Dr. M. F. Tchou Memorial Fund
Ming Tchou

Dr. Mien Fa (James) Tchou grew up in Vietnam and obtained his medical training in Shanghai, China and Sorbonne, France. He came to the United States for further studies in 1951 and became a thoracic surgeon at the East Texas Tuberculosis Hospital in Tyler, Texas. In 1961 he and his wife, Ming, moved to the Twin Cities where he became the Senior Anesthesiologist at the Hennepin County Medical Center and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Later he served as Clinical Director of the Anesthesiology Department at the Virginia Regional Medical Center in Virginia, MN.

Throughout his life Dr. Tchou was active in numerous civic organizations. He served on the Human Rights Commission and the Education Advisory Commission for the City of Bloomington; and was a charter member of the Minnesota Chapter of the United States-China People's Friendship Association. He also founded the Minnesota Chapter of the National American Association of Minnesota, and the Chinese Senior Citizens Society. In 1992, he was the first Asian American to be appointed by Governor Arne Carlson to serve on the Minnesota Board on Aging. There he provided a much-needed Asian voice and highlighted the time-honored practice of reverence for seniors that is central in all Asian cultures.

During their 50-year-marriage Dr. Tchou and Ming traveled throughout the world and enjoyed studying diverse cultures. They also returned annually to China where their knowledge and experience of the United States became an invaluable resource. 'Mutual understanding among different cultures,' he was fond of saying, 'is so important.'

Dr. Tchou passed away on August 3, 1996. He was 77. The Dr. M. F. Tchou Memorial Fund was established in his memory by his widow, Ming.

Sylvia Ho-Ling Hui Lam Memorial Fund
Luke K.T. Lam, Norton Lam, Vincent Lam

The Sylvia Ho-Ling Hui Lam Memorial Fund was created in memory of Sylvia H. Lam. Sylvia was a molecular biologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and also an acclaimed Chinese painter of the Ling Nan style. A student of the Ling Nan master, Professor Chao Shao-An for a short time, her paintings have been shown in several art exhibits in Minnesota. Her favorite motifs included birds, insects, and flowers.

Sylvia loved life and touched the hearts of all who came into contact with her. In her three decades at the University of Minnesota, she generously shared her expertise with generations of medical fellows and visiting scholars. She is most remembered for her gentle, empathetic nature, her hard-working ethic, and her cheerful willingness to always lend a helping hand.

The Sylvia Ho-Ling Hui Lam Memorial Fund was established in January, 2005 to carry on Sylvia's artistic legacy and to reach out to children who had always occupied a special place in her heart. The Fund's main objective is to encourage the development of the performing and visual arts in children of all ages, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Choi Chiu and King Wo Lam Family Fund
Robert and Pearl Bergad

The Choi-Chiu and King-Wo Lam Family Fund was created in November, 2005 to carry on the traditions of scholarly pursuit espoused by Choi-Chiu Lam and charitable giving exemplified by his wife, King-Wo Lam. Attending the University of Hong Kong on a full scholarship and majoring in English literature, Choi-Chiu was among the first group of students to graduate from the newly established Faculty of Arts in the 1920s. He went on to a career teaching English and translating English for foreign correspondents in Hong Kong. In his retirement he returned to his first love, Chinese poetry, and translated the famous Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty into English. In his Preface he stated that his purpose was to translate these three hundred poems into prose, thus affording himself the opportunity to express fully the intentions of the poets without the constraints of meter. He passed away in 1993.