Dear YingLam
Dear Friends of Prof. Bing Lin

From Universitas Ma Chung, in the city where Prof. Lin Bing was born, all of us members of Universitas Ma Chung,  express our deepest condolences on the demise of Prof. Lin Bing, a Ma Chung alumnus, one of our academic patrons and a beloved teacher. His paying attention to Universitas Ma Chung was extraordinary, and in the early years of Universitas Ma Chung establishment until today, Universitas Ma Chung has become one of the ten strongest and most achieving universities in East Java out of 329 existing universities, all of these are due to the remarkable and admirable role of people such as Prof Lin Bing who have fully dedicated their heart and spirit to Universitas Ma Chung.

Every time he returned to Indonesia, the first place he wanted to visit was Universitas Ma Chung. The bond was so deep, although in fact he didn’t directly teach the present Universitas Ma Chung generation, his spirit remains as a part in the heart of every member of Universitas Ma Chung.

We do indeed suffer a great loss. But we believe there is a Prof. Lin Bing in the heart of each Universitas Ma Chung member. May this spirit keeps on living as the historical odyssey of Ma Chung. This is the great work of great people, carving history in the world of education.

With respects,

Shinta Limantara
Rector of Universitas Ma Chung

Friends of Bing:

Although his failing health in the past year made his demise inevitable
soon, I know his daughter Ying took great care of him in his last months
and eased the passage of his suffering. It was wise of him to move near her
this past year for the consolation she provided. We will all miss him
deeply.

It does not seem that long ago when an old friend and colleague in
international education in Washington DC asked me in the mid-1980s if I
could accommodate two Chinese scholars at Weber State. I cobbled together a
variety of instructional packages so that Bing and Zhilling could teach
courses in: comparative education, supervision of student teachers, Chinese
language in foreign languages, and Tai Chi in physical education, and to
locate them physically in WSU's only residence within walking distance. Not
only did we bond and support each other in mutual research activities, but
Bing made the best pot stickers and pork dishes. Coincidentally, Bing and
Zhiling became part of our informal faculty group and regular attendees at
the salon meetings.

When it became necessary for Weber State to release non-tenured faculty
because of budget cuts, I contacted friends at UNLV who in turn put me in
contact with the Dean at Fresno State who over the phone with me offered to
accept them. They spent many successful years there before returning to
Beijing and retirement.

Bing and I were "old dogs" in the Chinese astrological chart, and he
also phoned me every year on my birthday.

In 2011 I had declined a Fulbright request to go to Indonesia.  But a
phone call from Bing in Beijing, who was from originally from Malang in
Indonesia, convinced me that I should re-consider and to go to Ma Chung
University (the name, incidentally of his former high school) and assist in
that new university's development. I contacted the Fulbright people and
they accepted my proposal and gave me a Senior Fulbright short-term
contract for May to July. Bing and Zhilling came also from Beijing and we
all attended the university's first graduation ceremony. The university
appointed me an Adjunct Professor and to the Advisory Board both Bing and
Zhililng were on.

Our mutually successful projects, presentations at the American
Educational Research Association, and similar activities (including
culinary) endeared me to Bing and to his easy banter and delightful
disposition. We shall not see his like again any time soon.


Old Dog, Don

My friend Lin Bing passed away June 3rd on the morning of his 79th birthday.  I keep on telling myself that the best course of action for him was to leave all pain and long suffering behind and move on to a better place where I am sure he is now finally resting in peace. However, it is still hard for me to deal with the loss of such an important and good friend in my life.

During the 10 years of Cultural Revolution in China, I was labeled a "Capitalist Roader," that is, a person who is allegedly not working to build the Socialist Road to progress. Three years before the end of the chaos, in 1973, I was still shunned by everybody. However, Lin Bing was the only colleague who, defying a highly hostile working environment, dared to offer his friendship and ask if he could work with me.  

And so we did. We worked together for over 40 years, not only in China but also in other places around the world, facing all sorts of challenges and obstacles that would have deterred many.  We managed not only to be accepted by colleagues in the United States, but also to receive recognition and many awards for our work.  We did many joint research projects and gave paper presentations at the UNESCO, AERA, ATE conferences. Jointly, we taught courses at several Universities in the United States. We also organized Chinese New Year celebrations and other Chinese cultural events.

I talked to him the day before he passed away, to wishing him a wonderful and special birthday with his family. I realized he was in his final hours. We talked about an old Chinese saying: "We do not die if we stay in the hearts of those we leave behind.” 

Lin Bing died peacefully the next morning.

Lin Bing’s affable personality, friendliness, and easy- going nature fostered perseverance and encouraged students to reach their goals. Lin Bing will always be in the hearts of the so many people he touched with his generosity, kindness, good disposition and willingness to help.  

This loss is very heavy for me to bear but at the same time it is comforting to realize that there is no more pain and suffering for my dear friend Lin Bing.

 Zhiling Yang

悼念林冰博士

                                                                                                    黄 如 才

 我们敬爱的林冰博士与世长辞。 身为林冰的朋友和同事，我们失去了益友，何不痛心！

人固有一死。有的人，走了，很快就被人们忘掉，真的，消失了。有的人，死了，但他仍活在人们的心里，久久难忘，一直到永远。

              我们敬爱的林冰博士，从少年时期就酷爱群体、关心同学、关心社会。在中学时期，他是印尼《玛琅中华中学》学生会骨干；带领同学们勤奋学习、赶上时代。高中毕业后，鉴于当时印尼华校缺乏师资，他毅然放弃升大学的念头，受聘担任印尼玛琅市《新力学校》教导主任。后来曾担任代校长之职。1957 年，循着求学的华侨子弟不断增加，玛琅玉融公会决心创办《大众学校》。  在社会的要求下， 林冰被调任为《大众学校》的校长。在一年内，奠基了大众学校发展的基础。

             作为年轻好学的林冰，青春对他来说，是多么宝贵啊！ 1958 年，林冰去中国升学。基于他对教育工作的酷爱，他的第一选向，就是到北京师范大学攻读。后来，由于他的优异的的学习成绩，中国政府委派他以中国教育工作者的名义，到美国考上《教育学博士》， 并有机会在美国执教17年之久。在美国，他专门研究和传播中国教育理念和教育改革；直到退休年龄。

            退役期间，林冰虽已七秩有余，且曾患过两次中风，但2001年，当他听到全球玛中校友《饮水思远，报效故里》的呼吁，要在玛琅山城，在原《玛琅中华中学》所在地，在他们少年时期成长过、学习过的故里，为迎接21 世纪亚洲的振兴，培育优秀人才时，林冰毫不犹豫，与他的导师杨之岭博士一起，担起“开荒牛”。他们专程多次去印尼各地，去访很多当地的高等学府，进行调查研究、拟草建校方案。后来，成为《印尼玛中大学》创校纲要，为《玛中大学》的创校理念，奠下基石。。。。为此，《玛中大学》一开课，就敦聘他们为第一任校务顾问。

           如今，在林冰博士离开我们的时刻，当我们悲痛地失去了教育战线上的一名斗士和海外华人教育工作队伍的一位益友之际，环顾全球，大家看到了《玛琅新力学校》、《玛琅大众学校》所培育过的莘莘学子，在世界各地，不少已成为科学界的佼佼者、经济活动的先领者、社会活动的带头人、国际合作的推进着。。。。

          我们应该对林冰说：

           林冰，安息吧！     您永远属于我们。