The children of the late Shiu Kong Yuen '42 have established a scholarship endowment in their father's memory.
Yuen, affectionately known throughout the College community as “Mac,” came to Union as an exile from Japanese-occupied China and earned his degree in economics. While at Union he was the unofficial photographer for virtually every function, capturing an extraordinary range of campus life. He received a special award for photography on Prize Day in 1942.
After graduation, Yuen worked for General Electric until 1946, when he returned to Hong Kong to join Shun On Company, Ltd., his father's real estate business. In Hong Kong, he aided refugees from Communist China, was a prime mover in founding a branch of Canton Lingman University, and served as an admissions representative for Union. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Island West and an associate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain and the Photographic Society of America.
Shiu Kong Yuen died in early 1992 and was awarded an honorary doctorate posthumously at the Class of 1942's fiftieth Reunion on May 29, 1992.
When making their gift, one of Mac Yuen's children said, “My family feels that an endowed scholarship is the best vehicle for setting up a memorial for our dad. Not only does it leave room for expansion in the future, but it is what we believe our father would have chosen to do if he had lived to make a capital gift to the College.”
The Yuen Scholarship will support students in science or engineering.