Far and Away

In May 2023, Herb Chang and his family marked the 63rd anniversary of his graduation from Illinois. Their campus get-together, originally planned for his 60th reunion year in 2020, was delayed by the pandemic, but all the more joyous for the wait. On hand were (from left) Lilian Ficht, Kathy Hymson, Herb and Stella Chang, and Dorothy Bortolussi. (Image by Craig Pessman)

Herb Chang, ’60 ENG, MS ’62 ENG, PHD ’64 ENG, was just 20 when he left Taiwan for the South Dakota School of Mines. “I found the school was not really what I was looking for,” he says. “It was just too cold.”

Fortunately, Herb’s brother, Eugene Chang, MS ’59 ENG, PHD ’67 ENG, who was already attending the U. of I., helped his younger sibling gain admission to Illinois. Herb’s American success story began with bussing tables in the Illini Union and hard study in electrical engineering. Hard enough to launch a six-decade career that has wound through research at Bell Labs and business school at MIT on to launching and managing AT&T’s expansion in Asia with a focus on Taiwan and China, followed by forays into startups and venture capital.

His wife, Stella Yuan Chang, MS ’66 LAS, also came to Illinois as a student from Taiwan. Two of the couple’s three daughters attended the university. Daughter Kathy Chang Hymson, ’90 BUS, grew up in Naperville, but moved to Taipei with the family when she was 15 and Herb joined AT&T. She returned to the U.S. and enrolled at the U. of I., just as her father had. “My sister, Lilian Chang Ficht, ’87 ENG, was there,” Kathy says. “Her senior year was my freshman year, so she was the rock I relied on.” Altogether, the extended Chang family now claims eight Illini across three generations, including grandchildren Rebecca Ficht Orr,’17 ENG, and Nicholas Hymson,’24 BUS.

For Herb Chang, his world-vaulting trajectory was made possible by advisor Sundaram Seshu, PHD ’55 ENG, whose memory the Changs’ have honored with several generous gifts and endowments. “After I finished my master’s degree, Professor Seshu took me under his wing and provided guidance for my Ph.D. work,” Chang says. “He also helped me to land a summer job at Bell Labs when the job market was extremely tight.”

Herb cites a Chinese adage that says: “When drinking water, remember its source.” Herb and Stella Chang have established endowed scholarships, and Herb enjoys speaking with students about what Illinois meant to him. “Hopefully, someday when they are successful,” he says, “they also will pay tribute to Illinois.”