Hi shahzadagulfam, this is just a posting for an upcoming conference and the contact person is Miss Sharon Ong in Singapore. You should contact her directly at the email address above if you are interested in this conference as the University of Hawaii at Manoa has no connection to this conference. Aloha!

Without hesitation I can say the Freeman family has been the most significant benefactor during my educational career. In fact, I would not be pursuing a PhD in Asian Theatre if it were not for the generosity of Mr. Freeman and his wife.

In 1999, I entered Butler University (Indianapolis, Indiana) as a Theatre Performance major with no previous exposure to Asia. The following year, the Freeman family granted Butler a large sum of money to begin a Chinese language program and I was one of ten students who decided to dive into the demanding study of Mandarin Chinese. Thanks to the Freeman family this initial experience would eventually lead me to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (as their first international drama student) and later to Peking University (with the aid of a Freeman scholarship) for advanced Mandarin Chinese language study. I was so inspired from my trip to China that I decided to undertake an undergraduate honors thesis on Chinese drama. These opportunties sparked a latent passion for Chinese culture that was awakened with the support of the Freeman family.

Although I never met Mr. Freeman or his wife in person, I was deeply saddened at the loss of a remarkable person who had such a positive influence on the lives of many adventurous students. Without the Freeman family’s love of Asia and a commitment to share their deep affection with others, I can honestly say I would not be studying Asian Theatre. The life path I have walked was paved with kindness from the Freeman family and I am so grateful to be a recipient of their generosity.

Thank you Mr. Freeman for being the silent benefactor in my educational career. You will truly be missed by the many students you touched and I hope, with a solid education in Chinese theatre, to also share my love of Asia with others as you did with so many inquisitive minds.

In closing, I think the following Chinese proverb suits Mr. Freeman and his life contributions:

前人栽树，后人乘凉
“One generation plants the trees, another gets the shade.”

Ronald Gilliam
PhD Candidate, Asian Theatre
Department of Theatre & Dance
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Sorry, I listed the incorrect dates (from last year). The exhibit is still planning its opening date in Las Vegas, but will conclude at the same museum on January 2, 2011. It will probably be there in December 2010.

This exhibit will be at the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum in Las Vegas from June 14, 2008 – December 31, 2008. Be sure to check it out!

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