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| “He just loved his students,” says Ellen Ho of her late husband Franklin Ho. Mrs. Ho plans to continue supporting the annual scholarship to benefit students. | |
Franklin Y. H. Ho received his bachelor’s degree from the National Southwestern University in the Yunnan Province of the People’s Republic of China, and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Southern California. He joined the economics department at Cal Poly Pomona in 1961 and, although he officially retired in 2001 after 40 years of service, he stayed on as graduate coordinator. Ho was heralded for his keen intellect and scholarly work, but he excelled most as a mentor to students. He died in 2003 but, in his way, he continues to support students through the Franklin Ho Endowment, an annual scholarship program.
As a professor, Ho took the time to really get to know his students.
He served as faculty advisor for the Asian Student Club and focused
particularly on his role as principal advisor for senior projects and master’s
theses for numerous students. Ho forged strong bonds with these students
with whom he worked so closely.
“He just loved his students,” says Ellen Ho, his wife of 52 years. “But his last few days he said he had two students who concerned him. He wanted to make sure they would get their degrees from Cal Poly Pomona. He considered them like his own sons.”
His wholehearted concern for his students put a project near and dear to his heart on the backburner, so it wouldn’t interfere with his mentoring time.
“He was working on a Chinese statistics book that he was translating. We
checked through his papers to see if we can finish the book for him, but
we can’t do it without him,” says Mrs. Ho, who adds that it was always a
dream of his to establish an endowed scholarship to continue his pattern of
support for generations to come.
When Ho became ill, he continued to work with his master’s students. Alan Schaffer, one of those students, was deeply moved by Ho’s courage and generosity.
“I’m still deeply proud that I could do something to honor a man who cared enough about me to spend good portions of his last days reviewing my work,” says Schaffer, who donated $10,000 to support the Franklin Ho Endowment, which was matched in part by his employer, Southern California Edison.
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| “I have the highest regard for professors like Dr. Ho who realize the importance of education. In my opinion, the funds are less important than their kindnesses. This absolutely shows their sincere dedication to higher education.”
- Sasithorn Wachirapornprut, |
“Toward the end, Dr. Ho must have been in great pain and exhausted by his illness, but he heroically kept plugging away. Even now, I weep openly about not being able to see him again or repay him for his encouragement and undeniable generosity of spirit.”
Many of Ho’s students and colleagues were similarly moved. When his daughter Clarinda challenged others to match the family’s initial scholarship endowment of $10,000, the response was overwhelming. Faculty, friends and students donated more than $32,000 to fund the endowment. The first Franklin Ho Endowment scholarship was awarded for the 2004-2005 academic year to Sasithorn Wachirapornprut, who recently submitted her completed master’s thesis and is preparing for graduation.
“The scholarship supported me during my last quarter at Cal Poly Pomona,” says Wachirapornprut. “Dr. Ho’s endowment allowed me to complete my studies and has encouraged me to pursue my Ph.D.”
She also notes that it is more than receiving the money that helped — it was the emotional support for intellectual work that solidifies a student’s work as valid and worthy.
“I have the highest regard for professors like Dr. Ho who realize the importance of education,” she says. “In my opinion, the funds are less important than their kindnesses. This absolutely shows their sincere dedication to higher education.”
For more information about the
College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
Lisa Nashua
Director of Development
(909) 869-6848
lcnashua@csupomona.edu
©
2005 California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
3801 W. Temple Ave. Pomona, CA 91768