Lawrence Ting

Lawrence S. Ting (Chinese: 丁善理; Vietnamese: Đinh Thiện Lý; 1939–2004) was a Taiwanese decorated soldier and a pioneer businessman who became one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam.[1] As founder of Phu My Hung Corporation and Saigon South Urban Development Project, Lawrence Ting was instrumental in the southward expansion of Ho Chi Minh City.[2][3] Today the neighborhood created by Ting has become “a new sustainable, inclusive, knowledge-based urban center.”[4] Ting received the Ho Chi Minh City Medal of Honor in 1993,[5] and Certificates of Merit of the Government of Vietnam from the Prime Minister in 1997 and 2001.[6][7][8] In the 2013 Harvard Business Review article The Big Idea, Building Sustainable Cities, John Macomber of Harvard Business School chose Phu My Hung's Saigon South Development Project started by Lawrence Ting as one of the leading sustainable urban development examples in the world. “Phu My Hung (also known as Saigon South) was promoted by industrialists who took a long-term ‘build and hold’ approach and had an infrastructure-first master plan...The Model of Phu My Hung, where thoughtful, long-term oriented, private-sector actors help the world create efficient water, power, and transit solutions, can-and must-be replicated.”[9][10] Ting received posthumously the Friendship Medal of Vietnam from President Nguyen Minh Triet in December 2007.[11][12][13] Lawrence S. Ting School (Vietnamese: Trường THCS và THPT Đinh Thiện Lý) in Ho Chi Minh City, a private non-profit junior high and senior high school is named after him.[14] In 2010, the school became the first Microsoft Pathfinder School in Vietnam.[15][16] In 2020, Taipei American School names its middle school Lawrence S. Ting Middle School in honor of Ting.[17]

Military career

Lawrence Ting was a graduate of the Republic of China Military Academy of Taiwan in 1961. Ting was the First Captain of the Cadet Corp. and the head of the Academy's Cadet Honor Committee.[18] He was sent to the US to receive further training at the United States Army Infantry School School and was one of few military officers from Taiwan who completed the US Army Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia.[18] In 1964, he was awarded the National Defense Scholarship by the Ministry of National National Defense of Taiwan for further graduate-level studies at Columbia University.[18]

Ting received a Certificate of Merit from the Superintendent of Republic of China Military Academy in 1958[19] and a Certificate of Merit from the Chief of Army in 1968.[20]

Petrochemical career

In 1976, Lawrence Ting joined the China Gulf Plastics Group, a joint venture with Gulf Oil Corporation of the US. He rose through the ranks from Manager, Chief Plant Manager, to Executive Vice President. He later became president and equity partner of a number of subsidiary companies.[21] At the encouragement of Ting Tsung Chao (T.T. Chao), founder of China Gulf Plastics Group,[22] Ting ran for and was elected Chairman of Taiwan Plastics Industry Association. He served two terms for a total of 6 years (1988~1994).[21] At the request of the government, Ting also served as a Director of the China External Trade Development Council.[23] Ting was awarded a Merit Citation by the Minister of the Interior Wu Po-hsiung for services rendered.[24]

Re-entry of Olympic Games

Lawrence Ting was instrumental in negotiating the re-entry of Olympic Games for athletes from Taiwan. He served as the General Secretary for Chinese Taipei Fencing Association (3 terms, 1973~1980 and 1985~1989), promoting with much effort to secure Taiwan's membership in the International Fencing Federation.[25] He also served as Vice Chairman of the R.O.C. Olympic Committee.[26] In 1976, he assumed the position of Chief de Mission of the Games of the 21st Olympiad in Montreal.[27] In 1981, Henry Hsu (徐亨), Shen Chia Minh (沈家銘)(zh) and Lawrence Ting, finally were able to secure the re-entry of Olympic Games under the name Chinese Taipei.[28][29]

For his efforts, Ting received a Citation from President Chiang Kai-shek for outstanding leadership in international relations on sports events in 1974,[30] and the Ministry of Education Gold Medal in Physical Sports in 1984.[31][32]

Other Awards

For other services rendered to the government, Ting received the Order of Hua Hsia (華夏三等獎章) in 1979.[33]

In 1993, Ting was awarded an Honorary Certificate of Merit (榮譽狀) by President Lee Teng-hui, the chairman of KMT.[34]

Columbia Alumni Association of Taiwan

Lawrence Ting served as Secretary-General of the Columbia University Alumni Association of Taiwan for 6 years (1990~1996) and as the President of the Alumni Association for a further 6 years (1996~2003).[23]

R.O.C. Military Academy Alumni Foundation

Lawrence Ting and other alumni of the R.O.C. Military Academy established the R.O.C. Military Academy Alumni Foundation in 1989 and Ting served as its founding chairman from 1989 to 2004.[35] Ting was named as Outstanding Alumni by the Central Military Institutes in 1990.[36][37]

Investments in Vietnam

Lawrence Ting was one of the earliest foreign investors in Vietnam since the Đổi Mới reform policy initiated in 1986, and launched a series of infrastructure project investments in Vietnam in 1989.[38] He was the founding Chairman of a number of companies including CT&D Group, Phu My Hung Corporation, Tan Thuan Corporation and Hiep Phuoc Power Company.[39]

Ting was awarded the Ho Chi Minh City Medal of Honor in 1993.[5] He also received Certificates of Merit from the Prime Minister of Vietnam in 1997 and 2001;[6][7][8] a Certificate of Merit from the Mayor of Ho Chi Minh City in 2003.[40]

Posthumous Honors

Lawrence Ting died in 2004. State President of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Triet, awarded him, posthumously, Vietnam's Friendship Medal in December 2007.[11][12][13] In Ho Chi Minh City, Phu My Hung Corporation's headquarter building was renamed Lawrence S. Ting building in memory of its chairman in 2005.[41] The Lawrence Ting Memorial Fund was set up in Vietnam in 2005.[42] Lawrence S. Ting Memorial School was established in his name in 2008.[43] A sports field of the Fay School of Southborough, Massachusetts was renamed Ting Field in remembrance of him in 2005.[44] Lawrence Ting Charity Walk is held every year since 2006 in memory of Ting, and over 15,000 people joined the walk in 2019.[45] This charity event so far has raised approximately US$1.68 million with around 212,800 participants as of 2020.[46] On September 1, 2020, Taipei American School named its middle school Lawrence S. Ting Middle School in honor of him.[17]

Legacy

Lawrence S. Ting Scholarships

In remembrance of Ting, academic scholarships named after him are offered to high school and college students in Vietnam and in Taiwan by Lawrence S. Ting Foundation and schools listed below. Ting was devoted to education and established Saigon South International School[47] and Saigon South People-Founded School[48] in Vietnam in 1997.

Scholarships offered by the scholarship program of Lawrence S. Ting Foundation (Vietnam)

Lawrence S. Ting Foundation (LSTF) was established in December 2005 in remembrance of Ting.[42] In March 2006, the first 140 Lawrence S. Ting Scholarships amounting to VND 850 million were granted by the foundation to students of high schools and universities in Ho Chi Minh City.[49] Other schools joined the scholarship program subsequently,[50] and the high schools and universities receiving scholarships for the 2020–2021 academic year are:[51]

Besides awarding scholarships directly to students on its own annual ceremony, LSTF also grants indirect scholarships through partnership with other foundations and charity organizations across the country, including the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, Ho Chi Minh City Fund for the Poor, Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund, Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients, The Association for the support of people with Disabilities and Orphans of HCMC, and Vietnam Association for Promoting Education of 63 cities/provinces.[56]

Up to September 2020, nearly 117,000 scholarships, with a total value of VND 125 billion (US$5.4 million) have been provided by LSTF.[56]

Scholarships offered by Saigon South International School (Vietnam)

Starting in the 2005–2006 academic year, Saigon South International School (SSIS) in Ho Chi Minh City chooses a Vietnamese student, who has demonstrated a strong commitment to academic excellence, proficiency in English, embodies SSIS core values, demonstrates an interest in global and international affairs along with a willingness to serve others by bettering his/her country. SSIS offers this student a 3-year renewable scholarship in Lawrence S. Ting's name. Only grade 10 students from a Vietnamese school may apply.[57][58]

Scholarships offered by Lawrence S. Ting School (Vietnam)

Lawrence S. Ting School (LSTS) in Ho Chi Minh City provides two types of scholarships to her students:[59]

  • Lawrence S. Ting Scholarships for Studiousness are given to students with excellent academic performances that meet certain income eligibility. Students granted with scholarships will be exempted from all tuition fees, and supported wholly or in part in subsistence expenses when studying at LSTS.
  • Lawrence S. Ting Scholarships for Encouragement are honorable rewards for students with outstanding academic performances when studying at LSTS. The scholarships are granted each semester based on the academic performances of the students.

Scholarships offered by the R.O.C. Military Academy (Taiwan)

Two types of Lawrence S. Ting Scholarships are given to members of R.O.C Military Academy (ROCMA) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan each year:[60]

  • Most Improvement in English Language Proficiency
  • Sun Tzu's Art of War Debate Competition Champion.

Ting was a graduate of the R.O.C. Military Academy in 1961 and subsequently became the founding chairman of the R.O.C. Military Academy Alumni Foundation in 1989.[35] He set up the scholarships to encourage cadets of ROCMA to achieve proficiency in English and to master Sun Tzu's Art of War military strategies.[60] Ting received Outstanding Alumni Award of R.O.C. Central Military Institute and Academy Alumni Association in 1990.[36][37]

References
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  42. "Quỹ Hỗ trợ cộng đồng Lawrence S.TingƯơm mầm thiện nguyện". BÁO SÀI GÒN GIẢI PHÓNG (SGGP, or Liberated Saigon) (in Vietnamese). HCMC, Vietnam. 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-25. Sự ra đời của Quỹ Hỗ trợ cộng đồng Lawrence S.Ting vào năm 2005 là bước tiếp nối đầy ý nghĩa tâm nguyện cống hiến cho cộng đồng của ông Lawrence S.Ting.
  43. "PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHMENT". lsts.edu.vn/en/. Lawrence S. Ting School. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  44. "Directions". www.fayschool.org/. Fay School. Retrieved 2020-12-16. Use this address to access Sharp Field, Robinson & O’Rourke Field, and Ting Field.
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  47. "Saigon South International School". www.amchamvietnam.com/. The American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam). Retrieved 2020-09-29. Saigon South International School is a non - profit school founded in 1997 by the Phu My Hung Corporation.
  48. "GIỚI THIỆU TRƯỜNG THPT NAM SÀI GÒN". thptnamsaigon.hcm.edu.vn/ (in Vietnamese). Department of Education and Training, HCMC. Retrieved 2020-09-29. Trường THPT Nam Sài Gòn tiền thân là trường dân lập Nam Sài Gòn do công ty liên doanh Phú Mỹ Hưng thành lập năm 1997, sau 5 năm hoạt động đến năm học 2002 – 2003 trường được trao tặng cho Thành phố và chuyển thành cụm trường bán công Nam Sài Gòn (gồm trường Mầm Non, Tiểu học, THCS và THPT), đến năm học 2006 – 2007, UBND Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh cho phép chuyển trường Trung học Phổ thông Bán công Nam Sài Gòn thành Trường THPT Nam Sài Gòn trực thuộc Sở Giáo dục và Đào tạo và là trường công lập
  49. "Lawrence S.Ting Memorial Fund makes debut, offers scholarships". www.eng.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/Pages/default.aspx. HCM City Web. 2006-03-16. Retrieved 2020-09-25. The Lawrence S.Ting Memorial Fund marked its debut yesterday with the presentation of 140 scholarships worth VND850 million to excellent yet poor students of schools and universities in HCM City at a ceremony held at the Municipal Theater in downtown HCM City.
  50. "LSTF Scholarship". www.lawrencestingfoundation.org/en/. Lawrence S. Ting Foundation. Retrieved 2020-09-25. Students from our selected schools and fulfil the criteria below are eligible to apply for our scholarship program. Each year our Foundation announce a list of schools at our website.
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  57. "Lawrence Ting Scholarship". www.ssis.edu.vn/. Saigon South International School. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  58. "HS đầu tiên nhận học bổng Lawrence S.Ting". BÁO DÂN TRÍ (DTiNews) (in Vietnamese). Vietnam. 2005-06-25. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  59. "Scholarship". lsts.edu.vn/en/. Lawrence S. Ting School. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  60. 嚴慧玲; 陳宜汝; 廖詩文; 洪雅雯, eds. (2005). 謹把這裡作故鄉 (in Chinese). Taiwan. p. 103. ISBN 9789868193000. 他對母校黃埔的回饋不遺餘力，慷慨捐助各種設施，又設立了研讀外文及孫子兵法成績優異學生的獎學金
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