In Memoriam: Wei-Lee Kuo
Wei-Lee Kuo was born in Tainan, a southern Taiwan city, in 1961. In
1984, she came to the United States to study graphic design at Kent
State University and interior design degree at Ohio State University.
After completing her Master's degree in 1991, she moved to Durham, NC to
join her husband Dr. Thung-S. Lai. In addition to being a dedicated
wife and mother and maintaining a successful career, she also
contributed greatly to the community. As a devoted mother, she
volunteered to assist with the education for the local Chinese school
and for the Duke University String School (DUSS). She founded the
Taiwanese Lady's Club with monthly meetings to promote women's
activities among Taiwanese residents In Chapel Hill. Although
battling ovarian cancer in the last year of her life, she took on the
responsibility of producing and editing the DUSS yearly directory.
All who knew her were impressed by her strength and positive
personality. Mrs. Kitchen often had people mention to her the
energetic and strong person which Wei-Lee presented to the world at
this time and they loved her for it. Her life is a model which shows
how an ordinary woman was able to make a significant difference for
those around her. She did not think of herself as special in any way,
but the responses the family, Mrs. Kitchen, and her friends received
after her passing express that she was very special indeed. To carry
on her passion for promoting musical education, her family wishes to
establish a scholarship fund at DUSS. Faculty members of DUSS and a
longtime friend of Wei-Lee's, Julia Chou, will give a chamber music
concert in her memory at 4 p.m. on October 11, 2008, in Baldwin
Auditorium, on the same day as the DUSS regular concerts. Donations
in support of this memorial fund are welcome and can be made by check,
made out to the Duke University String School Discretionary Fund, c/o
Dorothy Kitchen, Director, 1600 Delaware Avenue, Durham, NC, 27705.
All such donations are completely tax deductible and will be used for
the Wei-Lee Kuo Memorial Scholarships.