Gwendolyn Gong

Gwen was born the youngest of eight on October 29th 1954 in Cleveland, Mississippi, to parents Kung Woo Gong and Lee Chiles Sit Gong. Raised in Boyle, Mississippi, she grew up working in the family grocery store, steeped in the rich traditions of both her Chinese and Delta heritage.

Gwen graduated from Bayou Academy in 1972, where she would go on decades later to be awarded the Distinguished Alumni award for her lifetime achievements. She earned B.A. degrees in English and Communicative Disorders from Ole Miss University, as well as her M.A. in English. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in English from Purdue University in 1979, proudly becoming the first Doctor in the family.

From there, Gwen joined the faculty at Texas A&M University, where she supervised the largest freshman English program in the country. She also met her husband, John Powers, a fellow professor at the university, and they married in 1987. Their daughter Devereux was born the following year.

Gwen moved with her family to Hong Kong in 1993, and joined the faculty at The Chinese University of Hong Kong soon after. She taught courses in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, writing, and literature. She also founded and edited the Asian Journal of English Language Teaching.

Throughout all this, Gwen never lost touch with her Delta roots. She published a number of essays about her childhood experiences in the Delta, and collected the stories of Mississippi Chinese WWII veterans, which led to a book and documentary.

In addition to her academic career, Gwen gave back to her community by serving for nine years as the Chair of Hans Andersen Club, a Hong Kong charity that provides support to families in need and promotes children’s literacy. In her personal life, she loved playing piano, hosting dinners for her students and friends, and traveling the world with her family.

Gwen is survived by her husband, John Powers; daughter, Devereux Gong Powers; siblings K.W. Gong, Jr. and Patricia Gong; and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father, Kung Woo Gong; mother, Lee Chiles Sit Gong; and siblings Annette Joe, Juanita Dong, Stephen Gong, Marion Lee, and Arnold Gong.

Gwen is remembered for her incredible generosity and spirit, and for making friends wherever she went. She leaves a legacy of those whose lives she changed for the better.

Services will be held for Gwen on Saturday, August 16th at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church VA, with visitation from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. and a funeral service at 1:00 P.M. Those in attendance are also invited to dinner after the service at Hong Kong Pearl Restaurant at 4:00 P.M.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hans Andersen Club or the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum.