Cornelia Mei Chih Wang Hsu

Mei-Chih Wang was born on the island of Taiwan during the peak of World War II. Mei-Chih’s own mother was a passionate, dedicated, and much beloved grade school teacher. With her mother as a role model, Mei-Chih quickly recognized teaching to be one of the most noble and revered professions, and she was eager to follow her mother’s path as an educator. When the opportunity presented itself, Mei-Chih took the plunge and traveled alone to America in 1969, arriving with her suitcases and just enough money for a one-way ticket home.

Mei-Chih began a Master’s program in Mathematics at SUNY-Buffalo, then transferred to West Virginia University in Morgantown for a graduate teaching assistantship. Mei-Chih’s formal teaching career started as an Instructor at St. Paul's College in Lawrence, Virginia. In 1972, she met and later married her husband, Justin Hsu, who was a Ph.D. student at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Mei-Chih’s tenure at Morgan State University (MSU) began in 1973, and it was here that she completed over fifty years as a math educator (45 years at MSU). During this time she taught over ten thousand students and witnessed a 6-fold expansion of the university.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Mei-Chih played an active role in the greater community, volunteering at her childrens’ schools, and also serving as Principal of the Chinese Language School of Baltimore. Cornelia devoted herself to her family. She invested in her childrens’ varied pursuits, from music and art lessons, to supporting their undergraduate training at MIT and Princeton. The value of education and a strong tradition in teaching has persevered in her family -- both her children and their spouses have all earned doctoral degrees, practicing medicine and serving as educators. Paralleling Morgan’s growth, Cornelia’s identity has similarly expanded, from that of a single female Taiwanese immigrant, to a proud U.S. citizen, wife, mother of two children and their spouses, and grandmother to six beautiful grandchildren.

Mei-Chih is survived by her husband of 47 years, Justin Chin-Chung Hsu, her daughter Alice (husband Michael, sons Benjamin and Alex), her son Albert (wife Tracy, daughter Mya, sons Jax, Maxwell, and Gavin), sister Victoria, and brother Daniel. Her children and grandchildren were the love of her life; she also enjoyed photography, flowers, karaoke, ballroom dancing, and ping-pong.

For those who would like to express condolences, the family will receive friends at Lemmon Funeral Home of Dulaney Valley, Inc (10 W. Padonia Road; Timonium, MD 21093) on Thursday, 26 September 2019 from 4 to 7 pm. A funeral service will be celebrated at the Funeral Home on Friday, September 27 at 10 am. Interment will follow at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mei-Chih’s memory to the “Morgan State University Foundation, attn: Cornelia Wang Hsu Endowed Award in Academic Excellence.” Checks may be mailed to 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251; or donations may be made directly via this website: givetomorgan.org/give.