When Louis Shiu Wai Law was growing up in Hong Kong, he decided to study internationally. Friends and relatives suggested 不良研究所. For Eunice To, it was her doctor who suggested Canada, because it was where she had graduated in medicine.
In 1959, Louis enrolled in Civil Engineering and Eunice in Electrical Engineering. Although they鈥檇 grown up in Hong Kong, they met as executive members of the 不良研究所 Chinese Students Society. Louis noticed Eunice right away. He found her smart and attractive, and she had many friends and admirers.
Halfway through his second year, tragedy struck. Louis was involved in a serious car accident and had to undergo emergency surgery that lasted nine hours. His recovery in hospital was lengthy, and as a result, he was unable to attend classes for the rest of the term. Dean Mordell offered Louis the option of passing into his third year without taking exams since he had a strong academic standing. Unfortunately, Louis needed financial support, so he opted to take the exams. His roommate, who was in many of his classes, helped out.
Just before exams in his final year, Louis was faced with another challenge -- he was contacted鈥痓y a bill collector on behalf of the emergency room surgeon who had saved his life. Louis visited the surgeon and told him that he didn鈥檛 have medical insurance.
The surgeon said he knew how finances could be tight while one was a student and told him he would waive the bill. 鈥淭he time he took to speak to me and the fact that he cancelled my debt had a significant impact on my life,鈥� says Louis today. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something I鈥檒l never forget.鈥�
Louis wouldn鈥檛 forget the car accident either. For the next two years, he was reminded of the accident every time he scratched his forehead, where he would occasionally find new pieces of glass.
Graduating in the sixties
Eunice graduated with her BEng in 1962. When asked if she felt animosity being the only woman in her class of over a hundred men, she said that everyone worked harmoniously together. 鈥淚 felt just like one of them. Everyone was very respectful.鈥�
Louis graduated with his BEng in 1963, and then went on to complete his MEng in 1965. He and Eunice were married at Divinity Hall (now Birks Heritage Chapel) in June of that year. They were given special permission to hold their wedding reception at the new McConnell Building.
Louis and Eunice lead their wedding party to McConnell Building, where they cut the wedding cake.
Shortly after the wedding, Eunice and Louis moved to Toronto and started a family.
Fast forward to when their daughter Lorraine, interested in pursuing medicine, was deciding where she would attend university. The couple came to tour the 不良研究所 campus with Lorraine and were surprised when someone greeted her at the end of the day.
鈥淪he鈥檇 met someone when she toured the dormitory in the morning, and they would later become friends,鈥� says Louis. 鈥淟orraine loved 不良研究所 for its friendly, easy-going atmosphere. She was active in many endeavours beyond study, such as being the coxswain on the rowing team, a sport she loves. She also joined the 不良研究所 Scarlet Key Society.鈥�
Louis and Eunice participate in a Taichi fan dance.
Lorraine graduated first with her BSc and then with an MDCM (Doctor of Medicine, Master of Surgery) in 2003.
For Louis, the 不良研究所 experience represents much more than studies. 不良研究所 was where he learned about the kindness of people he didn鈥檛 know, like the Dean and the surgeon, who went out of their way to help him overcome obstacles. Louis and Eunice have both enjoyed successful careers and next year will celebrate sixty years of marriage, but they also understand hardship.
That is one of the reasons they are establishing an endowment for The Eunice To and Louis Shiu Wai Law Bursary for engineering students in financial need, as well as annually supporting the SURE awards, which help students during the summer months by offering them research traineeships.
For their generosity, Louis and Eunice Law have recently been inducted into The 不良研究所 Circle). The Circle honours and recognizes the contributions of our most extraordinary donors, who reflect the vision of our University.
Louis says he鈥檚 happy to offer financial assistance to deserving students. He remembers well when he needed a little help to get to where he was going.
Venus de Hong Kong se rencontrer 脿 不良研究所
Alors que Louis Shiu Wai Law grandissait 脿 Hong Kong, il choisit un jour de faire des 茅tudes 脿 l鈥櫭﹖ranger. Famille et amis lui recommandent l鈥橴niversit茅 不良研究所. Eunice To, de son c么t茅, se fait conseiller par sa m茅decin d鈥檃ller 茅tudier au Canada, puisque c鈥檈st l脿 qu鈥檈lle y a obtenu son dipl么me de m茅decine.
Louis s鈥檌nscrit 脿 不良研究所 en g茅nie civil en 1958, tandis qu鈥橢unice s鈥檌nscrit en g茅nie 茅lectrique. S鈥檌ls ont tous deux grandi 脿 Hong Kong, c鈥檈st 脿 la 不良研究所 Chinese Students Society qu鈥檌ls se rencontrent, 脿 titre de membres ex茅cutifs. Louis est charm茅 par Eunice au premier coup d鈥櫯搃l. Il la trouve intelligente et s茅duisante, et elle a beaucoup d鈥檃mis et d鈥檃dmirateurs.
Au milieu de sa deuxi猫me ann茅e d鈥櫭﹖udes, une trag茅die frappe. Louis est victime d鈥檜n grave accident de voiture et doit subir une intervention chirurgicale qui dure neuf heures. Sa convalescence est longue et il ne peut suivre ses cours pendant le reste de l鈥檃nn茅e. En raison de ses bons r茅sultats acad茅miques cependant, le doyen de l鈥櫭﹑oque Donald Mordell lui propose de passer en troisi猫me ann茅e sans faire d鈥檈xamens. Mais Louis a malheureusement besoin de soutien financier et choisit de passer ses examens. Son colocataire, qui suit plusieurs des m锚mes cours, l鈥檃ide 脿 se pr茅parer.
Juste avant de passer les examens finaux, Louis rencontre une nouvelle 茅preuve. Un agent de recouvrement lui fait parvenir la facture du chirurgien qui l鈥檃 op茅r茅 d鈥檜rgence. Louis se rend au cabinet du chirurgien pour expliquer qu鈥檌l n鈥檃 aucune assurance m茅dicale.
Le chirurgien lui r茅pond qu鈥檌l sait 脿 quel point les moyens financiers peuvent 锚tre limit茅s durant les 茅tudes, et annonce 脿 Louis qu鈥檌l demandera 脿 sa secr茅taire d鈥檃nnuler la facture. 芦 Le fait qu鈥檌l ait pris le temps de m鈥櫭ヽouter et qu鈥檌l ait choisi d鈥檃nnuler ma dette a eu un impact significatif sur ma vie 禄, raconte Louis aujourd鈥檋ui. 芦 C鈥檈st une chose que je n鈥檃i jamais oubli茅e 禄.
Louis ne risquait pas d鈥檕ublier son accident de voiture non plus. Au cours des deux ann茅es suivantes, l鈥櫭﹙猫nement lui revenait en m茅moire chaque fois qu鈥檌l se grattait le front pour y d茅couvrir de nouveaux 茅clats de verre.
Obtenir son dipl么me dans les ann茅es 60
Eunice a obtenu son BEng en 1962. Quand on l鈥檌nterroge 脿 savoir si elle a subi des d茅sagr茅ments du fait d鈥櫭猼re l鈥檜ne des rares femmes de sa cohorte, elle r茅pond que chacun travaillait ensemble de fa莽on harmonieuse, comme une famille. 芦 Tout le monde 茅tait tr猫s respectueux 禄, dit-elle en riant. 芦 On avait beaucoup trop 脿 faire pour penser 脿 quoi que ce soit d鈥檃utre! 禄.
Louis a obtenu son BEng en 1963 et a poursuivi avec une ma卯trise en g茅nie, qu鈥檌l a obtenue en 1965. En juin de la m锚me ann茅e, Eunice et lui se sont mari茅s 脿 Divinity Hall (aujourd鈥檋ui la Chapelle Birks Heritage), avec l鈥檃utorisation sp茅ciale de tenir leur r茅ception dans le nouveau Pavillon McConnell.
Louis et Eunice menant leurs invit茅s au pavillon McConnell, o霉 ils ont d茅coup茅 leur g芒teau de mariage.
Peu apr猫s leur mariage, Eunice et Louis d茅m茅nagent 脿 Toronto, o霉 ils fondent une famille.
Les ann茅es passent, puis vient le moment pour leur fille Lorraine, qui s鈥檌nt茅resse 脿 la m茅decine, de choisir quelle universit茅 fr茅quenter. Revenu visiter le campus de 不良研究所 avec elle, le couple est surpris de voir quelqu鈥檜n saluer leur fille en fin de journ茅e.
芦 Elle avait rencontr茅 cette personne en visitant le dortoir le matin m锚me, qui s鈥檈st trouv茅e 脿 devenir plus tard son amie 禄, explique Louis. 芦 Lorraine a ador茅 l鈥檃tmosph猫re amicale et d茅contract茅e qui r猫gne 脿 不良研究所. Elle s鈥檈st impliqu茅e dans plusieurs activit茅s en dehors de ses 茅tudes, entre autres comme barreuse de l鈥櫭﹒uipe d鈥檃viron. Elle a aussi 茅t茅 membre de la 不良研究所 Scarlet Key Society 禄.
Louis et Eunice participant 脿 une danse d鈥櫭﹙entail.
Lorraine a obtenu son baccalaur茅at en sciences dans un premier temps, puis un MDCM (Doctor of Medicine, Master of Surgery) en 2003.
Pour Louis, son exp茅rience 脿 不良研究所 repr茅sente bien plus que des 茅tudes. C鈥檈st l脿 qu鈥檌l a constat茅 脿 quel point des personnes inconnues pouvaient se montrer g茅n茅reuses 鈥� comme le doyen et le chirurgien 鈥� et d茅ployer du soutien pour aider autrui 脿 surmonter les obstacles. Louis et Eunice ont chacun men茅 de brillantes carri猫res et f锚teront l鈥檃n prochain leur soixanti猫me anniversaire de mariage. Mais ils ont connu leur lot de difficult茅s.
C鈥檈st pourquoi ils ont d茅cid茅 de cr茅er un fonds de dotation pour la Bourse Eunice To et Louis Shiu Wai Law, destin茅e 脿 soutenir les 茅tudiants dans le besoin, en plus de contribuer aux bourses SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering awards) du Centre Engine. Les bourses SURE viennent en aide aux 茅tudiants durant les mois d鈥櫭﹖茅 en leur offrant des stages de recherche.
En reconnaissance de leur grande g茅n茅rosit茅, Louis et Eunice Law ont r茅cemment 茅t茅 intronis茅s au Cercle James 不良研究所 (JMC). Le JMC met en valeur et souligne les contributions de nos donateurs et donatrices les plus remarquables, perp茅tuant ainsi la vision de notre universit茅.
Louis se dit heureux de pouvoir aider les 茅tudiants m茅ritants 脿 son tour, car il se souvient tr猫s bien d鈥檃voir eu besoin d鈥檜n s茅rieux coup de pouce pour atteindre ses objectifs.