Two scholarship funds have been established in memory of Emory alumni who died recently.

The first honors Ryan Deon Cheung ’98C, who died January 22, 2003, in Hong Kong after having a heart attack while practicing basketball. He was twenty-six.

Cheung, managing director of Lemon, a digital marketing and corporate communications company in Hong Kong, received a bachelor's degree in business and political science from Emory. The scholarship was established by Cheung's sister, Roselyn, his parents, Maxwell and Rose, and his girlfriend, Jennifer Chan, in cooperation with Jeffrey Rosensweig of Goizueta Business School. It will be presented annually to an undergraduate business student.

“We want to honor someone who embodies the qualities that made Ryan so special,” says Rosensweig, Cheung's honors thesis adviser during his senior year. “Everything about Ryan–his poise, his intelligence, his stature, his character–had the mark of a future leader.”

Born in Hollywood in 1976, Cheung was raised in California where, at six feet, five inches tall, he played center on his high school's varsity basketball team. While attending college at Emory, he continued to play basketball, as well as serving on the freshman council and successfully petitioning the dean for Chinese to be taught at the college. He interned at CNN and at the State Department in Washington D.C., and worked for management recruiting firm Kurt Salmon Associates in Atlanta before being recruited by Lemon and moving to Hong Kong.

Cheung traveled extensively throughout Asia and Europe, creating a vast network of friends. He enjoyed hiking, scuba diving, and sports from squash to marathon running.

“With Ryan, I forgot fear,” said Chan. “Not only did I climb to the top of mountains, but also, I rode the scariest rollercoasters. . . . Ryan possessed a degree of generosity that warmed everyone around him.”

Those wishing to contribute to the Ryan Deon Cheung scholarship fund can do so by contacting Andy Reed, senior associate director of development, at 404-727-4971 or andy_reed@bus.emory.edu.

A trust also has been established for the health care and education of the infant son of Harris M. Silver ’89C, who died of a heart attack January 14, 2003 in New York City. He was thirty-five.

Silver came to Emory in the fall of 1985 and was a resident of McTyeire dormitory, later pledging Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science.

As a stockbroker first at Herzog Heine Geduld and then at du Pasquier and Company on Wall Street, Silver maintained close ties with classmates and fraternity brothers and was the organizer of frequent alumni reunions in the New York City area.

Silver married Laura Zamarelli in the summer of 1994, and was eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child.

“Harris was known for his affability, sharp wit, enthusiastic attitude, and dedication to family and friends,” says Daniel Bildner ’89C. Emory alumni held a “Night of Remembrance” May 9 in New York City.

Donations to the trust for Oliver Harris Silver, born March 24, 2003, can be made payable to: College America FBO Oliver H. Silver, and mailed to Jon S. Alin, Financial Advisor, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., 101 Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 300, Roseland, N.J., 07068.–M.J.L.

 
 

 

© 2003 Emory University