謝扶雅教授對曹耀先生的悼念~惺亭客

謝扶雅〈悼曹耀同學—兼談母校在復校問題〉

 原文：悼曹耀同学——兼谈母校在广州复校问题

(寫於1982年初)

 

噩耗传来，得知曹耀同学于本年九月十一日在美国芝加哥，因心脏病手术无效不幸离世，我心中满是惋惜！

 

曹耀同学在三十年代就读于广州康乐的岭南大学时，我只给他上过一门或两门课——因为他读的是商科，而我任教于文学院。但他给我留下的印象格外深刻：倒不是因为他的学业成绩，而是由于他担任学生基督教青年会的负责人。他富有辩才，为人处事也十分随和。他深受欧美风气的熏陶，所以青年会举办的各类活动、会议或联谊，常常在校长住宅举行。青年会有月刊，我常为其撰稿，他也总是欣然应允，足见他待人的热忱与沟通的说服力。

 

后来我们各自从事不同行业，工作地点也天各一方，曹耀同学毕业后步入社会，我们便再无重逢的机会。晚年我定居美国，起初还在香港商界任职，此后便东西相隔，少有往来。不过我常在香港的刊物中看到，曹耀同学长袖善舞，热心公益，曾担任华人基督教青年会董事，以及附属青年会中学校董事会主席等职。这自然源于他学生时代便与基督教青年事业结下的不解之缘。我担任青年会干事九年，因此我们之间不仅有师生情谊，更是青年会事业上的同工。

 

在曹耀同学去世前两年，我竟与他两次相聚同席。第一次是1979年夏天，他到美国芝加哥，当时我恰好也在小住。芝加哥岭南同学会设宴招待我们，地点在华埠第一大酒楼。我坐在他右手边，每次上菜，他都会先夹菜敬我，足见他念旧情、重情谊的品性。那时他就说过心脏有些小毛病，但精神状态很好，我没想到那竟是他最后的时光，他竟因心脏病离世了！

 

第二次相聚是在去年初春，也就是农历大除夕的前一两天。那时我离开香港二十六年后首次重返，逗留十天左右。曹耀同学和伍树棠同学特意借岭南同学会设宴为我饯行，还邀请了十几位校友及我认识的几位老友一同相聚。席间曹耀同学介绍了不少校友，我们叙旧畅谈，我还补充了一些颇有深意的话语。没想到这次聚餐竟成了我们的最后一面！他温和诚恳的性格、平易近人的风度，不仅深深印在我的脑海里，也被所有与他接触过的人铭记。

 

据伍树棠同学说，他曾和曹耀同学在年前，趁着中共中央联络部（因岭南是岭南老友故地）的廖承志从大陆访问香港之际，一同约廖承志吃饭，商谈岭南大学在广州复校的事宜。岭南大学是美国在华创办的十三所教会大学之一，和北京的燕京大学、南京的金陵大学、上海的圣约翰大学、江苏的江湾大学等齐名。不过这类教会大学与中共的宗教政策相关，其复校事宜似乎难以轻易实现。但目前中共在广州的岭南学院，针对广东省的实际情况，往往会采取特殊灵活的政策。

 

岭南大学是孙中山担任大元帅时创办的，当时岭南大学全体师生还曾举行过一次具有历史意义的演讲大会，那比中山大学的成立还要早。如今中共对孙中山推崇备至，广州所有与孙中山相关的纪念建筑，都已完成修缮翻新，还进行了美化升级，这是中共建国以来极为突出的举措。如此一来，与孙中山渊源深厚的岭南大学，自然也应适时恢复，这是顺理成章的事。而且岭南大学原本设有孙中山纪念医学院，如今因孙中山在高阶中的崇高地位，该校也应优先恢复办学。

 

岭南大学复校一事，对中共而言，无需照搬其他十二所教会大学的合并办学模式。这是因为岭南大学的校园资产、办学风气与海外华侨渊源深厚，这是其他教会大学无法比拟的。如今中共大幅放宽华侨政策，尤其是在广东地区，会发还华侨的财产产业，那么将岭南大学校园发还给本校校友会，是合法合理的。

 

岭南大学过去五六十年的历史，为广东省做出了巨大贡献，培养的人才遍布各界。这些学子深受基督教教义熏陶，践行“为神为国为岭南”的校歌精神，品行道德备受社会称赞。就像不久前离世的曹耀同学、陈德舜同学，都是绝佳的例证。中共今后大力推进四个现代化建设，急需各类人才，更需要培养品德高尚、作风扎实的人才。岭南大学复校后，必将涌现出一批品德优良、学识扎实的优秀青年，为祖国各阶层、各行业贡献力量。

 

再看中共当前高等教育人才紧缺的现状，岭南大学复校完全不存在师资短缺的问题。咫尺之遥的香港，众多在工商界服务的岭南老校友，定会纷纷回到广州，为母校复校出钱出力。海外的知名学者，比如文学院的陈荣捷先生，年事已高却精神矍铄，若能出任复校后的岭南大学校长——甚至担任第一任校长，他足以号召无数旅美校友学者、专家回归母校服务。还有前理学院院长纳博士（Frank），如今退休在美国匹兹堡，也能随时重返母校，凭借丰富的经验重振当年岭南大学理科的辉煌成绩。

 

上述这些海内外的岭南老校友、师长友人，都正值退休黄金期，可自愿为母校服务，无需中共承担额外费用。所以眼下岭南大学复校，是一件轻而易举的事。只需香港岭南大学校友总会及各地分会出面，与广东省相关部门交涉磋商，就能推进此事。正所谓“精诚所至，金石为开”——岭南大学的红灰狮子校徽精神代表们行动起来吧！复校对你们而言，本就是不费吹灰之力的事！等到我九十岁高龄时，定要拭目以待复校成功的那一天！

近覽嶺南大學相關文獻，於《謝扶雅1晚年基督教思想論集》中，得見謝扶雅先生所撰〈悼曹耀同學——兼談母校在廣州復校問題〉一文。此文由惺亭客輯錄整理，既存師生追思之誼，亦存母校復校之議，史料與文心兼具，特引述其要，以見當年老輩對嶺南之深情與遠慮。

 

據惺亭客輯謝扶雅原文所記，曹耀為三十年代嶺大學生，修習商科，謝扶雅任教文學院，雖課業往來不多，卻因其活躍於學生基督教青年會而印象深刻。曹耀為人熱忱善言，頗具號召力，青年會各項活動與刊物事務，常得其奔走聯絡，二人亦因此結下師生與同工之誼。畢業之後，二人天各一方，久未相見。直至謝扶雅晚年定居美國、重返香港之際，方與曹耀兩度聚首，一在芝加哥嶺南同學會之宴，一在香港除夕之前餞別之席。孰料後者竟成永訣，曹耀於一九八〇年九月十一日在芝加哥因心臟病手術不治辭世。謝扶雅憶其溫和誠懇、念舊重情之風範，不勝惋惜，並感念其一生熱心公益，服務青年會與中學教育，堪為嶺南校友表率。

 

更為重要者，在於謝扶雅藉悼亡之機，系統陳述嶺南大學在廣州復校之主張，其論點經惺亭客輯錄整理，大要如下：其一，嶺南與孫中山先生淵源極深，早於中山大學成立之前，孫中山已在嶺南發表過重要演說，具有特殊歷史地位。今日既尊崇孫中山，修繕相關紀念建築，則恢復嶺南大學實屬順理成章，尤應優先恢復其與孫中山相關之醫學教育。其二，嶺南與其他教會大學不同，校園物業、校風傳統與海外華僑關係至深，在當時放寬華僑政策、發還相關財產之背景下，將校園歸還校友會辦學，合法合理，不必與其他教會大學一併處理。其三，嶺南數十年辦學有成，人才輩出，學生多受基督精神教化，品行端謹，符合社會與國家建設之需。復校之後，既可為四個現代化培養品德與學識兼備之才，又無須擔憂師資經費。香港工商界校友與旅美學人如陳榮捷等，皆可回歸效力，義務相助，可謂事半功倍。

 

文末謝扶雅以「紅灰獅子」號召嶺南校友，勉勵眾人積極奔走，精誠所至，金石為開，並以九旬高齡期盼母校重光之日。經惺亭客輯錄傳述，此文不僅為一篇懷人追思之作，更是一九八〇年代嶺南校友推動復校運動的重要文獻，既見老一輩學人對母校之摯愛，亦反映當時教會大學遺產、華僑關係與高等教育發展之時代背景，值得後人重視與紀念。

Below is the revised English  《悼曹耀同学——兼谈母校在广州复校问题》.

 

1. Mourning Classmate Tsao Yao (曹耀)

 

Upon hearing the tragic news that classmate Tsao Yao (曹耀) passed away on September 11 of this year in Chicago, USA, due to an unsuccessful heart surgery, my heart was filled with deep regret!

 

When Tsao Yao (曹耀) studied at Lingnan University (岭南大学) in Kangle (康乐), Guangzhou (广州), during the 1930s, I only taught him one or two courses—since he was a business major while I taught at the College of Liberal Arts. However, he left an exceptionally deep impression on me: not because of his academic achievements, but because he served as the leader of the student Christian Young Men’s Association (YMCA). He was eloquent and handled matters with great ease and friendliness. Influenced profoundly by Western culture, the various activities, meetings, and social gatherings organized by the YMCA were often held at the principal’s residence. The YMCA had a monthly publication for which I frequently contributed articles, and he always accepted them with enthusiasm, reflecting his warmth and persuasive communication skills.

 

Later, we pursued different careers and worked in distant locations. After Tsao Yao (曹耀) graduated and entered society, we never had the chance to meet again. In my later years, I settled in the United States, initially working in the business sector in Hong Kong (香港), and thereafter, we were separated by vast distances with little contact. However, I often read in Hong Kong (香港) publications that Tsao Yao (曹耀) was adept in social interactions and passionate about public welfare, having served as a director of the Chinese YMCA and chairman of the board of the affiliated YMCA secondary school. This was naturally tied to the deep connection he forged with Christian youth initiatives during his student days. Having served as a YMCA officer for nine years myself, our bond was not only that of teacher and student but also as colleagues in the YMCA cause.

 

In the two years before Tsao Yao’s (曹耀) passing, I had the privilege of dining with him on two occasions. The first was in the summer of 1979 when he was in Chicago, and I happened to be staying there briefly. The Chicago Lingnan Alumni Association (芝加哥岭南校友会) hosted a banquet for us at the largest restaurant in Chinatown (华埠). I sat to his right, and each time a dish was served, he would first offer me a portion, demonstrating his regard for old ties and deep sense of camaraderie. At that time, he mentioned having a minor heart issue, but his spirits were high. I never imagined that those would be his final days, and that he would ultimately succumb to heart disease!

 

The second meeting was last early spring, a day or two before Lunar New Year’s Eve. At that time, I returned to Hong Kong (香港) for the first time in 26 years, staying for about ten days. Tsao Yao (曹耀) and classmate Ng Shu Wing (伍树棠) specially arranged a farewell banquet for me through the Lingnan Alumni Association (岭南校友会), inviting more than a dozen alumni and several old friends I knew to join us. During the gathering, Tsao Yao (曹耀) introduced many alumni, and we reminisced and chatted at length. I also added some meaningful remarks. Little did I know that this meal would be our last encounter! His gentle and sincere character, along with his approachable demeanor, is not only etched in my memory but also remembered by everyone who ever interacted with him.

 

2. A Call for the Reestablishment of Lingnan University (岭南大学)

 

According to classmate Ng Shu Wing (伍树棠), he and Tsao Yao (曹耀), a year prior, took the opportunity during a visit by Liao Chengzhi (廖承志) from the Central Committee’s Liaison Department from mainland China to Hong Kong (香港) to invite Liao to dinner and discuss the reestablishment of Lingnan University (岭南大学) in Guangzhou (广州). Lingnan University (岭南大学) is one of the thirteen Christian universities founded by Americans in China, standing alongside institutions like Yenching University (燕京大学) in Beijing (北京), Jinling University (金陵大学) in Nanjing (南京), St. John’s University (圣约翰大学) in Shanghai (上海), and Jiangwan University (江湾大学) in Jiangsu (江苏). However, due to the connection between such Christian universities and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) religious policies, reestablishment seems difficult to achieve easily. Nevertheless, the current Lingnan College (岭南学院) under the CCP in Guangzhou (广州) often adopts special and flexible policies tailored to the actual situation in Guangdong Province (广东省).

 

Lingnan University (岭南大学) was founded during Sun Yat-sen’s (孙中山) tenure as Generalissimo, and at that time, the entire faculty and student body held a historically significant speech conference, even predating the establishment of Sun Yat-sen University (中山大学). Today, the CCP holds Sun Yat-sen (孙中山) in the highest regard, with all memorial buildings related to him in Guangzhou (广州) having been renovated, refurbished, and aesthetically upgraded—a remarkably prominent measure since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, it is only logical and fitting that Lingnan University (岭南大学), with its deep ties to Sun Yat-sen (孙中山), should be restored at the appropriate time. Moreover, Lingnan University (岭南大学) originally housed the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Medical College (孙中山纪念医学院), and given Sun Yat-sen’s (孙中山) esteemed status, the university should be prioritized for reestablishment.

 

The Rationale and Uniqueness of Reestablishment

 

For the CCP, the reestablishment of Lingnan University (岭南大学) does not need to follow the merged operation model of the other twelve Christian universities. This is because Lingnan University’s (岭南大学) campus assets, academic culture, and deep connections with overseas Chinese communities are unparalleled among other Christian universities. Now that the CCP has significantly relaxed policies toward overseas Chinese, especially in Guangdong (广东), returning properties and assets to them, it is entirely legal and reasonable to return the Lingnan University (岭南大学) campus to its alumni association.

 

Over the past fifty to sixty years, Lingnan University (岭南大学) has made tremendous contributions to Guangdong Province (广东省), producing talents across various fields. These students, nurtured by Christian teachings, lived out the spirit of the school song, “For God, For Country, For Lingnan,” and their moral character has been widely praised by society. The recent passing of classmates Tsao Yao (曹耀) and Chen Deshun (陈德舜) serves as the best testament to this. As the CCP vigorously advances the Four Modernizations, there is an urgent need for talent, particularly for individuals of high moral integrity and solid work ethic. Once Lingnan University (岭南大学) is reestablished, it will undoubtedly produce a new generation of outstanding young people with strong ethics and solid knowledge, contributing to all levels and industries of the nation.

 

Feasibility and Resource Support for Reestablishment

 

Considering the current shortage of talent in higher education under the CCP, the reestablishment of Lingnan University (岭南大学) faces no issue of faculty shortages. Just a stone’s throw away in Hong Kong (香港), numerous Lingnan alumni working in the business sector will undoubtedly return to Guangzhou (广州) to contribute both financially and with their efforts to the reestablishment of their alma mater. Prominent overseas scholars, such as Mr. Chen Rongjie (陈荣捷) from the College of Liberal Arts, though advanced in age, remain spirited. If he were to serve as the principal of the reestablished Lingnan University (岭南大学)—perhaps even as the first principal—he could rally countless Lingnan alumni, scholars, and experts in the U.S. to return and serve their alma mater. Additionally, the former dean of the College of Science, Dr. Frank, now retired in Pittsburgh, USA, could also return at any time to “serve the nation” and, with his extensive experience, revive the brilliant achievements of Lingnan University’s (岭南大学) science programs from years past.

 

All the aforementioned domestic and international Lingnan alumni, teachers, and friends are in the golden period of retirement and can voluntarily serve their alma mater without requiring additional financial burden on the mainland government. Therefore, reestablishing Lingnan University (岭南大学) at this moment is an exceptionally straightforward task. As long as the Hong Kong Lingnan University Alumni Association (香港岭南大学校友总会) and its branches take the lead in negotiating with relevant authorities in Guangdong Province (广东省), progress can be made. As the saying goes, “Sincerity can move mountains”—representatives of Lingnan University’s (岭南大学) red and gray lion emblem spirit, take action! Reestablishment is, for you, an effortless endeavor! By the time I reach the age of ninety, I will eagerly await the day of successful reestablishment!