Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 1999
A gift for our friendsStory first printed in the 1999 Summer edition of Perspective newspaper for alumni and friends.
More than 1,300 Purdue alumni live and work in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.
Purdue President Steven Beering will visit these alumni this fall. As a gift, he will have with him the book "Three Tigers and Purdue," written by Lafayette journalist John Norberg.
The book seeks to capture the history of the relationship between Purdue and the three countries, says Chuck Wise, Purdue vice president for development.
The idea for the book arose in the early 1990s during a trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan by President Beering, former trustee Bob Jesse, former engineering dean Henry Yang and Wise.
"We were struck by the enormous amount of pride we saw in the alumni in those countries," Wise says.
Wise has returned to visit alumni in East Asia each year. Beering will make another trip in October.
"Traditionally, there is an exchange of gifts when we travel," Wise says. "We thought if we could capture some of the history of our relationship, that would be a wonderful gift."
When President Frederick Hovde traveled to Taiwan in 1966 to visit Cheng Kung University, which Purdue had helped build, he was met by several alumni and given red-carpet treatment.
That same feeling exists today, Wise says.
"The first time I visited the university, I did not realize how the people revere Purdue," he says. "I knew about the relationship between Purdue and Cheng Kung, but I hadn't grasped the great impact Purdue had during those building years."
"Three Tigers and Purdue" tells the story of Purdue and Cheng Kung University, as well as the stories of Purdue alumni in Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea who have returned to achieve and contribute in their countries.
"I think it's wonderful that we can take this unique gift to our friends and colleagues," Wise says. "This is a gift that will last a lifetime and beyond."
Stories by Julie Rosa
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