Erika Meng

MENG, ErikaAge 44, originally of Nashville, passed away June 1, 2008 in Wayland, MA, after a long and courageous battle with both breast and ovarian cancers. She is preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Raymond H.C. Meng and Cecilia T.L. Meng. She is survived by her husband, Jacob Lage of Copenhagen, Denmark; her sister, Brita Meng Outzen; brother-in-law, Christian Outzen and niece, Kaia Outzen, all of Sudbury, MA; and brother, Henrik Meng of San Francisco. Erika was a 1977 graduate of Ensworth and a 1981 graduate of Harpeth Hall. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in political science and international relations. At Penn, she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, she worked in Shanghai, China, then worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC. She then went to the University of California, Davis, where she received M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in agriculture and resource economics. For the past 11 years, Erika was a Scientist with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) based in Mexico City. In that role, she traveled extensively, conducting research all over Asia - China, Central Asia and Caucasus, and South Asia and in Turkey, Morocco and East Africa. Erika spoke over five languages, and had a passion for travel, cooking, shopping and all things outdoors. No trip home to Nashville was complete without a hike around Radnor Lake or a trip to the Pancake Pantry. Erika's vibrant passion for life and people has touched people all over the world, and she leaves behind devoted friends on every continent. A Memorial service will be held Sunday, July 29, 2008 at 4 p.m., in Wightman Chapel of the Scarritt-Bennett Center. Visitation with the family will follow in the Raintree Room at Scarritt-Bennett. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Erika C.H. Meng Scholarship Fund for Development Policy at Research at the University of California, Davis, c/o Laurie Greene, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 or Gilda's Club Nashville, 1707 Division Street, Nashville, TN 37203.