Central delegation travels to China to celebrate C.J. Huang
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A delegation from Central traveled to Hengdong County, China, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 to celebrate two milestones honoring the legacy of the philanthropist C.J. Huang: the 110th anniversary of his birth and the 40th anniversary of Ouyang Yu Experimental Middle School.
Born and raised in Hunan, China, Huang built a successful career as an industrialist while dedicating much of his life to philanthropy, humanitarian work, and calligraphy. His relationship with Central began in 1990, when he established a scholarship supporting exchanges between Central and Ouyang Yu Experimental Middle School—the construction of which he funded.
Central awarded Huang an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1990.
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Carmen Veloria and Dean of the School of Engineering, Science, and Technology Dr. Xudong Jia represented Central at the celebration on Oct. 2, reaffirming a longstanding partnership rooted in Huang’s belief in the power of education to connect people and create opportunities.
“As we honor this history, we look ahead,” Veloria said. “Central will deepen this partnership — in student exchange, faculty collaboration, and emerging fields like artificial intelligence, robotics, and cybersecurity. More than 35 years ago, Mr. Huang built a bridge between our communities; our responsibility now is to keep it strong for a new generation.”
The exchange program Huang established has enabled OYY students to study at Central and Central graduate students to travel to China to teach English. Twelve OYY teachers have studied at Central, 22 OYY graduates have come to Central as students — with another arriving just this fall. OYY has welcomed 57 international teachers, including 18 connected with Central.
Before his death in 2012, Dr. Huang bequeathed an additional $6.5 million to Central to establish another scholarship fund and to construct a new recreational facility. Central broke ground on the project in the fall of 2017. The 58,000-square-foot C.J. Huang Recreation Center opened in January 2020. The facility features a three-court gym, elevated running track, weights and fitness space, group exercise rooms, and more.
Dr. Huang’s wife, Ha-Lin Huang, and her daughters, Sheila Li and Alice Mark traveled to Central in 2023 for a tour of the recreation center and a private unveiling of a memorial plaque and video installation dedicated to Dr. Huang and his philanthropy.
About C.J. Huang
Huang was a respected industrialist, humanitarian, calligrapher, and philanthropist who invested his wealth in ways that would make life better for people through education, science, and medicine.
Born in 1916, Huang earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Wuhan University in 1938 and went on to earn his master’s degree in the same subject from the University of Michigan. In 1955, he moved to Thailand and established the U.S. Summit Corporation’s Bangkok branch, rebuilding the Bangchak Oil Refinery into one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia.
Huang’s legacy includes the C.J. Huang Foundation, which he established to support Asian American community-based organizations, and the Asian Liver Research Center at Stanford University. He also helped to build the Shanghai Children’s Hospital and the Wuhan University School of Nursing.
Huang also published several books on calligraphy, including three titles housed in the Huang Family Collection at the Elihu Burritt Library.
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Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Carmen Veloria delivers remarks at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Ouyang Yu Experimental Middle School. SEST Dean Dr. Xudong Jia (left) translated her remarks into Chinese.