By Brian Anderson
State Press

Oct. 8, 1997

TEMPE —When Jiang Aiqing came to ASU for the first time from China on August 13, he had designs on becoming an electrical engineer.

On Monday morning, those dreams disappeared when he was killed in a freak accident in front of the Classroom Office Building on Orange Street.

Yong-Hang Zhang, Aiqing's faculty adviser in the College of Electrical Engineering, said he personally recruited Aiqing after his May graduation from Tsing Hua University, one of the best and oldest schools in China.

"He was kind of hand-picked by myself," Zhang said. "His supervisor recommended some good Ph.D. students -- including Aiqing. He impressed me deeply."

When Zhang returned to ASU, he mulled over 30 or 40 applications, finally deciding on Aiqing.

Aiqing accepted the offer and prepared for his journey to a land different from any he had ever known -- America.

However, Zhang said, ASU officials determined Aiqing's grade point average was too low and he could not be admitted.

China uses a different system than schools in the United States to measure academic successes and failures, he said.

Zhang checked records and talked with officials at Tsing Hua University, finally determining that Aiqing had a 3.6 GPA after the translation.

Aiqing was admitted and became one of Zhang's top students.

"There was a bumpy ride before he was admitted to ASU," he said. "He's a good student."

Aiqing's mother and older brother managed to scrape enough money together for air travel to Arizona, housing and tuition, Zhang said.

Aiqing's father died when he was 8 years old. His mother never remarried.

"They had to pay a lot of money," he said. "They are in debt about $9,000. That means ten years net salary in China."

Norma Yu, who helps incoming Chinese students find housing, said she and her husband took several students, including Aiqing, to a market where he purchased the bike he was riding when he collided with the bus.

She said he stayed at her home for about two days before she found him an apartment at La Crescenta, 1050 S. Stanley Place.

"I was crying last night when I heard the news," she said. "This student is very good. He has a very good personality."

Zhang said he spoke with Aiqing's mother and brother for about two hours last night.

"It's extremely shocking to them," he said, adding that his mother has a severe heart condition. "His mother couldn't talk for a few minutes."

Aiqing's brother has yet to decide if he and his mother will come to the United States or remain in China, Zhang said.

A memorial service has been scheduled for Oct. 15 at 12:30 p.m. in the Danforth Chapel, he said.

Zhang added that in lieu of flowers, donations to the Jiang Memorial Fund through the ASU Foundation will be accepted.

The ASU Foundation can be reached at 965-3759.