Quang Van Huynh

January 25, 1936 - February 25, 2012

Biography

“Give me a problem and I’ll hand you a solution.” Those who knew Quang Van Huynh would agree that motto accurately described him. Quang was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Quang, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Quang placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

Quang was born on January 25, 1936 at Long An Hospital in Long An, Vietnam. He was the son of Long and Hien Huynh. His childhood found him in Long An, Vietnam where he matured into the independent person he eventually became.

During his grade school years, Quang was a very focused and serious student who actually enjoyed the challenge of many classroom problems. He was determined to succeed, and he drew upon his gifts of trust and perseverance to provide him with a competitive edge. Quang delighted in projects that required planning, critical thinking and resolution.

During high school, Quang was relentless in his pursuit of learning, especially in those subject areas that really grabbed hold of his interests. It wasn't that he didn't put forth his best efforts in all classes, but if a subject really interested him, he would eagerly put forth extra effort to learn all he could. Quang graduated from Petrus-Ky High School of Saigon in 1953. His favorite class in high school was music class. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was his French teacher. He also enjoyed playing soccer.

Quang's inventive side developed as he moved into his college years. When Quang found himself involved in an area that particularly interested him, he could organize and complete any task that was given to him and make it look as if he hadn't really needed to put forth any effort. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pedagogy of Saigon in 1957. He also pursued graduate school abroad, earning his Master of Arts from Southern Illinois University (S.I.U.) in 1968 and a Ph.D. in Psychology & Education from Southern Illinois University (S.I.U.) in 1972. His favorite course was psychology. And his favorite professor was Dr. Clinton R. Meek.

Quang was loyal to his friends. He found that he was most in tune with people who had similar interests and thought about things much the way that he did. Quang sometimes had a tendency to be critical in his friendships but he was more interested in finding out what was right in a situation rather than in being mean toward others. He never intentionally set out to hurt any of his friends. Quang was a person who challenged others to fend for themselves and to be original in their thinking and evaluation of the outside world. While growing up, his best friend was Huu Huynh. Later in life, he became friends with No Do and Thuan Huynh.

On July 20, 1959 at home in Saigon, Vietnam he married Kimsa Thi Nguyen. Compassionate and devoted, Quang worked hard to make his new life partner happy.

Harmony was important to Quang and he made every effort to maintain it with his family. They were blessed with two sons, Diem Truong Huynh and Duc Khiem Truong Huynh. They were also blessed with two grandsons, Randolf Huynh and Nicolas Huynh. Everyone was always aware of how much Quang loved them.

During Quang's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Quang was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. His primary occupation was being a University Professor. Quang also served as an Associate Dean for the University of Pedagogy in Saigon from 1972 to 1975.

For Quang, his outside interests and hobbies became another exercise in learning and mastering areas that interested him. He greatly enjoyed unraveling the "hows" and "whys" that lay behind his hobbies. Quang was always pushing himself to learn more and to stretch his knowledge base even further. He firmly believed that the more things that he knew the more control he would have over things. His favorite pursuits were reading and listening to classical music.

Quang's faith allowed him to better appreciate the gifts and opinions of others. This deepening aspect of his life helped him to accept his own feelings to a greater degree. He was a Buddhist.

Quang's skepticism was visible when he found it necessary to place too much trust in one person. This was never clearer than when it was time for him to schedule a vacation or period of time away from his regular schedule. Quang loved the research aspects of planning a trip. Favorite vacations included Europe, the Mexican Riviera, Southeast Asia, and an Alaskan cruise.

When Quang's retirement finally came in 1998, he was ready. He worked out many of the details in advance so that he could enjoy the time and not have to worry. His new life involved relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada. In retirement, he found new pleasure in world travel.

Quang Van Huynh passed away on February 25, 2012 at home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Quang died of natural causes. He is survived by his wife Kimsa Nguyen Huynh; his children Diem Truong Huynh and Duc Khiem Truong Huynh; his grandchildren Randolf Huynh and Nicolas Huynh; his brother Hien Huynh; and his sister Sanh Huynh. Quang was laid to rest in Vung Tau, Vietnam.

Quang Van Huynh was always drawn to what was measurable, practical and factual. He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were supposed to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.