In memoriam, Ezra Vogel (1930-2020)

Prof. Vogel at USC, Jan. 2020.

香港中文大學中國研究服務中心全體同仁為傅高義教授突然離世感到震驚，深表哀慟。1963年，傅高義教授等中國研究學者，在香港設立了這個中心。當時稱為大學服務中心。1988年傅高義教授參與促成中心納入香港中文大學，在此找到永久歸宿，為海外及大陸的學者提供學術服務。傅高義教授從1992年到2015年間，擔任中心國際顧問委員會主席。數年來，中心建立了舉世無雙的中國研究資料館藏，其使用之方便及其熱忱服務，受到海外及大陸學者的稱道，獲得中國研究者的“麥加”之美譽。傅高義教授一生的成就之中，包括中國研究服務中心的建立及發展。

傅高義教授最近一次訪問中心在2020年1月。當年他以89歲高齡，三次到訪香港中文大學，發表學術講話，和中大同仁及研究生交談。他一貫的誠懇、睿智和幽默令人傾倒，他的音容笑貌歷歷在目。我們將永遠對他心懷感激。

The USC community has learned about the passing of Professor Ezra Vogel (1930-2020) with enormous sadness. We will always remember his kindness, his humanity, his ability to communicate without fuss with students, young scholars and colleagues not only about the pressing issues of contemporary China studies, but also about life itself. Early in his career, Prof. Vogel based himself at the Universities Service Center--then located at 155, Argyle Street in Kowloon--where he assembled necessary materials and conducted interviews for his classic Canton under Communism. Over the years, he continued to use and visit the centre numerous times and was instrumental in sealing the agreement between the American Council of Learned Societies and CUHK to move USC’s collection to Shatin in 1988, where the University agreed to preserve and continue to update its famous holdings.  As a lifelong friend of the centre, Professor Vogel generously served as the Chair of our international advisory committee from 1992 to 2015. His last visit to USC occurred in January 2020. With his usual kindness and good humor, he dispensed precious advice to CUHK postgraduate students and junior colleagues on how to strike a path in the competitive world of contemporary Chinese studies. We are forever grateful for his unwavering support.