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.

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

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

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.