Dr. Wing-tsit Chan, a leading scholar of Asian philosophy who taught at Dartmouth from 1942 to 1966, died last Friday at Braddock Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was 92.
Chan died of natural causes, his son Lo-Yi, told The New York Times.
A 'pillar' in his field
During an academic career that lasted more than 60 years, Chan taught at the University of Hawaii and Chatham College, as well as at the College for 24 years.
"Chan was one of the pillars in the scholarly field of early Chinese history," History Professor Pamela Crossley said yesterday. "He was a very prolific writer and one of the first people to come to this country and be active in the scholarly community studying China."
Crossley said Chan worked primarily on the history of thought in China and said she considered him a pioneer in his field.
"He did an enormous amount of translation and scholarly work, particularly on the idealistic thinkers of the sixteenth and seventeenth century," she said.
Religion Professor Bob Henricks said yesterday he got to know Chan in the late 1970s and 1980s, when the College dedicated the Asian Studies Center and Chan received an honorary degree.
A 'wonderful person'
"He was just a wonderful person," Henricks said. "He was very funny and had lots of anecdotes. He must have been a wonderful teacher."
Henricks said Chan was one of the most important translators of Chinese philosophical texts of the last 30 to 40 years.
"He used his translations and his writings to make people in the West -- and especially in America -- aware of Chinese philosophy and philosophical texts," Henricks said.
Crossley said she thought one of Chan's most important achievements was his 1963 book, "A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy."
Crossley said she uses Chan's book in History 71: East Asian History. Henricks said he also uses the "Source Book" in two of his courses.
But Crossley said Chan's greatest achievement was creating interest in the field of Chinese philosophy.
"His greatest contribution was just being the person that he was and developing the respect and interest in the field that he did -- both in his students and through his writing," she said.
Both Crossley and Henricks said Chan was primarily responsible for the large collection of Chinese philosophical texts in Baker Library.
"He was responsible for increasing the library holdings here and at the University of Pittsburgh," Crossley said. "Dartmouth now has a respectable collection of Chinese material, including books on the culture of China, classic literature, commentaries on the literature and critical biographies of the major thinkers."
Harvard educated
A son of peasants, Chan was born on Aug. 18, 1901 in China. With money sent from the United States by their elder son, his parents sent Chan to school in Hong Kong, The New York Times reported.
Chan came to America in 1924.
After a chance meeting with a former professor in Harvard Square in Boston, Mass., Chan decided to study philosophy at Harvard University and he received a doctorate in that field in 1928.
Chan served as academic dean at Lingnan University in Guangzhou from 1929 until 1936. He then was a professor at the University of Hawaii until he came to Dartmouth as a professor in 1942.
Chan retired from teaching in 1966 and moved to Pittsburgh, Penn., where he lived until his death.
During his retirement, Chan taught part-time at Columbia University and Chatham College and wrote many books and articles.
Chan's wife of 65 years, Wai-Hing, died last year.
He is survived by a daughter, Jan Thomas of Berkeley, Calif.; two sons, Lo-Yi, of New York City, and Gordon, of Mobile, Ala., and five grandchildren.
His children could not be reached for further comment.
