Every year, Ted and I would exchange holiday greetings. I was to about to send my e-card to him for this year today. As I reached his website to retrieve his email, I was shocked to see the wording "deceased".
I had a wonderful opportunity to be at Ted's group for 4 plus years until graduation in 1994. Ted guided me through my reseach ad dissertation, and I benefited tremendously from his teaching and mentoring. His patience, warmth, wisdom, and compassion left indelible memory in my heart. I am sure that many of Ted's students and postdocs shared the same feeling.
My family, together with many of Ted's students and colleagues, visited Ted's family many times. We also had a chance to meet with his lovely wife Jane. Ted and Jane were always great hosts.
I shared the news with my wife Ping about Ted's passing. She was very saddened. Yes, we all loved Ted even after these many years that we left his group.
I spoke with Ted on the phone about six weeks ago. I had just heard about his illness from a friend.
I was surprised by Ted's voice. It was breathy--not the beautiful, musical, deep baritone I had known for so many years. I knew then that Ted was indeed very ill.
Ted shared with me many details of his battle with the cancer. After that, I asked Ted whether he wanted the information about his illness to be held confidential. He hesitated, then said yes. His reasoning was this: He had a grant from an industrial source, and he needed this grant to secure the position of someone in his group (if I understood him correctly). He was afraid that if the sponsor learned of his illness, the grant would be terminated. Clearly, his greatest concern was for the member(s) of his group who relied upon that grant for support. It was typical of Ted to be so selfless.
I told him that if his illness became widely known, he would certainly be contacted by a great many people. I told him that there were hundreds and hundreds of people who love him. At this, he began to cry. I think he was overwhelmed by the truth of that statement.
I write this so that my scientific colleagues will know that, even if you did not have a chance to contact Ted in his last days, he knew that we loved him.
