Louise

Harriet Louise Hai-li Huie Chang was born in New York City on August 15, 1893 and died at age 98 on December 31, 1991. Her life was one of remarkable adventure, fortitude, service and optimism. Remembered as a trendsetter, role model, and the daughter who loved to sing, Louise was beloved by her siblings and her many descendants.

Louise had two older brothers, five younger sisters, and two younger brothers. Her brother Tom died at age four, when Louise was two years old. As the eldest daughter, Louise helped raise her younger siblings, with special charge for the care of her brother Arthur, one of the pair of twins who arrived when Louise was eleven. With nine children total, there were endless household duties, and Louise and her sisters lightened their chores with camaraderie and fun. A strong ocean swimmer, Louise taught the others how to swim. She sang in the choir at the First Chinese Presbyterian Church of New York City, founded by her father.

Louise studied mathematics at Hunter College in New York, graduating in 1915. While at Hunter, she met Fu-Liang Chang, a young scholar from Shanghai, at a student conference, and they began courting. Fu-Liang had attended St. John’s College, a renowned missionary-founded liberal arts school in Shanghai. He then received a scholarship to study in the U.S. under the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program. He graduated from Yale University in forestry, and the young couple planned a future as educators in China.

New York Times, July 15, 1915.

Louise and Fu-Liang were married on July 15, 1915. Their wedding was announced in the New York Times with the blaring headline, “Chinese to Marry Pastor’s Daughter.” Soon after, Louise and Fu-Liang sailed for China. They survived a typhoon and other hazards, only to find upon their arrival that their messages hadn’t gone through, and Fu-Liang’s brother had moved away. It was one of many challenges to come.

Eventually, Louise and Fu-Liang reunited with Fu-Liang’s brother. Louise had never traveled so far from home and spoke no Mandarin, and her sister-in-law, who spoke some English, kindly helped her adjust to a new life. For the next eleven years, Louise and Fu-Liang lived in Changsha (Hunan Province), where Fu-Liang served on the faculty and later as dean of the Middle School Department of Yale-in-China. Louise had four children in Changsha: Louise, Irving, Huie and Margaret. Their youngest child, Katharine, was later born in Shanghai.

Fu-Liang’s work kept the family on the move as the country experienced political upheaval. He ran programs on rural reconstruction with such organizations as the National Christian Council of China, the National Economic Council (Kiangsi Province), the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, and the Chinese-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction.

Louise worked hard raising the family and volunteering, especially for organizations that helped women and children. She served on the national YWCA Board of Directors. During World War II, the family was often separated or had to retreat in dire circumstances, carrying only two suitcases for the whole family. They moved to Chongqing, the wartime capital, and Louise took a job with the Christian Mission Board to help provide the family with housing.

In the aftermath of World War II and with the rise to power of Communist forces, in 1949, Louise and Fu-Liang made the difficult choice to leave China. By then, their children were studying in the U.S. Dr. Francis Hutchins, President of Berea College, Kentucky, invited Fu-Liang and Louise to come to Berea. From 1951 to 1980, they made their home in Berea. Fu-Liang taught in the Sociology Department and served as an assistant to President Hutchins. With Louise’s help, he was college host to hundreds of visitors from all over the world who came to study rural development in Appalachia.

Louise and Fu-liang; Berea, KY, 1959.

Family members recall Louise as warm, upbeat, practical and inspiring. A grandmother of sixteen, she taught the younger generation how to swim, sew, bake and play Canasta. She and Fu-Liang enjoyed travel, and Louise always remembered to send her grandchildren loving messages from foreign destinations. She drew strength from her Christian beliefs and also her tremendous faith in young people and the future. Reflecting on her parents’ lives, daughter Katharine wrote:

“They were young and not afraid, believing in man’s good will toward each other…. When meeting difficulties, they always said that they will ‘find a way.’ They were enthusiastic about life and managed whatever life brought to them.”

After retirement, Louise and Fu-Liang lived with their children and supported each other through their final years. Fu-Liang died in 1984. Louise was grateful for her eventful life and never regretted her bold choice to leave her family at age 21 and head toward the unknown. In December 1988, she wrote:

“I am watching the beautiful sunset and thinking of loved ones and friends as we spent Christmas together in years gone by. What joyous memories come up!”