In Memoriam

RUTH CHANG

Former faculty Ruth Chang, 80, of Nedosha, KS, passed away on January 16, 2021 after a long battle with dementia. Ruth began teaching at TAS in 1972. In 1978, she created the Guidance Counselor role in the elementary school, where she remained until 1989 when she moved to Hong Kong to serve as guidance counselor at Hong Kong International School. In 2001, she lost her husband Jose to colon cancer and two years later she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat the disease and finished out her successful teaching career of 44 years, retiring in 2006 to the United States.

She traveled and settled in Orlando, FL where she worked for four years as a park greeter at Disneyland. She moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to spend the rest of her life with her daughter and beloved granddaughter. She will be remembered for many things, but above all, her infectious laugh, love of travel, independent spirit and warm fuzzies. Ruth is survived by her son Jose, her daughter Christina Chang ’89, son in law Soam Lall, and their daughter Samara.

HUBERT JACOBS

Former faculty Hubert Jacobs passed away on April 7, 2021. He taught Dutch at TAS in the 1990s. He later moved onto Antwerp International School where he taught mathematics and Individual & Societies in the IB curriculum at AIS from 2000 until 2018 when he retired. He is survived by his wife Tineke

and his family. Condolences can be sent to the following email: jacobsderegt@gmail.com. The family requests that friends and family abstain from sending any flowers.

Timo Carlier ’92 writes: “Hubert Jacobs was my IB Diploma Language A: Dutch teacher from 1990 to 1992. The Dutch classes were taught on a separate stream, company sponsored, but Hubert made sure that I was able to participate. I thoroughly enjoyed his lessons, characterised by his direct, sometimes outrageous sense of humour, and constant references to European philosophy and culture. Through our literature and film studies, Hubert prepared me for my return to Europe; having lived in Asia for so many of my formative years, this preparation turned out to be essential in readjusting to Dutch societal norms.

Thanks in part to Hubert, I was able to complete my university degree in Leiden and became an English Language and Literature teacher. My partner, Vanessa, and I moved to Belgium in 2006 to teach at an international school there. To my great surprise, I ran into Hubert and Tineke at a new staff welcoming party. We were colleagues for 12 years, and I really enjoyed working with him. As a colleague, Hubert showed me the value of calling a spade a spade, especially when it comes to ensuring fair treatment of individuals. Hubert was a popular teacher at our school, especially amongst the middle school students whom he mainly taught while with us. When he retired in 2018, Hubert received a standing ovation from the whole school. We will miss our colleague, teacher and friend.”

DR. GUY LOTT JR.

On June 19, 2020 one of our school’s educational leaders and giants, former TAS superintendent Dr. Guy Lott Jr., passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. He is survived by his son Karl Lott, his sister Helen Wanke, and his brother Frank Lott. Dr. Guy Lott, Jr. became superintendent of Taipei American School in 1981. He served as our 10th superintendent and leader of our educational community for a decade, from 1981-1991. During this time he oversaw many fundamental changes to our school including the historic move to our current Shilin campus. He was also a strong supporter of arts and music education, pioneering the expansion of the program which led to the building and naming of the Guy Lott Jr. auditorium.

STUART HOLLIS ’60

Stuart H. Lollis ’60 passed away on December 13, 2020 of kidney and respiratory failure at age 78. Stuart graduated from TAS in 1960 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1964. He served in Vietnam and received his MBA from Harvard Business School before beginning a career in marketing. He went on to start a business with his father, helping U.S. manufacturing firms to export their products abroad. Stuart and his wife Mary lived in Edgartown, MA, on Martha’s Vineyard. He is survived by his wife Mary, children Scott and Kristen, daughter-in-law Liz Hunt, son-in-law Brendon Bates, and grandchildren William, Matthew and Julia Lollis and Andrew and Henry Bates.

ANNE WITZLEBEN ’73

Janel Wire Pratt ’71 writes: “Anne Witzleben ’73 left this world peacefully on October 30, 2020 surrounded by close friends of many years at her home in Truckee, CA in the California Sierras near Lake Tahoe. Anne loved travel, hiking and music (from Bob Dylan and the Band to Weather Report). When possible, she combined her interests, like the time she flew to Egypt to attend a Grateful Dead concert at the Pyramids. Anne was a professor of English as a Second Language at Truckee Meadows Community College—still teaching until several weeks before she passed and despite having a debilitating illness. She attended Taipei American School and Santa Clara University, and has maintained many friends from both institutions through all these decades. Anne was always an enthusiastic participant at TAS reunions, both Stateside and in Taipei and her trademark smile was a joy to us all.”

BENJAMIN TSAI ’00

Benjamin Tsai ’00 passed away on February 2, 2021. Benjamin grew up in Taiwan and bravely moved to New York to pursue his dreams of getting involved in the computer science program at Stuyvesant. He attended Carnegie Mellon University where he studied Computer Science, Business Administration; and achieved his masters in Information Technology and Software Engineering. After college, Ben moved to San Francisco, CA where he spent his years enjoying his favorite field, working for Salesforce, Waymo, and Airbnb. Benjamin also had a passion for technology, adventure, sailing, and piloting. Ben’s love for his family and friends was apparent in the way he always showed up. His kind, generous, and caring nature has been felt by many. He is survived by his parents Chiung Ying and Che Ming Tsai; and his siblings Benson, Tiffany ’08 and Jay Quin.

PLEASE HAVE A SEAT

Members of the TAS community have the opportunity to name a seat in the Guy Lott, Jr. Auditorium. For NT$90,000, an inscribed plaque will be on permanent display on a chair in the Guy Lott, Jr. Auditorium. By participating in “Please Have a Seat,” part of the Building Excellence initiative, your gift will benefit the development and enhancement of TAS campus facilities, which will support student learning from KA through Grade 12. In the past few years, gifts to Building Excellence have made possible the construction of the Solomon Wong Tech Cube, the installation of our new lower school playground—the Tiger Garden, the renovations to the Guy Lott, Jr. Auditorium, the construction of the recently named Dr. Sharon DiBartolomeo Upper School Building, that of the Liu Lim Arts Center, and much more. This year, the family of Benjamin Tsai ’00 honored his memory with Chair #036. In 2019-2020, Harry A. Cockrell ‘68 honored the Cockrell Family with Chair #269. In the 2018-2019 school year, Janel Wire Pratt ‘71 and Stacey Wire Ward ‘76 honored their father Dr. Howard Wire with Chair #55. Chair numbers matching class years have been reserved for alumni. Contact the Development Office at development@tas.tw to name a chair in honor of your class, family, or a former teacher.