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忆 高老师 (remembering Professor Winston Ko)

September 1, 2019
学海无涯荡舟处,

万事淡定笑秋风;

今乘白鹤仙离去,

无限风光在险峰。

Kindness

August 4, 2019
As a current pastor’s wife at our church, I have always felt respected, valued, and accepted by Elder Winston and Katy. When we were interviewing for the position at the church, Winston thoughtfully asked me if I was happy to be back near the university where I did my undergraduate studies. He loved and invested in UCD as well as DCCC. My last memory of Winston was a couple of weeks ago. He was getting something from a shelf, peeked around the corner, and with his cheerful smile said, “Hi, Lori.” God bless you, Uncle Winston. Thank you for looking after all of us so well. Until we meet again in heaven.
August 3, 2019
from  Wai Hon Lee
一九五八年高大昕,胡劍豪和我被培正中學錄取進入高中一年級 。我進入望班,他們兩人進入愛班。雖然如此,從第一天開始我們便認識了。因為剛巧三人都在培正飯堂吃午餐。大昕的頑皮事要待愛班同學的報導了。在我脳,大昕最出色的故事是畢業旅行的表現的急智。一天晚上的野火會,我們玩一遊戲。同學們分成兩隊。各派一人去対方接受一口號。然後在對方大喊回去。當然並不是這麼簡單。他喊時,旁邊的人也在大聲叫去淹蓋他的聲音。大昕便是這喊口號的人。他在喊時,我們也大聲叫囂。那知大昕只有口動其實沒有出聲。等到我們再叫不出了,他才輕鬆地把口號喊出來。他代表那隊赢了。數年前有一次在香滿樓聚會。我重提這故事。他早已忘了。
畢業晚會有一話劇「戴圓帽子的人」。大昕演出戴帽子的人。全劇他只有一句話。
高三參加考港大入學考試。胡劍豪,高大昕,陳潤國,黃耀祥,朱守綱和我一同自修高級數學。我們自稱是董事會。自修學習為名,打橋牌是實。董事會成員陳潤國,朱守綱及胡劍豪前後入了港大。高大昕入了Carnegie Institute of Technology。他謙稱是假野CIT。
這是我回憶裡中學時代的大昕。
李威漢

memories in Pui Ching

August 3, 2019

Dear Katie, Joy, and Hao,

It is with profound sadness and shock that I heard of Winston’s passing.  But I take solace in the report that he did not suffer.  I hope that you will take comfort in the knowledge not only that he left behind some great contributions to human knowledge, but that he left many friends who fondly remember him.  I was among those lucky friends.  He was one of my best friends in Pui Ching, and  one of my best friends, period.

Here are a few things that I remember of Winston. He entered Pui Ching in Grade 10.  Perhaps he had been held back a year because of his dialect, he was taller and bigger than the other kids.  But because of his friendly smiles and easy-goingness, the rest of the kids felt free to tease him about his accents and good manners.   One day he came to school with a face mask because he had a flu and did not want to spread it.  So naturally we teased him about the new muzzle for dogs.  He would chase us around, but always stopped short of hitting.  Finally he tore the face mask out and threw it away, and said something like “Fine. If you guys want to catch the flu, be my guest”, but always with his friendly smile.

He could be very mischievous too.  In Physics lab, Kim Ho Woo (胡劍豪)and Winston and I were assigned as lab partners.  One day the lab work was to determine the gravitational constant.  It required counting the number of swings in one minute of a pendulum.  It was late in the lunch hour, and Kim wanted to finish early to catch the ferry to go home for lunch.  So while we were still horsing around, Kim started counting the swings, “one, two, three, …17” , at which point Winston would start “19, 20,23,24,…”, and Kim continued “19,20, 23,24,…” then realized the counting was messed up.  Kim would restart, and Winston would repeat his antics and mess the counting up again.  Kim was quite frustrated but Winston and I were having great fun.  (To Kim’s credit, he also never lost his temper though very hungry.)

For a period of time, it was a fad among us to learn the principle of vacuum-tube radios, study the schematics, and, with our low budgets in coins, buy from the street vendors recycled  but usable radio components like vacuum tubes, and assemble them into a working radio with a soldering gun.  One day I was in Winston’s home, with these precious junks spread over his dining table, and each with a hot soldering gun to do a such a project.  Not being too careful, I would just lay the soldering gun down at whatever convenient spot on the table.  Winston, not being vigilant, would back his elbow up and lose a few square mm of skin.  When Mrs Ko came out to investigate the screams, he would say it was his own carelessness.  After Mrs Ko left, he said to me “See, I told my mother it is my own fault”, and I did not see his point and replied, “But it is your own fault.”  Winston said “AI YAA!?” but still with his smile.

Winston loved to tell tall tales.  One sample: when he gave me a street-tour in downtown Philadelphia, he said, “Many tourists drown in downtown Philadelphia.” I said “Huh?”  He said, “because they all need to turn their faces up to see the high rises, and rain gets into their noses. Heheheh.”

Another of his tales, a true one but told with his habitual suspense and timing, is that he was the most senior member of the world team which made the universe-shaking discovery of the Higg’s Boson.  He added that that is because his European peers from CERN had a mandatory retirement age of 55, and had all been replaced by junior researchers.  

Wai-Hon has already reported that Winston modestly submitted to our teasing of his Carnegie Institute of Technology as  假野CIT (fake CIT, in contrast to Caltech, called CIT at that time).  But a few years later, he did declare “假野CIT 唔水架!!”. History proved him right.

Winston will be fondly remembered.

Take care.

Y.K.Chan (陳潤國)

August 3, 2019
Elder Winston Ko was, is, and will be remembered forever!  His loving, humble smile warmed our hearts.  His faithful service in the Lord had set up an example for us to look up.  His leadership encouraged us to unite in one in Christ’s family.  

Elder Ko was one of the well respected founders of the Davis Chinese Christian Church in addition to being a Dean of Department on UC, Davis campus.  He served as a long time Elder in the Church, and was a beloved personal friend among brothers and sisters.

We remember those years when we were in Davis.  We fellowshipped together, when we had potlucks, he and Katy often brought a big crab meat dish. On an outing event, he and Katy often took charge for our lunch.   I remember in our Sunday School, he taught the books of Isaiah, Ezekiel...... He encouraged us to keep our spiritual growth “......as a root out of a dry ground......” His voice is still echoing in our ears now!  We have kept some of his Sunday School handouts, precious warm memories.  When he gave Sunday Message, he used to have individual of congregation stood up reading some scriptures one by one......

I will never forget that 11 years ago, when my husband was suddenly diagnosed a stage IV cancer, and needed surgery immediately.  In the early morning on the surgery day, before 5:00am, Elder Winston Ko with Elder Dennis Logan and Pastor Lee of Cantonese congregation at the time, came to our home, prayed for us, and drove us to UCDMC Surgery Center.  At that time, I was totally num and lost, didn’t know what to expect.  Day by day, in this church, in this fellowship, with the prayers of brothers and sisters, we went through the “valley of the shadow of death”.  We praised and gave thanks to the Lord, as well as to the leaders and brothers and sisters of the church.  We have been grateful to Elder Ko and experienced the Lord’s faithful Love!

May our prayers be with Katy and the Ko’s family, may the Lord’s grace and comfort leads the whole family through the difficult time, may Elder Ko’s soul is now peacefully and gracefully resting in our Dear Lord’s Bosom.

In the Lord’s Love,
Lydia Gan & Quande Zhang

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