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Professor Huang has returned many, many times after he left Nantah.
No former Vice Chancellor comes back to visit Nantah as often as Professor
Huang does.
Nantah occupies an important place in his heart. It is because Nantah reminds
him many happy memories. How he made a round trip campus walk every evening
to make sure everything was fine. How he entertained new students playing
his little violin at various welcoming nights....
I know Professor Huang very well. It was he who encouraged me to serve
Nantah after its reorganisation in 1966. I was then lecturing at the University
of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and he was the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the
University.
I got a phone call from the registrar of Nantah to come back to help.
After I sent in my resignation, Professor Huang called me to his office
and persuaded me to stay. The head of Department of Mathematics had told
him that I did an excellent job, students liked my lectures and I got
on well with all other staff of the Department.
After knowing my reason for leaving, Professor Huang asked me what kind
of offer I got. I told him I did not know and only got a telephone call
from the registrar to serve Nantah. He was so surprised that I decided
to resign because of a phone call without a written offer or even a letter.
What kind of stupidity or loyalty is this? Suddenly he stood up and laughed
and said: " I strongly support your decision to go back and help Nantah. If only
other Nantah graduates are like you, then Nantah has hope!"
Two years later Mr Ong Pang Boon, then the Minister of Education of Singapore
called me to his office and told me that he was thinking to invite Professor
Huang to be the next Vice Chancellor of Nantah. He was not sure whether
Professor Huang would be interested to come because it was certainly more
comfortable for Professor Huang at the University of Malaya. I told Mr
Ong the above story and believed he would come. I was very delighted that
Professor Huang became the next Vice Chancellor of Nantah.
Under various constraints, Professor Huang made remarkable achievements
and great contributions to Nantah. During his three years of service
as the Vice Chancellor of Nantah, he persistently hold the torch and restored
our fate and confidence in Nantah at very difficult times.
Professor Huang did a great job to boost the morale within Nantah, raise
the academic standards and made the name of Nantah better known internationally.
Among Professor Huang's long list of achievements, I specially mention
the following:
Professor Huang established the College of Graduate Studies with four
research institutes so that many of the Nantah graduates who could not
go overseas for further studies were able to fulfill their dreams of doing
a Master or a Ph.D. degree at Nantah.
Professor Huang with the help of his Deputy Mr. Lu Yaw also established the
Lee Kong Chian Computer Centre. This Centre later became the Department
of Computer Science with a very fine Nantah graduate Professor Hsu Loke
Soo as its Head of department. The Department produced many computer professionals
helping to lay the foundation for the culture of Information Technology
in Singapore.
Without doubt Professor Huang is one of the many great friends of Nantah. I fondly remember
his period as Vice Chancellor as the Golden Era of Nantah.
I was sadden but understand that Professor Huang had to leave Nantah in
1971. Mr Ong Pang Boon was very sorry and Nantah Council knew that it
was a great loss for Nantah.
I wish Professor Hung well and happy retirement in Hong Kong and extend
my cordial invitation to him to visit Vancouver.
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