Pang-Hsin Ting

In August 1990 I drove across the country from Boston to Berkeley to study Chinese linguistics under Prof. Ting Pang-Hsin. I had received a BA in Mathematics in 1988 and then spent two years trying to figure out what to do next with my life. During that period I taught English in Beijing, fled the country after June 4, 1989, studied Mandarin in Taipei. I applied to Cal’s graduate program in what was then called the Oriental Languages Department almost on a whim, with no training in the field of linguistics and a vague but genuine interest in the Chinese dialects and language history. Prof. Ting changed the course of my life. I was lucky to find him. He trained me in the basic knowledge of the field, but equally important, he taught me what it means to be a scholar and modeled how to behave with integrity and kindness. The longer I have spent in academia, the more I have come to recognize how exceptional Prof. Ting was for his combination of scholarly talent and personal character. I think he must have learned some of this from his own teacher, Prof. Li Fang-Kuei, but much of it must simply have been a manifestation of who he truly was and the choices he made. He was one of the kindest and most compassionate people I have known. I am proud to count myself among his students. I will miss him dearly. My deepest condolences to his family and all those whose lives he touched.

道德文章，高山仰止 沉痛悼念丁邦新教授 丁邦新教授千古 日本 梁曉虹

半個世紀，同窗﹑好友﹑學長 教誨﹑景助﹑友情，終生難忘 沉痛悼念丁邦新教授 丁邦新教授千古 日本 高嶋謙一

My condolences to the family of Professor Ting. 驚聞丁邦新先生離開人間，不勝悲傷。 感謝丁先生自上世紀70年代相識以來總是以笑容待我。 丁先生對我的指導和鼓勵，我將終生不忘。 兹謹表哀悼。 日本 岩田 禮

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.