Obituary of Huy Thongsack

Huy Thongsack was born 1929 in Pakse Laos which was the same year as when the first Chinese primary school in Laos was established. After graduating from primary school, he went to Thailand to complete his junior high school education and returned home to assist fellow villagers set up a junior high school in Pakse. In 1956, he was hired as a Chinese teacher to teach phonetic symbols and promote the Mandarin language in his village. Huy Thongsack’ s pleasant smile and passion for teaching won the support and trust of the village leaders (Xu Guangyu, Liao Jinlun, Zhang Yuanming and Chen Zhaofeng) and was loved by all his students. Huy was able to speak and write in Lao, Mandarin, Chaozhou, Thai, and Vietnamese. Huy was a cultured person and gained recognition and was promoted to handle school administration affairs and finances. In 1958, when the new school was being built, he was appointed as general manager to supervise the school’s construction and handle all related matters including contacting relevant government agencies recruiting workers, purchasing building materials and providing meals for employees. At that time, almost all construction workers, cement masons, and carpenters were Vietnamese, and so Huy’s ability to communicate with them was the key to complete the work. In the spring of 1959, the new school which accommodated 1000 students was completed ahead of schedule and started operating in less than two years. However, during this period, the political situation became unpredictable, and the school was unprofitable with tuitions covering less than half of the operating expenses and relied heavily on frequent fundraising activities and donations. The school also had difficulty recruiting teachers, but Huy acknowledged the importance of education and studying Chinese, not only to promote the Chinese tradition but also to build the future for the next generations who were the hope for Pakse’s prosperity. Huy took on the responsibility to oversee the Chinese school, he drove to the school every day on his Vespa, handled all the daily errands, and raised funds, working tirelessly all day and night and took no days off. Through his dedication and commitment to the managing the school, he was able to overcome numerous obstacles to build the model school for Chinese education in his region. His achievements attracted many students from all over: including Thailand, Vientiane, Paksong, and Savannakhet. Huy also provided accommodations and tutoring services for the young students and was able to raise financial resources for school reaching new peaks each year with more than 1600 student enrolments. However, the school later fell into hard times due to the sudden changes in the political environment. In 1965, the heavy burden of managing school affairs was once again imposed on two important officials Huy and Liu Jixin. Huy became acting principal and authority for the primary school diplomas and Liu became the Dean of Academics. When the school was forced to suspend operations for another year, Huy and Liu Jixin worked hard and endured humiliation, to reopen the school with dignity. Huy was born and raised as a first-generation Chinese born in Pakse, his father came alone from Chenghai Guangdong starting from scratch to try and make a living with no economic background to rely upon. Huy took care of the family business and dedicated his energy to run the school and serve the community diligently and respectfully throughout his life and his humble deeds are well documented. He never sought recognition or power throughout his life, his affinity for education and leadership ability were always appreciated by many of us. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was a key figure of his generation. Many Chinese and foreign students born before the 1960s and 1970s endorse his teachings of Chinese culture, dedication and influence. Huy turned 96 years old this year and has settled in Toronto, Canada. Today, he is survived by 15 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and enjoys the blessing of being surrounded by 4th and 5th generations.