"I came to OU in 1977 a couple of years after Ping was appointed the President and I witnessed tremendous change in OU.

When I first came, I worked at the old Engineering Building (now called Research and Technology Center). There was no air condition. The heating was poor with cold air leaking through the window constantly. Of course, there was no carpet. The train passed by the building regularly. I had to stop my class and take a break every time the train passed. Now we occupy a first class Stocker Center (part of it used to be a dorm).

I came to OU after the energy crisis. The long line at the gas station was still fresh. I decided to do something about it although it is not my expertise. I learned that petroleum could last only 50 years and coal will be the transition fuel before the energy problem can be solved by hydrogen fusion. Therefore I joined the coal research group. At that time, there was only 1 professor, 1 post-doctor, 1 graduate and 1 undergraduate. In  ten years, it was developed into a research group of more than 10 with professors, post-doctors, graduate students and even its own secretary and technician. In the mean time, OU was converted from a teaching university to a research university.

I have to admit my most rewarding experience is my association with the Chinese students. More than half of my graduate students are Chinese. When I first came, the population of Chinese student at OU is only about 30. It was a very close group. Everybody knew very well about everybody else. We still keep in close contact today. When one of them heard about my divorce in 1997, he connected a long red-string for me to a lovely lady in Dalian China and we married the next year. With the open door policy of China, the number of Chinese students grew to around 300 in the 80's. There were so many that you could run into them in Columbus airport during the beginning of the school year. I still remember once I flew back after my summer vacation, I saw some new students and drove them all the way to Athens.

I couldn't remember how many times I was the advisor to the Chinese Student  Association and the Chinese Scholar and Student Association. I am proud to be associated with both CSSA and CSA who put out excellent programs for  Chinese New Year and Street Fair year after year. It has become an important part of life in Athens. In 2000, when Professor Xiao-Zhuo Chen and I organized Symposium 2000 for the Ohio Chinese American Professional Association, we got a lot of help from the Chinese students as well as  Chinese alumni. For example, Dr. Yin Zhou (a student then) created the  first web for OCAPA. Without them, we could not have succeeded. Dean Hwa-Wei Lee also took that opportunity to hold the first OUCAS Meeting. I think we have a very good start. I hope we will grow into an important organization and contribute back to OU."

Dr. Su-Huei Lai

"I was moved by the words, "my memorable moment at OU." It stirred me thinking about so many touching stories occurred at OU when I was a graduate student. I could not stop memorizing Prof. Edward Steven and Prof. Pikkard for their justice and devoted efforts to my academic development in my doctoral program of Instructional Technology at Ohio University. I
appreciate that they had evaluated me as a very valuable student since they recruited me in 1989 and they had never given up the hope before they passed away.

Although I transferred my academic development to the Ohio State University in 1992, I always.appreciate many professors at Ohio University such as Prof. Ragy Mitias, Prof. George Johanson, Prof. Plophoft, and so on in the College of Education, Prof. Yin Min Wei, in the Department of Mathematics,and Prof. Water in the College of Psychology as well as Prof. Hwa-Wei Lee and Prof. Wen Jia Chen for their support of my academic career and professional development.

When I looked back the days at OU, the most important thing that I regretted was that I did not take actions for my professional development as early as possible. While examining the history of OCAPA symposia, I have found that the OCAPA Symposium 1991 was hosted by Ohio University. The President of OCAPA symposium 1991 was Prof. Hwa-Wei Lee and the Symposium Chairperson was Prof. Tiao J. Chang. I believe that I heard it but I ignored it due to those overwhelming term papers and extra commuting time. But it was always not a good excuse for losing such a wonderful opportunity like that. If I had participated in it, I would have had very productive references on my resume when I obtained my doctoral degree at the Ohio State University in 1995.

I was linked back to Ohio University in 2000 and had opportunities to meet Prof. Hwa-Wei Lee, the honorable Chair of the OCAPA 2000 Symposium and Prof. Wen Jia Chen as well as Prof. Xiao-Zhuo Chen, the Chairpersons of the OCAPA 2000 Symposium. Although I had little help for the symposium due to the geographic location, I was always concerned with the progress of the
symposium because I was one of the OU Chinese Alumni. I was impressed by the website designed by the Superyb and grassroots' actions supported by the OUCAS for the OCAPA 2000 Symposium. Thus, when the homepage of the OCAPA 2000 Symposium was ready, I was the first one to submit the abstract.

As I always believe, human's well being is socially, culturally, and environmentally constructed. For example, I did not expect that I would serve as the co-chair of the OCAPA Symposium 2002 because I planed to move to Alabama last summer. It is a sort of "Yuan" in terms of Chinese old saying. Such kind of "Yuan' embodied the integration of caring, and sharing through social and cultural networking and resulted in the "enhancement and enrichment of lives". For the upcoming symposium, the organizing committee plans to promote the academic development of the OCAPA Symposium proceedings. There are high possibilities that the proceedings will be visualized in many professions. As the organizing committee aspired, "OCAPA Symposium 2002 will be among the best received, most harmonious, and highest appreciated symposium of its kind." On the way
toward this overarching goal, I believe that another sort of "Yuan" will be created.

At the end of this letter, I would like to share some of my thoughts with our OU Chinese Alumni. We don't have to fetch the water by climbing over the mountains when the water is just beside us. Please don't lose the chance to "enhance and enrich your lives through networking among professionals" by sharing your valuable papers at the OCAPA Symposium 2002. I am looking forward to seeing your abstracts in the proceedings and learning your expertise from your presentation in Columbus, Ohio, on June 15, 2002."
 

Dr. Alan W. Boyd

"When I first came to Ohio University to undertake this position, President Nixon had just visited China and the opening up of trade and exchange relations between our two countries had begun. A few PROC students began to arrive on campus. They were welcomed not only by the U.S. community, but also by the already established Chinese community, which consisted of students from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other Asian countries.

In the first few years, we celebrated one Chinese New Year. But as the number of mainland Chinese increased, someone decided that there should be two celebrations and so it was. That has continued to this day. The number of PROC students and scholars has steadily increased since those early days. For the last five or so years, mainland Chinese students have been the largest group of international students on our campus. We have had Chinese students in almost every department. Musicians and dancers have entered us at celebrations and we have enjoyed Chinese food at dinners, receptions and at the International Street Fair.

We have had the opportunity to make many friends among the PROC students. We have enjoyed the good relations we have had with the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, and we look forward to longer-term relations with the members of the OUCAS.

As relations between our countries continue to warm up, we expect there will be even more Chinese students and scholars in Athens. I am sure they will contribute to our lives in the same way our graduates contributed. We can only look forward to making new friends and to enjoying the presence of hundreds more Chinese students at Ohio University."

Dr. Yining Chen

"Ohio University in Athens has been not only the place where I resided, taught, and served in Christ Jesus for the past 7+ years but also the place where I met many outstanding Chinese students who later became dear friends. Throughout the year, I have the privilege to know many of you through classroom contacts and Bible Study meetings. Even at this very moment while I am writing, many of your faces come to my mind alone with dear memories.

Many of you came to the U.S. struggling with English just like I did many year ago and still do today. While striving with studies, many had to work hard to support your own studies. Many grieved over difficult interpersonal relationships with professors, advisors, fellow students, or even family members. Often after long hours of study at library or laboratory, you dragged your feet back to the apartment, which can hardly be characterized as a home, and faced the long night by yourself. Yet, with all the difficulties and heavy burden, you all have succeeded in your studies and proudly received your degree(s) from OU. Many formed families and raised children in your years in Athens. Above all, some had your first contact of Christianity and saved by Christ Jesus here at OU. OU has been a place for many of us to be trained, developed, and molded professionally as well as in personal level. Just like it says on the banner of College Gate "Religion morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind schools and the means of education, shall forever be encouraged".

I thank God for letting me walk and grow with you and most preciously introduce Christ Jesus to some of you. It was the stunning campus that attracted me to OU, yet the stunning people like you that keep me stay."
 

Dr. Xiaozhuo Chen

"I came to Ohio University in 1983 as a Ph.D. student when China just graduated its first crop of university students, who entered the universities right after the end of the Cultural Revolution, and sent some of them abroad, including to the U.S. Being very different from the current situation, most of the Chinese students that came to the U.S. at that time were students of either "government sponsored and government sent" or "self-sponsored and government sent." Time changes
and students come and go, but one thing never changes. We Chinese students always have had some sport junkies on campus, who love sports and have diversified, improved and beautified lives of many of us through organizing sports teams and sports events. As one of the sport junkies, I was fortunate to have participated and witnessed many exciting and memorable events on campus.


In the mid- to late-80s, Dr. Jin(1) Yan-he, Dr. Zhang(1) Li-jian, and Dr. Yu(4) Shao-xian, then graduate students, were the major driving forces in organizing a Chinese student basketball team. The team was so good that it won the championship of a university organized "International Student Basketball Tournament", by beating several teams including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and others on the way to the top.

In the early to mid-90s, the trend shifted. Either due to the younger ages of the new Chinese students on campus or due to the "soccer mania" of the time or both, more and more Chinese students participated in soccer while basketball playing gradually became a "second sport." During that time, Dr. Xie(4) Yue-feng, Mr. Jiang(1) Lei were some of the best players and organizers. At the peak time, our team was so good that we consistently beat the Japanese and Korean student soccer teams. The best players in those teams were physically and technically better or much better than our best players. However, we defeated them soundly through team work and "double-teaming" the best players of the opponent teams.

Now it is 2002, almost 20 years after the beginning of my story, I am the only member of the original Chinese student basketball and soccer teams left on OU campus. Being about twice the age of some of the younger players, I feel very fortunate and grateful that I am still allowed to play in the team along with Mr. Zhuang Hui-ying, Mr. Tan Zhen-yu, and many other soccer buddies. However, my focus in the games has been totally changed. I used to compete to win. Now I play to lose
weight and improve my cardiovascular functions. But I do not mind if our team can also win while I am burning off 500 calories."

Dr. Yingguang Liu

Monday, April 15 will be my day of dissertation defense. I have been here since the fall of 1997. It is a good time to reflect on my years here, and to answer the request of my dear friend Zhiyi Zhang, to write about "OU and me".

I belong to the generation of the 1980s. It was a decade of dreams for me, as a teenager, and for our country, after the end of the "Cultural Revolution". The early 1980s was properly called "the Spring of Science", when I dreamed to be a scientist and do something solid for my country-so I despised the humanities and religion, as everybody else did. In the late 1980s, as our country expected an all-curing political reformation, I experienced the sweetness and nightmares of a quest for democracy.

The 1990s was a mixed blessing for China. For some, it was a decade of prosperity. For me, it was a decade of disillusion. As I graduated from one of the best research labs with a master's degree, I was tired of the dirty politics in the scientific society. Later I worked as a physician for four years, only to find the medical society being more corrupt. The only thing I could do, and I learned to do, and I hated to do, was to do what others were doing. You know what I mean.

As I left for the US, I considered myself on "voluntary exile".

I went to the welcome picnic by the Chinese Bible Study Group the first week I was here. It was the first time I met Christians. I found myself in a culture I had never known. My curiosity for "the core values of Western culture" took me to the Bible study. There I found a love that I had never experienced. Later, I learned that the Bible is a book of prophecies and realization of prophesies. Then I seriously considered the existence of a supernatural God. By the end of 1997, on a Chinese Christian Conference in Chicago, with some evangelist calling in the front and a brother pushing from behind, I made my decision to be a Christian. At first, I though it might be a dangerous step. But it turned out to be a step I never did, and will not, regret.

I served in the Chinese Student and Scholar Association-then called "Chinese Student and Visiting Scholar Association", as "the president aid", when Zhiyi Zhang was the treasurer. At that time, our association was largely isolated from the international society, although we had the most international students. We played little role in "the International Expo", "the International Street Fair", etc. We had no representative in the International Student Union (ISU), either. "Let's do it", said Guo Wei, then our president. So I worked as the Chinese representative in ISU. I also served as a general body member of ISU, doing some propaganda work among Chinese students. As Guo Wei left for Ohio State Unveristy, the executives of CSVSA (and Dr. Hank Wang the advisor) tried to honor me by making me president. But I knew I was a fighter, and not fit to be an organizer, and I was afraid of the pressure-shame to me. So we made Gang Feng our president. She turned out to be a great leader. Under her leadership, we got more and more involved in ISU activities, and gained more international influences. We also spent a lot of our energy helping new students. Hongwei Wang was elected president of CSVSA the next year. It was he who drafted the constitution of CSSA-he changed its name, too, to be consistent with Chinese student organizations in other universities. We served as vice presidents for a short time, then gradually retired from CSSA. One more thing, I organized the election during the transition from Hongwei to Guoxiang Chen.

It is a great pleasure to witness the growth of CSSA in a couple of years. Now we all agree that Huiying Zhuang to be a talented organizer. With the volunteering spirit that is already here, I am very confident that some new students will take over CSSA for another year, and leads us "from victory to victory". Serving in ISU has also been a great experience for me, to know people from all cultures around the world.

Back to my walk with Christ. Initially I was very worried about an uncertain future. As my wife Aihua joined me in the fall of 1998, I was worried of supporting her financially. But we survived by living in an almost free house. In the fall of 1999, our daughter, Xuesi, joined us from China. In the fall of 2000, my son, Isaac, joined us by being born. For three years, we paid little rent. But we moved from grace to grace. The second place we lived was the basement of the elder of Athens Bible Church. So we transferred church, largely for convenience. Now I have been offered a job in Marantha Baptist Bible College in Wisconsin-to teach biology and to fight against evolution that I once firmly believed. I was accepted because Bible churches and Baptist churches share similar doctrines and practices. I will be studying Bible and Greek in Wisconsin, for free.

"Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand. But I know who holds the future, and I know who holds my hand."--a hymn.