Almost a quarter-century after his death, Clarence T.C. Ching's name is becoming more prominent, especially in the areas of Hawai'i education and athletics.

Ching, a former student-athlete at Saint Louis School who went on to become a prominent Honolulu real estate developer and philanthropist, died in 1985 but his charitable foundation has since donated millions of dollars toward educational and athletic programs.

The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation kicked off the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association's "SOS" campaign in July to support public school athletics with a $200,000 contribution, and now it has donated 15,000 copies of Ching's biography, "A Prophecy Fulfilled," to all high schools statewide to sell as a fundraiser for their athletic programs.

Schools can sell the book — which retails for $14.95 — for $10 each and keep all of the profits.

The program is expected to especially help public school athletic departments, which are operating with less than 64 percent of its state allocations compared to 2008-2009.

The SOS campaign has so far raised $1,374,020, which will be distributed to Hawai'i's 45 public high school athletic departments based on a formula that accounts for the size of each program and amount of student participation.

This past week's SOS contributions include $5,000 from NAPA Auto Parts, $1,000 from the David S. Ishii Foundation and $500 each from the Seaside Hotels (Hilo, Kona and Maui) and the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Football Officials.

To contribute to the SOS Fund, make a check payable to "HHSAA SOS Account" and send it to HHSAA, P.O. Box 62029, Honolulu, HI 96839, or visit www.sportshigh.com