The Passing of Dr. Kwong-Tin (K.T.) Tang

We announce with sadness the passing of Dr. Kwong-Tin (K.T.) Tang, emeritus professor of physics, on November 27th. Dr. Tang’s career at PLU spanned more than three decades, during which he built a distinguished record of world-class scholarship in theoretical physics that earned recognition both on campus and within the international scientific community. Throughout his career at PLU, he was known for his scientific intuition and groundbreaking research, particularly in molecular interactions and atomic and molecular scattering, including the development of the widely cited “Tang-Toennies Potential.”

Dr. Tang earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University and completed postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley and Harvard. He joined PLU in 1967 and was promoted to full professor in 1972. He was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society in 2006 and received PLU’s President’s Medal from President Loren Anderson in 2007. His research earned him international recognition, including a visiting scientist appointment at the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen, Germany, and receiving accolades such as the Distinguished Senior U.S. Scientist Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In 2001, he became the inaugural recipient of the K.T. Tang Award for Excellence in Research, established in his honor to recognize outstanding faculty scholarship.

Dr. Tang’s research productivity included publishing more than 130 papers and multiple books over his career. His work stands as a testament to the highest ideals of scholarly excellence within the College of Natural Sciences. He will be remembered not only for his scientific contributions but also for his dedication to teaching and his role as a cherished colleague and mentor to many within the PLU community.

Emeritus Professor of Physics Steve Starkovich, who kept an office beside Dr. Tang’s for many years, recalls: “We would have occasional hallway conversations about his work, but mostly about teaching at an undergraduate institution. Through those chats I came to see a K.T. Tang who combined professional rigor with personal humility. He was a pioneer in his field of study, and demanded a lot of his students, but he did not wear his fame on his sleeve.”

That said, Dr. Tang’s standing within theoretical physics was considerable. Dr. Starkovich recounts: “I was once sitting next to a non-PLU colleague at a conference who was professionally familiar with K.T.’s work but had never met him. K.T. was giving a presentation, and a few minutes into his talk my colleague, totally stunned and realizing who was talking, turned to me and said, ‘This is the K.T. Tang! Why didn’t you tell me he was at PLU?'”

Former colleague Dr. Rich Louie says Dr. Tang was known for holding his students to a high standard: “His intellect and insistence on concentration and accuracy intimidated some students, but as one of them told me, ‘In his class, you had to pay attention to details, and you learned it pretty darn quick.'”

Dr. Louie adds that there was much more to Dr. Tang than intellectual and pedagogical excellence: “His faith was equally important to him. Perhaps this quote from him, from the foreword of his three-volume textbook on mathematical physics, may serve to summarize how he wished to be remembered: ‘May this set of books be an acceptable offering in the eyes of my Lord Jesus Christ.'”

We invite the campus community to join us in celebrating the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Dr. Tang. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 21, 1:30 p.m. at Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home & Cemetery (11111 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133). PLU community members are welcome and encouraged to RSVP by emailing smt0530@yahoo.com

In lieu of flowers, community members may make a gift in memory of the KT Tang Faculty Research Award at this PLU tribute giving page.