Tung Hon Jeong

"Life is a hologram" Tung Hon Jeong once said. How you experience life depends on the perspective from which you choose to see it. Despite tragic beginnings, Jeong, with his effusive optimism and emblematic energy, always saw himself as lucky—lucky to be alive, lucky to live, and lucky to have lived.

Jeong, known by many as TJ or Sunne, first became enchanted by holography in 1965, upon a generous meeting with Emmett Leith, co-inventor of the 3D hologram. For the next five decades, Jeong passionately pursued holography as a prodigious researcher, businessman, administrator, spokesman, and most proudly, as teacher, serving as Professor of Physics at the Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL, from 1963 until his passing.

Born around 1931 in the countryside village of Hoiping, China, Jeong did not know his real birthday or his natural parents. Sold to a landlord's family at a young age during a time of floods, famine, epidemics and unrest in China, Jeong with his adopted mother narrowly escaped the invading Japanese army, fleeing his village and hiding in caves until he reached Hong Kong. When Hong Kong was bombed, he fled to Macau. When Macau was bombed, he fled back to the village, where later, after World War II, he fled again— this time from the Chinese Communist Party out to persecute families of landlords. Jeong then emigrated to the United States, ending up in Amarillo, Texas. By a stroke of luck, his grade school teacher saw Jeong's natural gift for mathematics and physics, and then put it upon herself to teach him English. Eventually, Jeong graduated salutatorian of his class at Amarillo High School with a full scholarship to Yale University. After Yale, Jeong went on to the University of Minnesota, where he earned his PhD in nuclear physics in 1962, and met his beloved wife Anna.

A teacher at heart, Jeong aimed to make holography known and accessible to everyone. For nearly 40 years, Jeong hosted annual holography workshops for novices and experts alike, and lectured and consulted at over 500 universities, professional societies, and corporations worldwide. Many of his students went on to start and build the hologram industry as we know it today. Jeong is founder of a number of prominent holography conferences, including the International Symposium on Display Holography, a triennial conference attracting scientists, artists, and businessmen worldwide. With his wife, Jeong also co-founded Integraf, an international distributor of holography supplies to schools, hobbyists, and businesses.

"TJ probably gave more people their first introduction to holography than any other single teacher, communicator or enthusiast," writes Ian Lancaster, General Secretary of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) and founder of Reconnaissance International.

A pioneer and leading voice for the development of holography, Jeong has been a recipient of the Robert Millikan Medal from the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Saxby Medal of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the IHMA, and Fellow of the Optical Society of America, among numerous other accolades.

Outside the limelight, Jeong was deeply a family man. Jeong cherished spending time with his family, whether travelling to all parts of the world together, enjoying classical music and dining with his wife, or simply windsurfing and holding barbecues at their summer lake home. An avid violinist, Jeong was also a founding member of the North Suburban Symphony Orchestra.

Jeong passed away peacefully on May 4, in Tallahassee, FL, after a gallant battle with prostate cancer. Jeong is survived by his wife of 53 years Anna, sons Allan and Alec, daughter Alicia, and two grandchildren.

A memorial to celebrate Jeong's life journey will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2015, at 1:00 PM, at the Glen Rowan House at Lake Forest College, 500 N. Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045. Please kindly RSVP to [email protected].