George Hsueh-lee Liang

1934 - 2024

George Hsueh-lee Liang passed away on September 4th, 2024 in San Diego, California, after a long illness. He was born on November 7th 1934 (lunar date October 1st, 1934) as the fourth of eight children of Wen-ch'ing Yao and Chieh-Cheng Liang in Laiyang, China. His family was poor, and he grew up suffering many hardships. In [insert year], his family was forced to flee south as Japan invaded China, moving from Laiyang to Hankou to Chongqing before eventually moving back north to Beijing for safety. In the 8th grade, his family then moved to Keeling City, Taiwan and then later to Taipei. It was there George discovered a love of basketball that followed him his whole life.

George then went to the Agricultural College in Taichung, prompting a liafelong interest in agriculture, plants, and genetics. After 18 months of military service in the Taiwan army upon graduating from college, he worked at the Taiwan Professional Institute of Agriculture and the Rice Research Institute to support his family. It was in this time that George dreamed of going to the US to study. Not to be deterred by impossible entry fees, he wrote to school after school before finally receiving a scholarship offer from the University of Wyoming. So, with no plan and nothing but a small suitcase and a scholarship offer, he boarded a ship bound for San Francisco.

On August 21st, 1959, George got off the ship, setting foot for the first time in the country that would become his home. But that day, he sat on the pier, not knowing what to do next. Thankfully, he was eventually led to the YMCA by a couple of Good Samaritans. After much searching, he found a job as a dishwasher at a Chinese restaurant in Palo Alto.

George then went to the University of Wyoming to begin working on his Master's degree, while simultaneously learning to acclimate to American life, and sending money home to his family every month.

George finished his Master's degree in 1961, and left for University of Wisconsin- Madison to earn his PhD. It was there he met his future wife Doreen, who would eventually propose to George. They married on June 8th, 1963.

On April 29th, 1964, George and Doreen gave birth to their first child, May. The two of them then finished their PhDs and George got a job offer from Kansas State University as an assistant professor, the first foreign born person to be offered such a job at K-state. Thus, George, Doreen, and May made their way to Manhattan, Kansas in a U-Haul. After settling down there, George and Doreen had their second child, Roy, on June 1st, 1969. They, as a family, crafted their beautiful life in Kansas, together, and in 1971,George and Doreen were naturalized as US citizens.

George's research focused on releasing crops with genes for disease resistance and drought tolerance, helping to alleviate the hunger that had so often plagued his family growing up. He consulted with the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program in China, and he was instrumental in helping make Chinese agriculture more productive, allowing it to sustain and eventually out produce the needs of the growing country. His career as an agronomist at K-State was incredibly successful, spanning 42 years, where on top of writing two books and giving frequent lectures in China, he was also a mentor and resource for all his students, but especially those who, like him, came to the US with very little in the way of purse or plan.

After such an illustrious career, George finally retired on February 1st, 2006, to sunny La Jolla, California. He was the recipient of the American Society of Agronomy Fellowship award in 1997, the Crop Science Fellow in 2002, the distinguished faculty award by Gamma Sigma Delta in 2002, and published 12 book chapters, 120 journal articles, and two books.

George's life is one of dedication, compassion, and sacrifice. He always used his experiences, and especially the hardships he faced, as motivation to make the world better for the people who came after him.

George is survived by his wife, Doreen, his two children, May (Jim Lintott) and Roy (Misha Liang), and his 5 grandkids, Jade Lintott, Marcus Lintott, Brandon Liang, Jacob Liang, and Jaina Liang.

A memorial and endowed fund in the name of Dr. George H L Liang has been established at the Kansas State University Foundation. Contributions may be sent to: KSU Foundation, 1800 Kimball Ave., Ste 200, Manhattan, KS 66502, please indicate fund M47482. To make a gift online, go to www.ksufoundation.org/give/memorials.