Researcher for First Washing Machine

Mathematician, control theorist, and retired Harvard professor, Dr. Larry Yu-Chi Ho moved around a lot as a child, following his Nationalist Army (Guomindang) father to various places in the interior of China during WWII. (See post one.) At the end of the war, Larry and his families escaped to Taiwan. When he graduated high school at age 15, he came across the Pacific to attend MIT.  He met many helping hands along the way. (See post two and three.)

Aside from the initial dorm misunderstanding, Larry didn’t have problems adjusting. Well, perhaps the language was sometimes confusing. But since his main language was math and physics, he sailed along well. 

Upon his university graduation, he decided he needed to earn some money. So he took a job as a researcher in Detroit.

“I worked for a company that no longer exists called Bendix Aviation Corp.  It’s an old automatic washing machine, one of the very famous products in 40’s and 50’s.” (It was the first domestic automatic washing machine on the market, and would today be considered a front-loading washing machine.)

Meanwhile, Congress passed legislation, signed into law by President Eisenhower on August 7, 1953, offering refuge to 214,000 immigrants to the United States, including 60,000 Italians, 17,000  Greeks, 17,000 Dutch and 45,000 immigrants from Communist countries. Larry was one of the 45,000. 

President Eisenhower signs Refugee Relief Act of 1953

“I lucked out and was able to qualify. I didn’t remember much about the swearing ceremony. It was over very quickly.” 

Larry didn’t think much of the ceremony until he attended a conference in Florida where he had a chance to visit the newly opened EPCOT Center. 

“At the entrance of the American Pavilion, I happen to read an inscription on the wall of the center which talked about the ceremony of becoming a US citizen. The wording goes something like this: ‘A white-haired gentlemen in black robe with a sweep of his hand relieves you of the burden of past history, and welcomes you to a thousand bright tomorrows.’ The words suddenly hit me. Tears uncontrollably start to flow down my face.”

(To Be Continued.  Next: Chinese-Americans Held to Higher Standard.)

No Vacancies

Mathematician, control theorist, and retired Harvard professor, Dr. Larry Yu-Chi Ho moved around a lot as a child, following his Nationalist Army (Guomindang) father to various places in the interior of China during WWII. (See post one.) At the end of the war, Larry and his families escaped to Taiwan. When he graduated high school at age 15, he came across the Pacific to attend MIT.  He met many helping hands along the way. (See post two.)

When Larry finally arrived in Boston, his adventure began. He asked the taxi driver to take him to a hotel where he tried to book a room. Of course, he was only sixteen--way too young--and was turned down over and over. 

Fortunately, he had a very kind taxi driver who stuck with him, and helped him locate his MIT contact. It was only then he realized that he had been assigned a place to stay: a dorm room.  The driver took him there, and Larry was so happy to find the place that he didn't leave...at least for that night. 

“I was so happy to find the dormitory room, that I just checked in and didn’t have dinner. I didn’t know where to have dinner. So I just went to sleep. “

(To be continued. Next: Researcher for First Washing Machine)

Larry Arrives in U.S. Alone at Age 16

Mathematician, control theorist, and retired Harvard professor, Dr. Larry Yu-Chi Ho moved around a lot as a child, following his Nationalist Army (Guomindang) father to various places in the interior of China during WWII. (See post one.)

At the end of the war (1945), Larry and the families returned to Shanghai, hoping to stay a while. But China  had re-engaged in their civil war between the Communists and the Guomindang. Within but a few years, Larry’s father left with the Guomindang government for Taiwan. Not long after, Father sent word for the rest of them to get out. They escaped on the last freighter leaving Shanghai.

Larry stayed in Taiwan for a couple of months before he was sent to Hong Kong to attend British Academy boarding school. Upon graduation at age 15, he prepared for yet another—much bigger move. 

“I was beginning to be good at math and science, so I applied to MIT."

How did he even know about MIT?

"Anyone who was good at math and science in China at the time heard about it."

Larry was accepted to MIT, and came across the Pacific at age 16 on his own.

Knotsberry Farm, September, 1950

"I arrived from China in the U.S. at Los Angeles on September 1, 1950. My God-sister and God-brothers (who had lived with my family in the interior during WWII,) met me. They looked after me, showed me around, drove me to San Francisco. I was able to speak in Chinese with them. It helped me with the strangeness of everything else, and my homesickness." 

Four days later, they put him on a train bound for Chicago. He would have to change trains there to get to Boston.  "For the first time, I was alone in a strange country. I had to find my own way. My English was not so good."
He whiled away the time by reading, "Etiquette," by Emily Post, hoping it would teach him how to conduct himself in America. Twelve hours later he arrived in the Chicago Union Station, one of the largest and busiest stations in the country.  How did he avoid getting lost?

Travelers" Aid

"They had Traveler's Aid stations in all the terminals, so I was able to get the directions I needed." When he arrived in Boston, Traveler's Aid' once again directed him, this time to the taxi stand. Larry made one of his first memorable attempts to speak English by saying to the taxi driver, "The traffic is very heavy."

Little did he know that his journey was far from over.

(To be continued. Next: No Vacancies.)

Harvard Professor Larry Ho From Many Places

Mathemetician, control theorist, and retired Harvard University professor at the School of Engineering and Science, Dr. Larry Yu-Chi Ho, hesitates to name just one place he is from. 

He was born in Shanghai in 1934, right before the onset of the Japanese invasion and WWII. However, as his father, Chin Woo Ho, served in Chiang Kai Chek’s government, during the war, they moved from the port city of Shanghai to the interior, one place after another. (Langchao, Xian, Congqing). “We moved around a lot. I went to five different elementary schools.”

Larry rarely saw his father, and not just because of the war. “I have a very complicated family situation. My father was dirt poor. He grew up with nothing.  But he was quite capable, I guess, and educated himself.  During the northern campaign in the war, he made great contributions. Then he became wealthy….At that time, any man who was successful had more than one wife.” Larry’s father had four. 

To be continued. Next: Larry Arrives in U.S. Alone at 16.

The Concert That Changed the World

The article on that concert is here. And here.

Sharing Opportunity with Eighty Grandchildren

Retired UCSF Pharmacology Professor Nancy Ma and Internist Peter Lee both fled from China for different reasons. However, recently they created the foundation WuWei Harmony which does projects with China. 
Nancy was born in Shanghai during the 1940s. Her father worked as Asian General Manager for Colgate-Palmolive, a wonderful position...until the Communists took over in 1949.  He fled first to Hong Kong, a British territory back then. The rest of the family , however, could not get exit visas. (See post one.) After seven years of waiting, they finally managed to get to Hong Kong. (See post two.) 
Husband Peter fled from China for different reasons. His parents were part of the Nationalist Army that fought against the Japanese from 1937-45 and then the Communists from 1945-49. (See post three.) While Peter was safe from Communism, he realized upon college graduation that there weren't many job opportunities. Fortunately, he got a scholarship at the University of Texas. (See post four.) Meanwhile, Nancy struggled in Hong Kong. Her mother enrolled her in a Cantonese/English high school, two languages Nancy did not understand. Nancy only lasted three days. (See post five.)But she did well in college, and managed to get a scholarship to Southwestern University in Georgetown Texas. (see post six.) She started looking for a job, and ended up getting her Ph.D. (see post seven.) In 1981, when Nancy was a Professor of Pharmacology, China came knocking on her door. Would she come give some professional speeches to the Beijing Medical School and the Chinese Academy of Sciences? Although wary, she agreed. She and Peter then returned again a decade later. By then her old hometown was barely recognizable due to construction and modernization. (See post eight.)
 Upon retirement, they met a colleague working to build schools in China, and they offered to help as well. They received VIP treatment anytime they were in the country. But, as soon as they left, they couldn't contact anyone related to the project, a project which entailed putting computers in classrooms. (See post nine.) There was great resistance to computers, as well as many other obstacles. (see post ten.) They went on to work instead doing micro-finance in Sichuan. Eight years ago, while on a visit to ensure that their finances were being properly used, they stumbled on a new problem: children who couldn't afford schooling. They immediately extended their hands to help. (See post eleven.) They soon discovered that poverty wasn't the only issue. Children whose parents had disappeared and who had no money had very low self-esteem. So, Nancy and Peter decided to exact academic excellence from the children they supported, promising them a future in college. It was only then they realized what a impossible promise that was. (see post twelve.) So they worked at raising the level of the village schools by skyping in lessons from a better school district. (see post thirteen and fourteen.)

So, Nancy and Peter started an excellent student scholarship program, to date with 80 students. They started televised teaching. They succeeded in getting computers in the county schools. Surely, they could sit back and relax now.

“We’re starting a third project now.” Nancy laughed. "While the students can all read English pretty well, they cannot speak or listen. "
So, again in order to make these village children competitive in the education system and in the world, Nancy and Peter are going  enlist the help of native speakers of English to skype lessons to the classrooms. 

“No textbook. No curriculum. Just conversation," Nancy said. "No religion. No politics. Just talk about daily life.” 

Nancy spends her afternoons composing e-mails to her kids. At midnight she often gets back the responses.  I said it was like she had an enormous extended family.

Grandma Ma and Grandpa Lee with their 80 grandchildren.

“I do,” she said. “I have eighty grandchildren.”

The children call her "Grandma Ma." They call Peter, "Grandpa Lee."

And these grandparents are vigilant, keeping track of all the ups and downs of the children’s lives. From the shy one who is now “like a bird out of a cage,” to the young man who failed his college entrance exam the first time and , upon Nancy’s insistence, tried again. (He got in.) There are heartbreaks upon heartbreaks—broken families, disinterested parents/grandparents, a lack of financial and emotional support. The Lees are always there to provide a gentle but firm guiding hand. 
“We’ve been very lucky,” said Nancy. “This country (the U.S.)  gave us opportunity. We want to give it to others.”

With gratitude to Nancy and Peter, this concludes this interview. 
By the way, if you can volunteer your English abilities, contact Nancy or Peter at  WuWei Harmony