Coming Home—Surprise and Gratitude for the Distinguished Alumni Award
Oral description by Young-chang Chen
Written by Jui-lan Hsu
I am tremendously honored for being awarded the Prize on Distinguished Alumni from National Chung Hsing University. First of all, I would like to thank all the teachers that had instructed and inspired me at different stages of my life. Henceforth, I would like to bestow this honor upon all my teachers, students, friends, and my family, who light up my life with vivacity and significance. Without them, I am barely an ordinary professor interested in teaching and researching.
A son of farmhands, I grew up at Tou-lun Village of Chu-pei , then a remote, indigent hamlet in Sin-chu County. I graduated from Liou-chia Elementary School. My first teacher, Mr. Wen-kai Hsieh, gave me much encouragement and love, which I could never forget. Due to Mr. Hsieh’s guidance, I did well in high school entrance exams and got admitted to Hsin-chu High School. In fact I was the first Liou-chia graduate that was able to study at Hsin-chu High School, then a most prestigious institute around the Hsin-chu district. With the good start, I climbed along the ladder of my academic career, and eventually ascend to my present position.
The six years I attended Hsin-chu High School endowed me with moral, intellectual, and bodily disciplines. Such a holistic nurturing process derived from Sin Chi-ping, then principle of the school, whose educational concepts came into practice through his hard work.
The next four years at National Chung Hsing University laid solid and broad bedrock for my knowledge reservoir, especially in the spheres of agriculture, biology, and other scientific branches. By the way my days at Chung Hsing also mark an unforgettable, happy phase of my young adulthood.
My life can be divided into four stages, unveiling in the Japanese era. Initially at Liou-chia Elementary school, all teaching activities were employed by the Japanese language until the fourth grade. As a result I acquire a good command of this language.
The second stage coincided with Japan’s defeat and KMT’s occupation of Taiwan in 1945. I ascended to the fifth grade, starting to learn Chinese. Later on I attended then Provincial Sin-chuk High School for six years, followed by my admission into the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, then Provincial Chung Hsing University.
At stage three, in the wake of my graduation from Chung Hsing, I was awarded a scholarship by Japan’s Yoneyama Memorial Foundation and went to Japan to study. Four years later I got a Master’s degree in agricultural chemistry (原文「農藝化學 科」可能是「農業化學科」的誤植) from National University of Tokyo. This stage highlights a great advancement of my knowledge about fermentation chemistry. Aside from it, my understanding of the Japanese language, culture, society, and history also increases greatly.
In the next stage, I went to the U.S., attaining my second Master’s degree in medical microbiology from Utah State University. In 1973 I accomplished a Ph.D. degree in cell and molecular biology from University of Southern California (USC). Afterwards, with the sponsorship of National Institutes of Health (NIH), I returned to my Alma Mater USC to do post-doctorate research.
Regarding language abilities, I speak Chinese, Japanese, English, Tai-gi, and the Hakka tongue fluently.
I used to teach at University of North Texas, Purdue University and San Francisco State University. In my view, a professor bears three important missions to fulfill, which are, teaching, researching, and doing communal service. Universities cradles younger generations. Thus college teachers shoulder the above-mentioned three responsibilities. Teachers not only discipline students intellectually but also help cultivate their moral consciousness. Students spend a large share of their young days with their professors. By return, teachers should guide their students as painstakingly as possible.
Ancient Chinese scholar Mencius said, “Gathering and teaching all geniuses in the world makes me most exalted.” And he listed teaching as one of the three happiest things in his life. In light of the spatial-temporal context of his days, I understand what Mencius meant. However, his statement seems only half true and misses out the other side of truth. In my opinion, I would be most rejoiced and complimented when my students surpass me, as an oriental saying goes, “Indigo derives from blue and outshines the latter.”
For instance, Dr. Jong-fu Wu, formerly one of my students at University of North Texas, has founded and run two biological technology companies successfully. Most respectably, Dr. Ngou never forgets to remunerate the society and involves himself in philanthropic tasks. In the recent three years, he sets scholarships for Taiwanese Association at San Diego, California to motivate Taiwanese American youth. Furthermore he donates his wealth to help people everywhere, which does me proud and makes me so happy.
In terms of teaching, I always do my best and have won several prizes. I was elected as an excellent professor by the U.S. Biological TRI-BETA for four consecutive years between 1977 and 1981. In 1978, I was elected as Teacher of the Year by more than one thousand faculty members in University of North Texas. In 1982, distinguished from teachers of 158 public and private colleges and universities around Texas, I was recommended as one of the ten outstanding professors and awarded Mini and Stephen Piper Professor by Piper Foundation in Texas. By the way I was the first Taiwanese American scholar being awarded this honor in the last four decades.
I have a wide spectrum of research interests. My expertise ranges from AIDS, viruses, and relations between viruses and cancer, developing anti-virus and counter-cancer drugs, production of monoclonal antibodies for medical diagnosis list to applications of industrial microbiology, molecular biology and biological technology. I discovered three new types of AIDS-related viruses through cells of animal embryos. Regarding these achievements, I owe a lot to my education in Taiwan, Japan and the U.S.
When I taught and researched at different universities, I instructed many visiting scholars and graduate students. Together we presented over a hundred papers in conferences and had our research results published in academic journals. Also I would like to share the honor I have received with all the colleagues of my research team.
In 1992 San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos announced January 2nd to be Day of Professor Jung-chang Chen as recognition to my efforts of promoting social, cultural, educational, academic, and scientific interchanges during my tenure at San Francisco State University. In addition to me, Enterpriser Jong-fa Chang, Director General of Evergreen Group, and Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), had won this prize before.
Retired from professorship at San Francisco State University, I was invited to be an advisor of Becton Dickinson and Company at San Diego by some of my former students, who have been well established in spheres of biological technology. The shift from education to enterprise fronts unravels another climax of my life trajectory.
Let’s take the example of Largan Precision Co., LTD. A globally known optical industry, Largan stands out as the biggest producer of cell phone camera lens in the world. The most advanced camera lens, such as those applied by iPhone, iPad and HTC smartphones, are designed and produced by Largan. A medium-sized enterprise, Largan changes the whole world as billions of people employ Largan-made cell phone camera lens to take pictures every day and everywhere.
Yao-ying Lin, founder and director general of Largan Optics and Electricity Group, is also an alumnus of National Chung Hsing University. Mr. Lim and I happened to be dorm roommates and experiment partners sixty years ago. I am so happy for his achievement and so proud of being one of his buddies. In fact, we had not seen one another for thirty years; nevertheless, our friendship remains steadfast. When I returned to Taiwan, Iau-eng came to the airport to greet me. Immediately we fell into each other’s arms and burst into tears. I am most impressed with one of his statements, “The value of a person can never be measured by material wealth.” As science keeps advancing, Yao-ying continues striding ahead and improving himself, setting a role model for younger generations.
Next I would like to talk about my family. My wife Hsing-hui Liao holds a Bachelor’s degree in pharmacology from National Taiwan University, a Master’s in nutritional chemistry form Utah State University, and a Ph.D. in biological chemistry from USC. Nowadays she is working with Wadly Institutes of Molecular Medicine in Dallas, Texas. In 1973 we both got Ph.D. degree, becoming the first two doctors from Chu-pei. Soon the event swirled into a legend and spread over our small hometown. Not only were our relatives excited about the good news, but also were youths of our hometown greatly inspired by our endeavors. Hen-fi and I have a son and a daughter, both of whom are already married and have launched their careers.
My mother is a humble, honest, and kind Hakka woman. At our hometown elders and children love her, turning up their thumb at her. Whenever there was a holiday, my mother stir-fried well-known Hsin-chu rice noodle and gave a treat to her guests. Under her influence I learned how to fix this dish. Having lived in the U.S. over half a century, stir-frying rice noodle brings much delight in my life. Therefore, I would like to share the recipe of this gourmet food with all of you. Step one: purchase, clean, and cut all ingredients. Step two: stir-fry rice noodle with other ingredients until your whole body sweats and gets wet. After the dish is done, share it with your family and friends when it is just off stove and still hot. Step three: seeing everyone eat rice noodle so heartily, you get content even if you have not taken a bite yet.
Time flies. As if in a blink, fifty-five years have passed since I graduated from National Chung Hsing University. In reflection of my former footprints, again I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to National Chung Hsing University. I have much confidence in our Alma Mater, and I expect that my juniors can take the best of this excellent campus, not only attaining knowledge and bolstering your leading abilities but also nurturing your moral characters and preparing you to become responsible citizens. When we try our best to do a job, those who surround us can perceive our sincerity. We must persist in our goals and prepare to brave hardships. There are always difficulties at different stages of our life. Nevertheless, we must not withdraw halfway and give up easily. Instead, we must keep going to complete our mission once a blueprint is drawn.
On the other hand, we should be sympathetic and considerate, always being in others’ shoes, and do as much social service as we can. According to some scientific surveys, the more we are engaged in social service, the happier and healthier we become and the longer life we will enjoy.
Hopefully all of you will work hard and contribute a lot to your family, our community and our country. Let’s strive together and interweave a bright future for Taiwan. I believe victory dawns upon hard workers. May someday Chung Hsing be proud of all of you! Thank you!
