Professor Che Kan (C. K.) Leong was a Canadian educational psychologist specializing in special education and dyslexia in the Faculty of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. He published widely in the field and was well known for his research on reading and dyslexia in English and Chinese. He served as Editor of Annals of Dyslexia from 2001 to 2006. He passed away peacefully at age 89 in Edmonton, Alberta, on November 30, 2020, in the company of his family. He is remembered by his colleagues as a dedicated, thoughtful researcher and a caring, generous friend.

Che Kan Leong (known to all as C. K.) was born in Canton, China, on May 10, 1931. He studied at the University of Hong Kong where he completed a B.A. with Honours in English Literature (1957) and an M.A. in Education (1964). In between, he received a UNESCO fellowship to attend the University of Queensland where he completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Child Development (1960), and in 1974, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Professor J. P. Das. C. K. was named a Doctor of Social Sciences (Honoris Causa) by the University of Umeå, Sweden, in 1990, and awarded an Earned Doctorate of Letters by the University of Saskatchewan in 1998. Among his many awards was the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award for contribution to dyslexia research, service, and advocacy, by the International Dyslexia Association in 2006.

Career
C. K. worked as a Lecturer at Northcote College of Education and then as Research Officer and Acting Senior Education Officer in the Education Department in Hong Kong from 1957 to 1969. From 1969 until retirement in 1998, he was a Professor in the Institute of Child Guidance and Development and later Department for the Education of Exceptional Children in the Faculty of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. He was the Endowed Lansdowne Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria from 1989 to 1991. Upon retirement in 1998, he became the Foundation Dean of the School of Languages in Education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Although retired, he continued to publish, obtain research grants, and present papers at international conferences. As of January 2018, he became a visiting professor at the J. P. Das Centre at the University of Alberta.

Research contributions
Over his career, C. K. was a prolific researcher. He described his research as focused on the psychological and psycholinguistic aspects of reading and its disorders (developmental dyslexia and reading comprehension difficulties), metalinguistic awareness, phonological, orthographic, and morphological processing in relation to reading, spelling and written composition, lexical access in English and Chinese, and the use of text-to-speech computer systems to enhance text comprehension. He was truly a pioneer in Chinese reading research, and approached it from a cross-linguistic comparative perspective. C. K. had an impressive research agenda, enough for several careers, but through 11 books, 41 book chapters, and more than 90 papers in refereed journals he lived up to it. His research was notable for its technical and statistical sophistication, and for foreshadowing later and current interests in neuroscience, morphology, and cross-linguistic studies, all in relation to reading, reading disabilities, and more generally language.

C. K.’s interests in the neuropsychology of reading and reading disability began before he entered the doctoral programme at the University of Alberta. He was deeply immersed in the neuropsychology of language and laterality, and his awareness of Luria’s pioneering research in neuropsychology was one of the reasons for going to Alberta to work with Das. His dissertation work on language processes and laterality contributed to a deeper understanding of cognition and language in reading. The external examiner of his dissertation, the noted neuropsychologist Arthur Benton, praised the work, and his dissertation was given the Outstanding Dissertation Award by the International Reading Association. His research began with the technique of dichotic listening (Leong, 1974, 1976-1977, 1980) and expanded to other methods (Leong, Wong, Wong, & Hiscock, 1985). He devoted considerable effort to interpreting neuroscientific results for an educational audience (Leong, 1989a; Leong & Joshi, 1995). He clearly saw neuroscience as the foundation for his other interests.

Stimulated by his understanding of the morphological structure of Chinese, C. K. was one of the first to explicitly address the role of morphology in reading (Leong, 1972, 1989b; Leong, Cheng & Mulcahy, 1987) and reading difficulties (Leong, 1989c; Leong, 1999; Leong & Parkinson, 1995). He continued to study the influence of morphology in both English and Chinese throughout his career (Leong, 2009; Zhang, Koda, & Leong, 2016), all within a more broadly based componential model of reading that he kept developing over his career (Leong, 1988, 1992, 2015).

Perhaps less well known is that C. K. was one of the “fathers” of cross-linguistic research in reading. In 1997, he co-edited the book Cross-language studies of learning to read and spell containing 20 chapters, grouped by language (English, German, Dutch, Nordic languages, and Chinese), on the role of phonological and orthographic processing in learning to read and spell (Leong & Joshi, 1997). Many of those book chapters formed the basis of future cross-linguistic work in reading and spelling. Perhaps most importantly though, this book highlighted the need to examine reading and spelling beyond the boundaries of alphabetic orthographies. In the last chapter, C. K. provided a detailed description of Chinese (C. K. was known for his exhaustive reviews of the literature) and presented evidence from studies with young children and adults to support the “universal” phonological principle. His work on morphology is similarly consistent with a universal morphological principle. Building on this work, he co-edited Cognitive processing of the Chinese and Japanese languages, a book that further illustrated the role of phonological and orthographic processing in learning to read in non-alphabetic orthographies (Leong & Tamaoka, 1998).

Editorship
C. K. was the editor-in-chief for Annals of Dyslexia (Annals) from November 2001 to December 2006. During these years, C. K. brought out five volumes and eight issues with some 1600 pages. Annals experienced significant growth under C. K.’s leadership, expanding from one issue to two issues per year. Not only did the journal increase the number of papers published annually, it also improved its impact factor. An editor with a great vision and conviction, C. K. set out two goals for Annals, “publishing cross-linguistic studies in dyslexia and related areas” and “promoting high quality papers on empirical studies and theory-based practices” (Leong, 2006). Almost 15 years later, these goals continue to guide Annals—the journal publishes high-quality research conducted in many different languages and countries because “dyslexia knows no national or linguistic boundaries” (Leong, 2006). Today, Annals has developed into a journal that publishes three issues annually, with Springer as its publisher.

As an editor, C. K. poured his heart and soul into the journal. Starting in 2003, he wrote a detailed commentary for every issue he edited to “provide the context and to look ahead in what may come in the field” (Leong, 2003). He revealed to a colleague that he read all the submissions and all references in these submissions that he was not familiar with. In his mind, this is “what it should be for an editor”. He often talked about the joy and privilege of working with authors, reviewers, the editorial board, and journal staff. C. K. was such a passionate editor that he personally congratulated each first author on his/her publication, and he sometimes continued to discuss a paper with the authors after it was published. In his final commentary for Annals, C. K. thoughtfully summarized all the papers published during his tenure by topic. His insights shed a bright light on our path ahead.

Colleague and friend
To those of us who knew C. K. for many decades, and to those who met him more recently, he was above all else a wise and generous scholar. His knowledge of reading and educational psychology was both broad and deep. He paid close attention to the work of others and was always able to pose a perplexing question and more often than not a successful response. At the same time, although C. K. was no doubt more senior than most of us, he treated each person with great respect. A truly genuine person, C. K. was kind and gentle. He connected with people easily. He took the time to listen and to offer his advice as a friend. All of us enjoyed meeting C. K. greatly at conferences and events. His passing is a loss to our community.


* The authors would like to thank David Olson for his comments on an earlier version of this paper.

**   J. R. Kirby (Faculty of Education, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

References
Leong, C. K. (1972). A study of written Chinese vocabulary. The Modern Language Journal, 56, 230–234.

Leong, C. K. (1974). Spatial-temporal information-processing in children with specific reading disability, Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Alberta. AB, Canada: Edmonton.

Leong, C. K. (1976-1977). Spatial-temporal information processing in children with specific reading disability. Reading Research Quarterly, 12, 204–215.

Leong, C. K. (1980). Laterality and reading proficiency in children. Reading Research Quarterly, 15, 185–202.

Leong, C. K. (1988). A componential approach to understanding reading and its difficulties in preadolescent readers. Annals of Dyslexia, 38, 95–119.

Leong, C. K. (1989a). Neuropsychological models of learning disabilities: Contribution to remediation. In C. R. Reynolds & E. Fletcher-Janzen (Eds.), Handbook of clinical neuropsychology (pp. 335–355). New York: Plenum.

Leong, C. K. (1989b). The effects of morphological structure on reading proficiency – A developmental study. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1, 357–379.

Leong, C. K. (1989c). Productive knowledge of derivational rules in poor readers. Annals of Dyslexia, 39, 94– 115.

Leong, C. K. (1992). Cognitive componential modelling of reading in ten- to twelve-year-old readers. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 4, 327–364.

Leong, C. K. (1999). Phonological and morphological processing in adult college students with learning/reading disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 32, 224–238.

Leong, C. K. (2003). Editor’s afterwords: On editing the annual Annals of Dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 53, 355–356.

Leong, C. K. (2006). Editor’s commentary. Annals of Dyslexia, 56, 192–198.

Leong, C. K. (2009). The role of inflectional morphology in Canadian children’s word reading and spelling. The Elementary School Journal, 110, 343–358.

Leong, C. K. (2015). Functional components of reading with reference to reading Chinese. In T. C. Papadopoulos, R. K. Parrila, & J. R. Kirby (Eds.), Cognition, intelligence, and achievement: A tribute to J.P. Das (pp. 149–171). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Leong, C. K., & Joshi, R. M. (Eds.). (1995). Developmental and acquired dyslexia: Neuropsychological and neurolinguistic perspectives. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers 16 chapters with 290 pp.

Leong, C. K., & Joshi, R. M. (Eds.). (1997). Cross-language studies of learning to read and spell. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Leong, C. K., & Parkinson, M. E. (1995). Processing of English morphological structure by poor readers. In C. K. Leong & R. M. Joshi (Eds.), Developmental and acquired dyslexia: Neuropsychological and neurolinguistic perspectives (pp. 237–261). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Leong, C. K., & Tamaoka, K. (Eds.). (1998). Cognitive processing of the Chinese and the Japanese languages. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Leong, C. K., Cheng, P.-W., & Mulcahy, R. (1987). Automatic processing of morphemic orthography by mature readers. Language and Speech, 30(Pt. 2), 181–197.

Leong, C. K., Wong, S., Wong, A., & Hiscock, M. (1985). Differential cerebral involvement in perceiving Chinese characters: Levels of processing approach. Brain and Language, 26, 131–145.

Zhang, D., Koda, K., & Leong, C.K. (2016). Morphological awareness and bilingual word learning: A longitudinal structural equation modeling study. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29, 383-407.

CK was born in Canton, China in 1931.  The oldest of three children, CK firmly believed in the importance of education.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Hong Kong University in 1957 which landed him his first position within the Hong Kong Department of Education.  In 1960, CK completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Child Development at Queensland University, and—following that, a Master of Arts degree in Education in 1964 again from Hong Kong.  Lucky for us, in 1969, with the help of the late Dr. John McLeod, CK was recruited as Assistant Professor in the then Institute of Child Guidance and Development at the University of Saskatchewan, and in 1974, CK earned his PhD from the University of Alberta with a dissertation titled “An investigation of spatial-temporal information-processing in children with specific reading disability”.  This accomplishment provided the groundwork for his long and distinguished career. 

Dr Leong’s academic research focused on the psychological and psycholinguistic aspects of reading and reading disorders; as well as metalinguistic awareness; and phonological, orthographic, and morphological processing in relation to reading, spelling, and written composition in English and Chinese.  He also focused on the use of text-to-speech computer systems to enhance text comprehension.

CK had an impressive research agenda and a prolific publication record with 86 peer reviewed journal articles, 41 chapters, 11 books, and over 30 international keynotes and invited presentations. His work was notable for its sophistication, and is frequently cited in policy documents underpinning the design and delivery of support services for students with learning disabilities. As such, the legacy of his research continues to influence the lives of countless children today.

While CK claimed to have retired in 1998, he continued his academic work over the next twenty years.  During this time, CK could be found out of his office walking in the education building or in the education pool swimming laps.  But if you didn’t see him on a given day, you would know he was there because his silver Volvo was always in the parking lot—first to arrive each morning and last to leave each evening. 

Throughout this time, CK maintained several editorial appointments.  He supported colleagues.  He delivered presentations.  He continued his research and writing, with his most recent article being published in 2018. And of course, CK remained dedicated to serving students.  In fact, during one instance when CK was struggling with his health, he insisted on fulfilling his commitment to serving as external examiner – while sitting in a hospital bed in the middle of the night, with tubes and wires connecting him to machinery.  He did this on the telephone, separated by 14 time zones—because he believed that nothing ought to be rescheduled on his account.

In 2018, when CK decided to take a retirement from retirement, sadly for us, he left Saskatoon with his wife for a move to Edmonton to be closer to family. 

For his years of service and excellence in academia, CK received many prominent awards of distinction including Fellow of several Psychological Associations, Honorary Doctor of Social Science, Earned Doctor of Letters, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus.  The litany of his other impressive awards are simply too many to mention.  Please do take the time to view his CV.  He was an incredible academic.

Those who knew CK, however, would know that the impact of his academic work was only surpassed by the impact of his loving, kind, and gentle disposition.  CK treated each and every person with great and genuine respect. He took the time to engage in honest conversation – to listen and to offer his advice and wisdom.  He took the time to care.  He took the time to be a friend and colleague.

As someone who enjoyed many conversations with CK here at the U of S, I had the good fortune of visiting him several times at South Terrace in Edmonton.  During one visit in particular, CK gave me a beautiful book written by his dear friend Humphrey, which featured pictures and descriptions of scores of antique Chinese snuff bottles. CK explained the importance of these pieces during the Qing Dynasty, and that they are now collector’s items and highly prized.  While describing the importance of the bottles, CK seamlessly communicated the importance of his friendship with Humphey, whom he spoke of often.  As a result of this gift and conversation, I started to collect a few of these bottles myself.  When I would find one on my travels, I would either email pictures to CK, or bring them with me on my next visit to Edmonton.  CK, with his usual interest, would ask me questions about them, and I would ask some of him, but, with a smile on his face, he would also ask me what I paid, just to make sure I wasn’t being swindled.  I cherish this gift from and time with CK. 

CK passed away peacefully at age 89 in Edmonton, Alberta, on November 30, 2020 surrounded by his family.  He will be dearly missed by so many, but especially by Theresa, his wife of over 55 years; as well as his children Daphne, Laurence, and Sonia; and grandchildren Alyssa, Zander, Miriam, and Eliot.  Our hearts and thoughts are with you all. 

Upon his passing, I took the time to read the tributes to CK that surfaced online.  These memories – one after the other - speak to the depth of CK’s intelligence, the strength of his academic contributions, and the integrity of his character.  While it is not possible to read them here, one of my colleague’s words summarize what many of the messages expressed:  “CK gave the gift of his time, his wisdom, his work ethic … and in the end, his friendship, which proved to be the greatest gift of all.”