Robert Hung-Ngai Ho CM OBC (born 1932) is a Chinese Canadian-American philanthropist and former journalist.
Robert Hung-Ngai Ho | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1932 (age 91–92) | ||||||||||
| Education | B.A., 1956, Colgate University M.A., 1958, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism | ||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | philanthropist, journalist | ||||||||||
| Spouse | Greta | ||||||||||
| Relatives |
| ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 何鴻毅 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 何鸿毅 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Early life and career
editHo was born in Hong Kong in 1932[1] to one of the richest families in then-British colony.[2] Ho's grandfather, Robert Ho Tung, was a prominent businessman and philanthropist.[3] Although born into a religiously Buddhist family, Ho did not become religious himself until adulthood.[4]
Ho graduated from Colgate University in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1958 with a Master's degree in journalism.[3] He then worked for The Pittsburgh Press, National Geographic, and Hong Kong's Kung Sheung Daily News, then owned by the Hotung family.[5]
Philanthropy
editHe moved to Canada in 1989, settling in West Vancouver, British Columbia.[6] There he established the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Society in 1994, named in honour of his grandmother, Lady Clara Hotung (born Cheung Lin Kok);[7] the Vancouver Tung Lin Kok Yuen temple was consecrated in 1995. He further founded the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation in 2005 to fund Buddhist studies.[8]
In 2005, Ho launched the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, which encourages younger children to learn about Chinese culture.[2] The following year, he donated $4 million to the University of Toronto to fund Buddhist studies programs[3] and another $4 million to the University of British Columbia (UBC) for the same purpose.[9] In 2008, Stanford University renamed its Buddhist Studies Center in his honour after he donated $5 million.[8]
In 2009, Ho donated $15 million towards the establishment of a research centre at Vancouver General Hospital for the Vancouver Prostate Centre, the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, and the Ovarian Cancer Research Initiative.[10] As a result of his philanthropy, Ho received an honorary degree from Hong Kong University in 2009,[1] from UBC in 2012[11] and from Hong Kong Baptist University in 2015.[12] He was also named Member of the Order of British Columbia in 2013[13] and Member of the Order of Canada in 2018 in recognition of his philanthropic work.[14][15]
In 2019, Ho donated $15 million to his alma mater Colgate University to establish the Robert Hung Ngai Ho Mind, Brain, and Behavior Initiative.[16] He and his wife Greta also donated $10 million to Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver to help build a mental health centre.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b "Robert HO Hung Ngai". hku.hk. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "Treasuring China's own". usa.chinadaily.com.cn. December 19, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c Woodward, Jonathan (April 3, 2006). "A billionaire's largesse flows to U of T". Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Keung, Nicholas (August 26, 2006). "Billionaire's boost to Buddhist studies". buddhistchannel.tv. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "Unity in diversity". casotac.com. 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Seyd, Jane (September 28, 2014). "Family's legacy of giving carried on". North Shore News. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Larry DeVries; Don Baker; Dan Overmyer (January 1, 2011). Asian Religions in British Columbia. University of British Columbia Press. p. 261. ISBN 9780774859424. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "Hong Kong-based Ho Family Foundation gives $5 million to expand, strengthen Stanford Buddhist studies program". news.stanford.edu. June 24, 2008. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "UBC Creates First North American Contemporary Buddhism Studies Program With $4 Million Gift". news.ubc.ca. February 2, 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "$15 MILLION DONATION LAUNCHES THE ROBERT H.N. HO RESEARCH CENTRE AT VGH". vchri.ca. March 20, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "Dr. Robert Ho". graduation.ubc.ca. 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "HKBU to confer honorary doctoral degrees on four distinguished persons". bunews.hkbu.edu.hk. October 12, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "2013 Recipient: Robert H.N. Ho – West Vancouver". Order of British Columbia. 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Robert Hung-Ngai Ho Invested into the Order of Canada". gg.ca. February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Walden, Mark (January 3, 2019). "Robert Hung Ngai Ho '56, H'11 Appointed Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.)". colgate.edu. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "Colgate University Receives $15 Million From Alumnus". philanthropynewsdigest.org. February 1, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "The 150 Leading Canadians For Mental Health: Robert Ho". give.camh.ca. Retrieved March 14, 2020.