Liang-Shing “L.S.” Fan died Aug. 24, in Fort Collins.
L.S. was born June 18, 1932, in Amoi, China, to Chung-Tsang Fan and Chien-Moi Huang. He married Chuen-Mei Lee on December 22, 1965, and was the father of Elliott Tso-Chyun Fan and Nina Tso-Ning Fan. L.S. is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Liang-Fang Chou, and his brothers Liang-Ping Fan and Liang-Tseng Fan. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter; his sisters Liang-Ing Tsai and Liang-Whey Lee; his brothers-in-law T.H. Tsai, C. H. Lee, C. S. Lee, and C. H. Li; sisters-in-law Y.L. Fan, Li-Hwa Lee, G.Y. Wang, and T. Y. Chen; and by many nieces and nephews.
L.S. was gregarious, kind, warm, funny, and incredibly generous with his time and resources. Although he had many diverse interests and enthusiasms, his family always came first, and he loved his wife and children dearly. Lasting personal relationships were extremely important to him, and he went above and beyond the norm in building and sustaining lifelong and familial bonds with friends, mentors, colleagues, and students. L.S. spoke with his older brother L.T. every day, and always took every opportunity to go out about town, meet new faces, and chat with old friends.
He loved to fish, from casting for trout and crappie off local Colorado shores, to landing king salmon and halibut on his beloved annual open-sea adventures in Alaska.
L.S. nurtured a strong lifelong intellectual curiosity and love for reading across a broad spectrum of subjects and genres, eagerly devouring everything from contemporary Japanese-language literary reviews, to New York Times best sellers, to modern national and global political analyses.
L.S. was passionate about the future of his native Taiwan as a democratic and independent nation, staying well informed and actively involved politically. In 2004 he was appointed as a national policy advisor to Chen Shui-Bian, President of Taiwan. L.S. also was a lifelong member of the North American Taiwanese Professors Association. He joined the economics faculty at Colorado State University in 1968, after earning his B.A. from National Taiwan University in 1956 and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (in 1960, 1965), and after teaching for four years at Kansas State University.
L.S. was the committee chairman for 40 Ph.D. dissertations and 50 M.A. theses at CSU, with degree advisees from 28 different countries of origin.
L.S. was a prolific researcher and theorist: his major fields of study and teaching included macroeconomic theory, monetary theory and policy, economic development, and international trade and finance. Among his publications were more than 70 articles in peer-reviewed and refereed academic journals.
L.S. was officially recognized for professional excellence numerous times at CSU, including university-wide awards for Distinguished Professor, Best Teacher, Distinguished Service, Graduate Advising, and Faculty Achievement. In addition, he received a prestigious Fulbright Senior Lectureship and US National Academy of Science Teaching Assignments (1977, 1987, 1992) to universities in Taiwan and China. Throughout his career L.S. also served as a visiting scholar and professor at multiple universities across the United States.
Although he took emeritus status at CSU in 2006, L.S. continued to pursue his love of teaching by serving as a visiting professor at universities in Albania, Vietnam, and China. L.S. concluded his last teaching position at Xiamen University in July 2016.
“It is with deep sadness that we share with you the news that our dear colleague, Dr. L.S. Fan, has passed away,” said Alexandra Bernasek, chair of the economics department at CSU. “His beloved wife, Chuen-mei Fan, and their children Nina and Elliott, are in our thoughts. Dr. Fan was a valued colleague, a beloved advisor and mentor to graduate students, especially international students, and a good friend to many.”
A memorial service will be held at a future date, with details to be determined. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to the L.S. and Chuen-Mei Fan Graduate Scholarship, established in 2006. Donations and condolences may also be sent care of the Department of Economics at CSU.
