Lynn and Ed used $10,000 in savings to open Pleasant Travel Service, a small travel agency in Point Pleasant, N.J. Because of Ed's connections to Hawaii, the company began to specialize in tours to the islands, which precipitated a move to the West Coast to better serve the Hawaii market. It was there they adopted the Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays name.
Their business would grow dramatically over the next four decades as Pleasant expanded to serve destinations around the world, ultimately generating more than $500 million a year in sales. In serving Hawaii, the Hogans also operated successful charter flights, owned seven hotels and employed more than 3,500 people — and brought millions of visitors to the Hawaiian Islands. By 1985, Pleasant was responsible for roughly 10% of visitor arrivals.
In 1998, the Hogans sold Pleasant Holidays, LLC to the Automobile Club of Southern California. That same year, Lynn and Ed established The Hogan Family Foundation, a non-profit that has gifted more than $100 million to educational and humanitarian causes throughout the U.S. in the pursuit of building a more productive and contributory society.
Considered a true pioneer in the travel industry, Lynn was recognized with industry awards that include being named to the American Society of Travel Agents Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Travel Industry Association (TIA) Hall of Leaders in 1999, as well as selected as one of Tour and Travel News’ 25 Most Influential Executives in the Tour & Travel Industry in 1995.
She was also active in the community, where she was recognized with the IFAW Animal Action Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2007, the Lifetime Achievement for the Arts Award by the Alliance of the Arts in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in 2012 and selected Woman of the Year by the Greater Conejo (Calif.) Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2016.
Lynn Hogan is survived by her husband Ed, their four children Brian, Christine, Gary and Glenn, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and her brother George. This year, Ed and Lynn would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Private services were held in Los Angeles in early December.
