Dr. Kathleen Chen

COLUMBIA Memorial service for Dr. Kathleen C. Chen, 85, will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, June 21, 2015, at Shandon Presbyterian Church. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family. Dr. Chen died Thursday, June 11. Born in Rangoon, Burma, she was a daughter of the late Hum Gyan Chan and Aw May Chan. After completing her undergraduate degree at Rangoon University, she earned her M.A. from Bryn Mawr and Ph.D. from Penn State. For over thirty years, she was a professor of psychology at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she established the Bachelors degree program in Psychology and the Masters degree program in School Psychology. She served as department chairperson for seventeen years. Retiring to Columbia, she was a dedicated student of violin at the USC School of Music and an active member of the Lourie Center. She was known for her indomitable spirit and boundless energy. Surviving are her daughters, Denise Chen of Menlo Park, Calif., Donna Chen (Michael Myrick) of Columbia; grandson, Alexander Myrick; brother, Robert Chan; and sister, Eileen Chan. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Mou-ta Chen.