Dr. Ted Tyzz-Lang Chen

When Ted arrived in the United States in 1964, he had $200 in his pocket. As he liked to boast, he immediately sent $100 back to his parents in Taiwan. He came to America on an academic scholarship, determined to make it on his own.

Born February 12, 1939, Ted was fourth of 9 children - 7 boys, 2 girls - and was named Shiro Honda during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. Thanks to his parents, Chen Jin Tu and Kuo Chiung Hsiun, Ted enjoyed a carefree childhood that allowed him to develop an easygoing nature. With his siblings, his days were filled with swimming and fishing at their Tamsui beach house or hunting and exploring their grandfather’s Shilin estate. Popular among peers and repeatedly elected to student leadership positions, Ted developed a lifelong passion for basketball after guiding teammates to regional championships.

A 1962 graduate of National Taiwan Normal University, Ted won a competitive scholarship to pursue a Masters at the University of Maryland. Before leaving in 1964, he was engaged to Marian Wang who joined him two years later to be married in Washington, DC. In 1967, Ted and Marian moved to Columbus, Ohio, where Ted earned his PhD at Ohio State University. In 1968, the couple had their first child, Constance Marian Chen. In 1970, the family moved to Berkeley, CA, where Ted earned a postdoctoral MPH.

Ted started his career at the School of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. Ted and Marian felt the college town was an ideal place to raise a family because it was culturally diverse and he could indulge in fishing, camping and outdoor sports. In 1972, Ted and Marian had their second child, David Theodore Chen. In 1976, the family spent a sabbatical year at the National Science Foundation in Washington, DC.

A gifted educator, mentor, and trusted leader, Ted was elected to the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association from 1985-1990 and was Founder and President of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus of the APHA. In 1989, Ted became Founder and Permanent Executive Secretary of the Asia-Pacific Association for the Control of Tobacco. During his 19 years at UMass, Amherst, Ted became a nationally and internationally recognized tenured Professor.

In 1990, Ted was recruited to the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. A health educator focused on tobacco control and global health program development, he concentrated on executive leadership training and community empowerment. Ted established lasting collaborations between Tulane, National Taiwan University and the Show Chwan Health System.

Remembering his early days as an immigrant graduate student for whom English was a second language, Ted championed people from all races and backgrounds. For him, a foundational belief was that food and fun were keys to bridging divides and creating friendship. At the end of every academic year, he and his wife threw a much-loved party for Tulane public health students that was regularly crashed by former grads.

When Ted retired in 2015, he was Professor Emeritus at Tulane and UMass. He had advised numerous government and institutional organizations, served on a myriad committees and boards, and received countless awards. Ted often reflected that he had a good life. “I am very positive. That’s part of my character, and I cannot change.”

Ted treasured time with his family. When he took his final breath, he was surrounded by his wife Marian, daughter Connie, son-in-law Stephen Warren, son David, and daughter-in-law Georgia Brian. He also left behind granddaughters, Ava and Zoe. Ted was the last surviving boy of 9 children and, at the end, he was proud to have made it on his own. We miss him dearly.

Facebook tribute page, A Life of Impact: Celebrating Dr. Ted Chen: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18Um8dfZ9k/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A photo gallery from Dr. Ted's Celebration of Life at Frank E. Campbell: https://frankecampbellthefuneralchap.shootproof.com/gallery/chen/

Ted's Life In Slides: Taiwan Roots: https://youtu.be/o3fyDEbP1UQ

Ted Chen Personal Life: https://youtu.be/2FGuOAl1HXE

Ted Chen Professional Life: https://youtu.be/8i4gYaWK3rw

Letter from John Tung Foundation (sent to 40 countries): https://www.peopo.org/news/803805

Message from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Dean Thomas LaVeist: https://mailchi.mp/tulane/89xgomiw2x

The Service Program: https://online.fliphtml5.com/lmqyd/uynd/#p=1

A celebration of life will be held at Frank E. Campbell - The Funeral Chapel, 1076 Madison Ave., NYC, on May 3, 2025. Friends and family are welcome to begin gathering at 1:30 pm, ahead of the service. Memorial service at 2 pm with New Orleans jazz brass band funeral procession and reception to follow from 3-5 pm. The service will be streamed and recorded online at: https://memorialstream.online/dr-chen

The family kindly asks guests to RSVP at TedChenCelebration@gmail.com

About The Music

“When the Saints Go Marching In” is a traditional black spiritual that originated as a Christian hymn, but was made popular by New Orleans jazz musician Louis Armstrong in 1938. It is the fight song of the New Orleans Saints football team, and it is the unofficial anthem of the city of New Orleans.

The song was originally written about the human hope of being found acceptable in God’s eyes when the final judgment comes - to be counted “in that number” “when the saints go marching in” through the gates of Heaven. The belief was that only a limited number of blessed souls deserved to enter Heaven - some believed the number to be 144,000 - and the saints would be the first ones chosen.

The song is apocalyptic, taking much of its imagery from the Book of Revelation. The verses make reference to the signs of the Last Judgment Day and how it is announced: “drums begin to bang,” “stars fall from the sky,” sun refuse to shine,” “moon turns red with blood,” “trumpet sounds its call,” “horsemen begin to ride.” As the hymn expresses the wish to go to Heaven, picturing the saints marching in through the Pearly Gates, it is often played at jazz funerals.

In the traditional New Orleans jazz funeral, a brass band plays a slow mournful dirge on the way to the cemetery, but after the remains are laid to rest and the body “cut loose” then the mourners “cut loose” as well. On return from the cemetery, the band, the family and the funeral party form the “first line” carrying decorated parasols and they are followed by the “second line” waving handkerchiefs in celebration of the life of the deceased. Everybody dances.

”When the Saints Go Marching In” is also common as an audience sing-along. Versions using call and response are often heard as follows:

Call: Oh when the Saints

Response: Oh when the Saints!

Call: Go marching in

Response: Go marching in!

All together: Oh, when the saints go marching in! Oh Lord I want to be in that number. When the saints go marching in.

Dr Ted Tyzz-Lang Chen has been cremated and his body “cut loose.” His spirit has been released from its mortal cage, and the family asks his friends to celebrate his life as he lived it in this world and the progress of his soul to the next world.

HOTEL INFORMATION

The family has reserved a group room block at the Hyatt Grand Central New York (109 E 42nd St, NYC; 888-421-1442) at a discounted rate of $299/night before taxes. There are two ways to access the group room block. Either Call Hyatt Reservations at 1-888-421-1442 and provide Block Code G-TCCL to reference “Ted Chen Celebration of Life” or book directly online at the room block website: www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/NYCGH/G-TCCL

The room block is available until Thursday, 24 April 2025.

Some notes:

1. On the group website, the rate shows $339/night for one king bed. This is because it includes a $40/night destination fee that will be automatically waived at checkout per the group contract. So even though the rate appears as $339/night, it is actually $299/night.

2. The only room type that appears is one king bed. If you need a room with two double beds, then make the reservation for one king bed. Once the reservation is confirmed, please let Connie know your confirmation number at TedChenCelebration@gmail.com so that our Hyatt representative can change your one king bed to two double beds.

3. The group contract includes complimentary access to the fitness center for in-house guests and complimentary Wi-Fi in the guest rooms.

The Hyatt Grand Central New York is 15-20 minutes to the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel by subway or 30 minutes to Frank E. Campbell - The Funeral Chapel by taxi or Uber or Lyft.

To reach Frank E. Campbell - The Funeral Chapel by subway, take the 6 local train uptown 4 stops to the 77th Street/Lenox Hill stop and then walk 6 blocks to 1076 Madison Avenue or take the 4 or 5 express train 2 stops to the 86th Street stop and then walk 7 blocks to 1076 Madison Avenue.