A tribute to Fred Chu
Our classmate Fred Chu died October 31, 2017 in St Louis as a result of pancreatic cancer. Fred had encountered cancer twice before in his life and defeated it, colon cancer 25 years ago, and a bout with a lung tumor just six years ago, a rare incidence for a man who was a nonsmoker. But two years ago after returning from a vacation trip to Havana, Cuba he had a checkup and pancreatic cancer was discovered. It prevented him from attending our 50th reunion as he fought this deadly disease with great grace and his abundant optimism.
Fred entered the Class of ’67 from Jersey City, N. J. after graduation from William L. Dickinson High School where he was an outstanding science student and scholar. Fred came to the university as one of those exceptionally brilliant few designated a University Scholar, freeing him from the regular course requirements and tailoring his course choices to his personal interests.
At Princeton Fred majored in biology and wrote his senior thesis on “Cowpox Virus Proteins: An Immunological Study.” A member of Campus Club, Fred roomed freshman year with Jerry Black, George Galland, and Frank Wetzel in Brown Hall. Sophomore year he roomed with Jerry Black again and Bob Lem, with whom he remained in contact throughout his life. During one college summer he participated in Princeton’s Project Hope traveling with several students to Peru to work in hospitals. Years later, having long wanted to revisit that summer and show his wife Macchu Pichu and the home where he and the students spent the summer, Fred took a Princeton Journeys trip with Anita to show her the long ago experience of a very fond memory. Fred left the college after the first semester of our junior year but came back the 2nd semester of senior year to graduate with the class, the perquisite of his status as a University Scholar. He early had determined to pursue a medical career, and after graduation he moved to New York City in autumn of 1967 entering Cornell’s Weill Cornell Medical School from which he graduated in 1971. He moved to San Francisco to complete his internship at General Hospital from 1971-1972.
Fred’s Vietnam era military service commitment was completed from 1972-1974 as a Lieutenant at the U. S. Public Health Service’s National Eye Institute at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. After completion of his military obligation Fred did his residency training back in Washington D. C. at Georgetown University Hospital from 1974-1977. Then with residency completed he embarked on a research career specializing in Neuro Ophthalmology back at NIH in Maryland as a Research Fellow from 1977-1984. Fred then applied for a permanent position at St Louis Barnes-Jewish Hospital and began an academic research career at Washington University Medical School which is located within the Barnes hospital complex. He applied for a position in his specialty, neuro-ophthalmology, but the Medical school said they wanted him to become the Director of Ophthalmology at Washington University’s Children’s Hospital. Protesting that he was not qualified, the university simply sent him to a year of training in children’s eye specialty at Johns Hopkins ’Wilmer Eye Institute and the Children’s Hospital in Washington, D. C. and then made him the Director. St Louis thus became his home of residence for the rest of his life, and as he noted in our 50th Reunion Book, in 1990 he switched to private practice in ophthalmology and that part of his career lasted more than 26 years. Along the way he picked up an MBA from Washington University Business School during 1986-88 because that business knowledge helped him decide to embark on his private practice. During those years he was long affiliated with St Louis’ St Luke’s Hospital.
As our 50th Reunion approached Fred noted his plan to soon retire for a more leisurely life, but unfortunately the cancer stole that future from him. The photo he included in the Reunion book shows him and his wife Anita, also a medical doctor, doing ballroom dancing. Family friends in St Louis urged Fred and Anita to join them one time in 1994 for some recreation at a dance club just to see what was involved. They did and found they loved it and were very good. That began a many years long hobby for the two as they travelled the country to dance competitions and not only had fun but won the National Amateur Dance Championship seven years in a row. In St Louis they were known as the “dancing doctors.” And having worked so hard all his life Fred decided after his youngest child went off to college he and Anita would travel which they did taking trips 3 or 4 times a year just in case, he said, one of them suddenly became ill. He was wise not to wait.
Fred is survived by his wife, Anita and three children, Melinda (Princeton ’03 a dermatologist), David (Northwestern , Finance), and Fred (Princeton ’06 and like his father an ophthalmologist), and a grateful St Louis community for his lifelong service to that region. The community of medical staff, fellow doctors, nurses, administrators, and everyone from parking attendants to custodians related to Anita that Fred Chu was the friendliest, most thoughtful, caring doc in the entire community. He was both admired and respected but also greatly loved and missed. He had a joy of life that permeated all his activities and his infectious optimism was transmitted to all he encountered. The Class of ’67 is proud of his many accomplishments and was honored by his presence among us.
Fred entered the Class of ’67 from Jersey City, N. J. after graduation from William L. Dickinson High School where he was an outstanding science student and scholar. Fred came to the university as one of those exceptionally brilliant few designated a University Scholar, freeing him from the regular course requirements and tailoring his course choices to his personal interests.
At Princeton Fred majored in biology and wrote his senior thesis on “Cowpox Virus Proteins: An Immunological Study.” A member of Campus Club, Fred roomed freshman year with Jerry Black, George Galland, and Frank Wetzel in Brown Hall. Sophomore year he roomed with Jerry Black again and Bob Lem, with whom he remained in contact throughout his life. During one college summer he participated in Princeton’s Project Hope traveling with several students to Peru to work in hospitals. Years later, having long wanted to revisit that summer and show his wife Macchu Pichu and the home where he and the students spent the summer, Fred took a Princeton Journeys trip with Anita to show her the long ago experience of a very fond memory. Fred left the college after the first semester of our junior year but came back the 2nd semester of senior year to graduate with the class, the perquisite of his status as a University Scholar. He early had determined to pursue a medical career, and after graduation he moved to New York City in autumn of 1967 entering Cornell’s Weill Cornell Medical School from which he graduated in 1971. He moved to San Francisco to complete his internship at General Hospital from 1971-1972.
Fred’s Vietnam era military service commitment was completed from 1972-1974 as a Lieutenant at the U. S. Public Health Service’s National Eye Institute at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. After completion of his military obligation Fred did his residency training back in Washington D. C. at Georgetown University Hospital from 1974-1977. Then with residency completed he embarked on a research career specializing in Neuro Ophthalmology back at NIH in Maryland as a Research Fellow from 1977-1984. Fred then applied for a permanent position at St Louis Barnes-Jewish Hospital and began an academic research career at Washington University Medical School which is located within the Barnes hospital complex. He applied for a position in his specialty, neuro-ophthalmology, but the Medical school said they wanted him to become the Director of Ophthalmology at Washington University’s Children’s Hospital. Protesting that he was not qualified, the university simply sent him to a year of training in children’s eye specialty at Johns Hopkins ’Wilmer Eye Institute and the Children’s Hospital in Washington, D. C. and then made him the Director. St Louis thus became his home of residence for the rest of his life, and as he noted in our 50th Reunion Book, in 1990 he switched to private practice in ophthalmology and that part of his career lasted more than 26 years. Along the way he picked up an MBA from Washington University Business School during 1986-88 because that business knowledge helped him decide to embark on his private practice. During those years he was long affiliated with St Louis’ St Luke’s Hospital.
As our 50th Reunion approached Fred noted his plan to soon retire for a more leisurely life, but unfortunately the cancer stole that future from him. The photo he included in the Reunion book shows him and his wife Anita, also a medical doctor, doing ballroom dancing. Family friends in St Louis urged Fred and Anita to join them one time in 1994 for some recreation at a dance club just to see what was involved. They did and found they loved it and were very good. That began a many years long hobby for the two as they travelled the country to dance competitions and not only had fun but won the National Amateur Dance Championship seven years in a row. In St Louis they were known as the “dancing doctors.” And having worked so hard all his life Fred decided after his youngest child went off to college he and Anita would travel which they did taking trips 3 or 4 times a year just in case, he said, one of them suddenly became ill. He was wise not to wait.
Fred is survived by his wife, Anita and three children, Melinda (Princeton ’03 a dermatologist), David (Northwestern , Finance), and Fred (Princeton ’06 and like his father an ophthalmologist), and a grateful St Louis community for his lifelong service to that region. The community of medical staff, fellow doctors, nurses, administrators, and everyone from parking attendants to custodians related to Anita that Fred Chu was the friendliest, most thoughtful, caring doc in the entire community. He was both admired and respected but also greatly loved and missed. He had a joy of life that permeated all his activities and his infectious optimism was transmitted to all he encountered. The Class of ’67 is proud of his many accomplishments and was honored by his presence among us.