Kendall L. Su

Kendall L. Su passed away October 26, 2021, at the age of 95, in Stone Mountain, GA. Born in 1926 in Nanping, Fujian Province, China, he was the sixth of eight children. He earned several degrees in electrical engineering — a bachelor’s from National Xiamen University, then a master’s and doctorate from Georgia Tech — in addition to a master’s in mathematics from the University of Washington. In 1954, he joined the electrical engineering faculty at Georgia Tech, where he held generations of students to a rigorous standard.

In 1960, Kendall married Jennifer Chang, who remembers him as even-tempered, kind, and appreciative of daily pleasures, such as a simple Chinese-style steamed fish or a Varsity chili dog. Their two children remember him as a devoted dad who never pressured them to excel but whose style of helping with homework reflected his dedication to teaching.

The first member of his academic department to be named Regents’ Professor — the highest recognition bestowed by the University System of Georgia — Kendall was so understated about his achievements that his own family had little knowledge of his academic reputation and accomplishments, which included authorship of six text and reference books, publication of about sixty technical papers, and supervision of a dozen doctoral students. A fan of the Yellow Jackets football team, he enjoyed woodworking and did many home, car, and electronics repairs himself. In retirement, he took up digital photography; he also tried to restore the women of the Su family to a patrilineal genealogy that dates back many centuries.

Kendall is survived by his wife, Jennifer; two children, Adrienne Su and Jonathan Su; two grandchildren, Aisling Dolan and Dervla Dolan; cousins including Linhua Su and Nellie Su; and many cherished nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren. All of his siblings — Delia Su, Bessie Su, Linying Su, Helen Su, Lixian Su, Linqi Su, and Huazhen Su — predeceased him.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations in Kendall’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or Park Springs Foundation 500 Springhouse Circle, Stone Mountain, GA 30087.

Friends and family will be invited to an online memorial service Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.