Paul Hsien Lu

Dr. Paul Hsien Lu was born on November 3rd of the 15th year of the Republic of China

(AD 1926) in Baisha Township of Lianjiang County, Fujian Province, China.

At 5 p.m. on May 16 of the 103rd year of the Republic of China (AD 2014), he was called to be with the Lord. He was 87.

Hsien Lu was born into a scholarly family. As a child, Hsien demonstrated that he was talented, smart, and hard working. However, both of his parents passed away while he was very young. Hsien also experienced extreme poverty and life threatening illness. China, at that time, was in a state of crisis--the newly formed republic was in jeopardy and society was in chaos. Despite all these adversities and against all odds, Hsien persevered in his academic studies. Not only did he persevere, he excelled. He consistently achieved the highest grades in all his classes throughout school.

As an expression of his patriotism for the new republic, Hsien Lu enlisted twice in the Chinese Army to defend the nation against the Japanese aggressors. In 1948, as a result of the ongoing Chinese Civil War, he moved with his two brothers and sister to Taiwan. There, he attended the Taiwan Provincial Teachers College (now National Taiwan Normal University) majoring in Education. After graduating from Teachers College, he enrolled in the graduate school of the National Chengchi University, where he earned a Master’s degree in education. During his studies, Hsien also took first place in a national examination sponsored by the National Department of Education in Taiwan. His performance afforded him a government scholarship to study abroad. He came to the United States a year later to attend the University of Chicago. Within a year, he earned a second master's degree in education. After a short period of study at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), he moved to Columbia University where he earned his Ed.D.

During his time in New York City, Hsien Lu helped create a support network for Chinese students by organizing alumni associations and summer retreats, and assisted with summer job searches in the New York area. He was elected Chairman of the Normal University Alumni Association. Later, he coordinated with various alumni associations to form the New York Chinese Student Alumni Association (NYCSAA) and was elected to be its first president. He and his friends published the “Foreign Students Quarterly Magazine.”

Hsien Lu left New York to start his professional career as a college professor, first in South Carolina, then in Tennessee. He taught courses in Education and Psychology. Many of his students went on to become educators at the state and local level, pursuing careers as school teachers, principals, superintendents, and even professors. As more of his students assumed positions of prominence in the community, his reputation as a distinguished professor became widely known.

Even though he lived the rest of his life in the United States, Hsien Lu never forgot about the land of his birth. He was always interested in the development of China. To this end, he participated in a visiting scholar program where he lectured at various universities in China. On another occasion, he was invited to speak at the ROC National Construction Seminar in Taiwan.

Hsien Lu had a passion for writing, and published works on various topics including psychology, education, and Chinese society and history. Two of his most notable books were: "The Federal Role in Education" and his autobiography, “浮生十記” ("Ten Tales of A Floating Life").

Our younger generation should view and learn from his life as a model for inspiration. We miss him and may he rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Paul Hsien Lu is survived by: His loving wife, Mary Kwang-Ruey Chao; sons, William Yuan-Hai and Henry Yuan-Huang; daughters-in-law, Elizabeth Munari and Elaine Chang; granddaughters, Lauren Tzu-Lan, Grace Tzu-Mei, Chloe Zi-Fen, and Elise Zi-Qing; grandson, Benjamin Tzu-Lee; sister-in-law, Kathy Hu; nephews, Cheng, Tong, Chien, and Ping; nieces, Julie Yuan-Yu, Sophie Yuan-Ming, Marianne Yuan-Mei, Tonsing, and Toni; and many great nephews and nieces.