Honoring Our Founding President: The Memorial Corner Installation

Poster for Prof. Woo memorial corner in library

In a remarkable team effort, the University Archives recently completed installation of a memorial corner dedicated to our late founding president, Prof. Chia-Wei Woo.

Poster of the Library's Memorial Corner for Prof. Woo Chia-Wei

Did you know that it was Prof. Woo’s vision back in 1990 to establish a university archive for preserving historically significant materials relating to our university? This memorial corner could not showcase such valuable materials without his foresight and commitment to safeguarding our university’s history.

Within a week of announcing Prof. Woo’s passing, our dedicated team collaborated to plan, design, prepare, and assemble a small display at the Library G/F Gallery to honor his memory.

Our first step involved selecting items that best reflect Prof. Woo’s connection with the university and his visionary values. Among the treasures selected are three important letters from 1985 and 1987 that mark his appointment as founding president and the university’s founding years. These letters were transferred to the University Archives upon Prof. Woo’s retirement.

Images of the original correspondence between Prof. Woo and senior government official and renowned philanthropists in 1985 and 1987
Correspondence between Prof. Woo and senior government official and renowned philanthropists in 1985 and 1987

Next, we crafted captions and a foreword to narrate the story behind each exhibit, while the Promotion Working Group helped with design work simultaneously. The layout of the memorial corner was also carefully planned, ensuring that each item was displayed thoughtfully, using cradles and stands to balance preservation with visibility.

Images of our University Archive and Special Collection teams mocking up the display
Display mock up in progress

Finally, thanks to the invaluable assistance from the Exhibition Working Group, we successfully installed the display cases and framed photos. The completion of this memorial corner within such a tight timeline would not have been possible without the dedication of all involved!

Exhibition Working Group setting up the display
Exhibition Working Group setting up the display
Final installation assisted by the Exhibition Working Group
Final installation assisted by the Exhibition Working Group

The memorial corner will be on display until the end of March. We warmly invite you to visit the memorial corner and reflect on Prof. Woo’s profound impact on our university community.

Dorothy Lau
Librarian (Archives & Special Collections)
lbdorothy@ust.hk

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