Tsung-I Dow

Tsung-I Dow, 101, of Boca Raton,FL passed away peacefuly at his daughter's home in Rye, NY on July 6. Born on November 6, 1915 in Yuzhong, Gansu, China, he was predeceased by his loving wife Phyllis Bridge Dow. A scholar of Chinese history and philosophy, he was a dedicated and immensely proud father and grandfather, who closely followed his extended-family's pursuits. He arrived in the United States via a U.S. Merchant Marine ship delivering supplies to Hiroshima, in 1946 following the end of WWII, and always carried those stark images with him. Active with the Nationalist Party, he served as Secretary to the President of the Control Yuan (China) and took refuge in the District of Columbia following the regime change. He was an intern in the Foreign Officer's Program at the Executive Office of the President (1949-1951.) He was forever grateful that he met his wife, Phyllis, at that time and that her faith in him inspired him to keep pursuing his dreams. He turned from politics to academia (B.A. 1940, M.A. 1942, National Central University, Ph.D.,1946, National Chengchi University, Nanjing, China, M.A.1950, George Washington University), ultimately becoming a history professor at Florida Atlantic University (1967-1997.) He authored many books and papers on Asian history and philosophy published in English and Chinese. He made many friends among his colleagues around the world and was a proud mentor. Late in life, he had a brush with fame, appearing as "Mr. Wang" in "Caddyshack," which offered him an endless sense of amusement and wonder that a political refugee from China could star in a movie. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Shoham of Bat Shelomo, Israel, and their three sons, Shai, Gil and Zohar; his daughter Alexandra of Rye, NY and her son and daughter, Nicholas and Isabella; his daughter and son-in-law, Deborah and Glenn Hutchins of Rye, NY, and their two sons and daughter-in-law, James and Elisabeth and Philip; and a son, Christopher of Flagstaff, AZ. He is also survived by nieces and nephews in China, many of whom still thank him for providing their college tuition and nieces and nephew in the United States, with whom he bonded over love of family and Chinese history. His infectious smile, curious mind, astute intellect and kind heart will be sorely missed. A memorial will be held in his honor at a later date in Boca Raton, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to FAU, fauf.fau.edu/history.