Beech Mountain, North Carolina

We often took advantage of the fact that Father was in the USA to visit local scenic spots. So, in 1972, on a beautiful day in late Fall, we drove to visit Beech Mountain, NC, where a new attraction had just opened - the Yellow Brick Road. Not only did we get to see the beautiful Fall colors in the area, but we also walked on the Yellow Brick Road and talked to Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Lion . We told the story to both our children and to Father for the first time, and they watched the show on top of this mountain. It was a very fun day!

Watauga Lake

One of Father’s favorite local places was Watauga Lake. The pictures below were taken the first time he came to the USA. This big lake gave him an impression which was deeply imprinted on his mind. Later, when he came to live with us, we had bought a vacation hide-out on the lake. He never lost his enjoyment in going there. We were not sure how serious he was when he told us later that he wanted to have his ashes scattered at the lake after he passed away. In 1972, when he went to visit the lake for the first time, you can see on his face his appreciation for  this beautiful place!

Biltmore House

One of the places we visited with Father locally was the Biltmore House in Ashville. He liked it very much and was amazed that it was just a summer place for the very rich in the USA. We only spent a day there. It was certainly another good chance for our children to get comfortable with their grandfather. Even though they did not know much Chinese and my father could only say a few sentences in English, he became part of the family very easily and they enjoyed their togetherness naturally. This visit certainly helped my father to make the decision later to move in with us. He just had so much fun!

Home at Johnson City

After Father got back to Johnson City, it took very little time for him to adjust to life in the USA. He had always liked Janice and he had no difficulty in living with  a foreign daughter-in-law. As a matter of fact, these two had grown to respect to each other so quickly, that you would wonder whether they had lived together for a long, long time! Both formally and informally, father became part of the family without a hitch. Both Pan-pan and Steven enjoyed being with Yeye – no problem as you can see below!

Social Activities

When you start a new job, it certainly is a new challenge for your spouse as well, especially a spouse with very young children. Janice was trying hard to get involved with new friends. Besides joining the new faculty wives group, she started to participate in a bridge group with some other new and old faculty members’ spouses. She even invited some big groups of people for dinners.  One group has kept together for many years, but that is another story for later. It is very interesting to see some of the old pictures some even had some dishes she cooked that you can identify:

Certainly, we got connected to my English Teacher at National Taiwan, Miss Margaret Sells, and some of her family members, such as Mrs. Louise Sells, who was later Johnson City Mayor.

Academic Activities

As soon as we came back from our summer vacation with Father, I was engaged deeply with my research in my field of chemical kinetics. Since ETSU was not emphasizing on publishing in those days, the pressure was off. It was great to be able to do research on projects which matched my interests totally. A couple of papers were, however, published from work done at the University of Kentucky. Since ETSU did not have a regular weekly seminar program, I tried to start one by inviting people I knew to come and give seminars on Friday afternoons. Some of my friends who came stayed for the weekend and we went to visit local scenic spots.  I have pictures of two of them.

The Paul Corio family at Roan Mountain:

The George Sanzone family at Watauga Lake: