Charles Chu Obituary

Charles Chi-Jung Chu passed away quietly at his home in New London on Oct. 30, 2008.

He was born in 1918 in a small farming village in Hebei Province, China.  Charles was an accomplished painter, professor, calligrapher, and scholar.  His love of art and of life itself permeated his buoyant view of the world, his enjoyment of moments large and small, and his delight in the beauty of nature.

He went to high school in Beijing, and studied at National Central University.  After serving in the Chinese army during World War II, he came to the United States in 1945 to pursue graduate studies in political science at UC Berkeley and, later, at Harvard, with the intention of returning to his native China to help it reconstruct after the war.  When Communists took charge of China's government, Charles realized there was no room in his home country for a political scientist trained in America, or for the American family he had begun to raise.

Shifting his vision, he set out to adopt this country and to make his impact as a teacher. He enjoyed teaching at Yale University for 15 years, and then moved on in 1965 to establish and direct the Chinese program at Connecticut College in New London.  Until his retirement in 1984, Professor Chu taught Chinese language, literature, and the history of Chinese painting.  He was a wholly devoted teacher, and many of his students through the years still remain in contact with him.  He inspired excellence in his students, and he nurtured in them a passion for learning. His home, adjacent to the campus, was always open to his students, some of whom, throughout the years, lived with his family and had both the opportunity and the challenge of constant tutoring from their professor.

Upon his retirement from Connecticut College at the age of 65, he was able to devote himself to his painting and to collecting paintings through the Chu-Griffis Collection.  This extensive collection of literati style paintings was established in Chu's honor by his close friend, Toby Griffis, and funded by the Griffis Foundation and by numerous donors of funds and paintings.  It is housed at Connecticut College.

Charles is survived by his wife of 61 years, Bettie Chu, and by his sons, Leeland Cole-Chu and his spouse, Ruthie Cole-Chu, and Kevin Chu and his spouse, Patricia Harcourt; by his daughters, Ellen Scala and her spouse, Rob Scala, and Paula Chu and her spouse, Laura Danforth; and by 11 grandchildren.

Connecticut College honors Charles Chu