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CHO FU LAI 
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A REMEMBRANCE
Frank was born in Beijing, China and came to the United States in 1947.

CHINESE OPERA
Self-taught, Frank played the hu-chin and was one of the founding members of the Chinese Opera Club in New York City.

BRUSHWORK
Having studied Chinese brush painting with master C. C. Wang, Frank opened Mi Chou, the first gallery in the United States to exclusively feature Chinese artists.

TEA CRAFT
Expert tea taster and blender, Frank traveled extensively in search of fine teas that could be imported and distributed in the United States.

HUMANITARIAN
​Frank's brother was killed by Japanese troops near the conclusion of WWII. In memory of Cho Huan-Lai, Frank's dying wish was to establish an endowed fund to support academic research at Macalester College.

Humanitarian

Scholarship And Rememberance Of A Brother Lost — Excerpts from a press release
Macalester College ("the college") gratefully acknowledges the commitment of Frank F. Cho’s Family ("the donors") to establish an endowed fund in the memory of Huan-Lai and Fu-Lai (Frank F.) Cho at the college for the purpose of supporting research and academic initiatives related to the study of violent conflicts and human rights affected by such conflicts.

Huan-Lai Cho (1912-1945) was the consul for the Republic of China in Sandakan, Borneo. Although he was a diplomat, he was captured by the Japanese and imprisoned, along with his family, in a POW camp. On July 6, 1945, weeks before the Japanese surrendered to end World War II, he was taken into the woods in the middle of the night and killed. Frank F. Cho, his youngest brother, sought to ensure that the truth about Japanese atrocities committed during World War II, including those against his brother, was remembered and shared with future generations.

This endowed fund will be named the Frank F. Cho Endowed Fund for Conflict and Human Rights Studies (“the Fund”). 

It is the donors’ intent that the Fund be used to provide support for research and teaching initiatives focused on war history, war crimes, collective memory, and reconciliation issues, with special reference to Japanese war crimes against China. It should also include goals related to promoting justice, peace, and humanity. 

Secondary preference for awarding may be given to proposals which address violent conflicts in other areas of the world and the resulting human rights dimensions. Priority for use of the Fund will be given to the History Department faculty.

​Administration of the Fund will be coordinated by the Provost’s Office or by the chief officer of any successor department at the college charged with the responsibility of providing opportunities for faculty to enhance their teaching and research work at Macalester and abroad, provided that the teaching and research is in line with the intention and preferences of the Fund.

Possible activities supported by the Fund include faculty travel and research stipends; support for conference organizing or lecture expenses; collaborative student and faculty research; publication costs; creating an online repository of already-collected research that can be made available to researchers anywhere; engaging student(s) or contractor(s) to capture personal stories from Pacific Rim World War II survivors (i.e., creating a short documentary); or other activities deemed by the Provost to advance the purpose and goals of the Fund.