Tang Xiaoxian: The memorable Dr. Luo Lier in "The Grand View of the United States and Canada"

Tang Xiaoxian: The memorable Dr. Luo Lier in "The Grand View of the United States and Canada" Phoenix City Tang Xiaoxian Anyone who has studied in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University from the 1970s to the 1990s...

Phoenix City Tang Xiaoxian

Anyone who has studied abroad in Asia and studied in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University from the 1970s to the 1990s will definitely know Dr. Dwayne Rollier who taught there. This profound, respected, caring and approachable professor unfortunately passed away due to a recurrence of heart disease at the end of 2003 at the age of 68. President Bush issued a certificate of commendation for him. Many international students and visiting scholars from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have received his help. They were shocked to learn the sad news, and they all mourned the loss of their mentor and friend. They felt deeply sorry that such a good man who was not self-interested and dedicated to benefiting others passed away prematurely.

Devin Rollier was born in 1936 in Enid, Oklahoma. He graduated from Oklahoma State University and Florida State University, receiving bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematical statistics and a PhD in mathematics. He later served in the military, serving in units such as the U.S. Army Command, Military Airlift Command, and Eglin Air Force Base. In September 1971, Dr. Lolier was hired to teach at Arizona State University. He retired in 2001. During this period, he also served as the deputy director of the Department of Industrial Engineering for 14 years, assisting many department chairs, which was commendable. He has taught more than 15 courses and published more than 30 major papers.

In February 1989, I came to the United States as a visiting scholar in the English Department of Arizona State University at my own expense. Before I went abroad, I taught English at a university. I met a young teacher from the United States, Chris Thron, during the foreign language training class for overseas students held by the school. Before I left, I went to Chris’s house to say goodbye, and he wrote me a letter of introduction, “It’s your first time in the United States, and you’re unfamiliar with the country and have no friends. If you encounter difficulties, go to the church. They will definitely help you.” Chris also wrote the name of the church and pastor he belonged to on the letter.

I used RMB to buy air tickets from Shanghai to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Phoenix City. I went to the People's Bank of China to exchange the limited amount of 50 US dollars, then said goodbye to my relatives, flew across the Pacific, and went to a completely unfamiliar country.

After arriving at Huangfengcheng Airport, I finally called my instructor. He asked me to wait at the airport and let one of his students take me to a gym, and then he would take me to his house for the night. When I boarded the plane in Shanghai, I wore a windbreaker, which was popular at the time. I told my mentor that I was distinguished by wearing a raincoat. Soon one of his female students found me easily in the waiting room and said that it rarely rains in Huangfeng City and no one wears a raincoat, so she found you right away.

I spent the night at my tutor’s house that night. He is very funny and likes to tell jokes. I remember he said that your Chinese language is difficult to learn, especially the tones. If you accidentally call "Mom" "Ma", you will be in big trouble. He also said, "If you go back to China and become the Minister of Education, don't forget to invite me to visit China."

The next day he sent me to an apartment where many Chinese students lived, and four kind people took me in. It was an apartment with one living room in the middle and two bedrooms on both sides. The monthly rent was US$450, and water, electricity, and gas were all included. There are two international students living in each bedroom. I live in the middle living room and sleep on the sofa. I pay US$50 per month, and each of the four of them pays US$100. They also said that they had already paid the rent for that month and would pay it back when I had money, so there was no rush. This is certainly reasonable, but after a month of not eating or drinking, I used up all my $50. The $400 my wife borrowed for me for emergencies was sewn into my pants pocket and must not be used.

When I was at a loss, I thought of that letter of introduction. Following Rickles' teachings, I dialed the number of the First Assembly of God in Huangfeng City and briefly introduced myself to the lady who answered the phone. The lady asked for my phone number and said she would call you back later. Sure enough, she called me back and gave me the phone number of the office of Devin Lolier, the elder of their church and a professor at Arizona State University, and said he could help you. After hanging up the phone, I immediately called Professor Rollier. He was very enthusiastic and asked me to meet in his office the next morning. He also told me in detail which building, door number, etc.

I met Dr. Rollier in his office. He was only in his fifties at that time, tall and handsome, with a ruddy complexion and long hair. I first presented a personal letter of introduction written by Chris, and he read it over and returned it to me, saying that he was a Christian and could help people without a letter of introduction.

He said he lived near the school, only a mile and a half away, and could ride a bicycle without a car. There is an empty room in his house. If I don't mind it being dirty, I can move into it, just like my own house, without charging rent. He casually called his wife and said that another Chinese was coming to live in our house. The person on the other end of the phone not only fully agreed, but also welcomed me warmly. We agreed that he would drive to pick me up on Saturday morning and gave me his home phone number. That day was Wednesday.

> Mrs. Rollier worked as a nurse and lived in the home of a very wealthy old lady, taking care of the ninety-year-old lady day and night.

I explained to my roommates that I was moving to live with an American professor. They were happy for me and expressed their understanding. Dr. Rollier picked me up in his Cadillac on Saturday morning. I lived in his house for five months, which was an unforgettable time in my life.

He took me to the room where I was staying. I was afraid it was not clean enough. He actually took a wet towel and knelt down and crawled under the bed to wipe the floor! I never expected that an American doctor and university professor would have such no airs. Seeing that there weren't many hangers in the closet, he brought a lot of hangers. He also told me that the Chinese visiting scholar who lived in this room before me is now the vice president of Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Dr. Rollier said that I would just call him Dwayne, and he called me Mr. Tang very politely. Then he introduced me to his family members.

In the evening he took the initiative to ask me to call my home in China. He first checked the country code for me and then asked me about the city code. At that time, international long distance calls to China were very expensive, and he never mentioned the phone bill.

On Sunday he took me to the First Assembly of God in Huangfeng City to worship and introduced me to many friends. In the evening, he and his wife invited me to have dinner at a very elegant Hong Kong-style Chinese restaurant.

Mrs. Rollier knew that I was short of money, so she asked me to pick oranges for the old lady, earning $5 an hour. I worked eight hours, earned $40, paid off the rent for the days I lived in the apartment, and still had a balance left.

Dr. Rollier is a very devout Christian who loves the Lord Jesus and loves the world. He has been a deacon at the First Assembly of God Presbyterian Church in Huangfeng City for 20 years and regards serving the church as a great joy in his life. I saw him singing in the choir. On Christmas Day, a structure was set up on the stage, and the choir members stood on it and used people to form a huge Christmas tree several stories high, and he was among them.

He cared for the disadvantaged and took many people in need, such as widows, orphans, foreigners and babies in urgent need of care, into his home, letting them live, feeding them, taking care of them, loving them, and trying to make them live as comfortably as possible. He and his wife, Patty, who was also a Christian, poured their hearts into the hearts of people who longed for love.

I once met two roommates at his house. One was a blond German girl who came to the United States to visit her boyfriend, and the other was a black Nigerian girl who came to the United States to study nursing. They may stay for a few days or stay temporarily for several months. I once heard Dr. Rollier tell me personally: He once taught an international student from Pakistan to drive, and the international student overturned the car into a river, and he had no complaints.

Over the years, Mrs. Rollier has not been afraid of trouble and worked tirelessly to collect excess clothes, shoes, furniture, cooking utensils, tableware, toys, children's supplies, etc. that were prepared to be disposed of by friends' homes, store them at home, and then distribute them to those in need.

The Loliers have been married for 43 years and have never given birth. The couple remained in love throughout their lives and never had any disagreements. They first adopted a white girl, Dede, as their daughter, and then adopted an African-American boy, Matthew, as their son. He was particularly concerned about his son, who was in adolescence at the time. The two of them often went out to eat together on weekends and talked to each other to prevent Matthew from making bad friends or getting into drug habits. Now Dede has four children, Matthew has one child, and they are full of descendants.

In 1979, a group of Vietnamese refugees came to the United States. The church called on qualified families to accept them, help them learn English, become familiar with American society, and teach them how to live and find jobs, so that they could gradually embark on the road to independence. The Luo Lier couple went to the airport to pick up Ke, a Vietnamese and Chinese young man. But due to long-term hunger, he was very weak and could not eat dry food. Mrs. Rollier cooked porridge and fed him bite by bite, allowing him to slowly regain his strength. Rollier taught him how to drive and helped him find a job. Soon the Loliers also guaranteed that Ke's beautiful girlfriend Sy, who was of Vietnamese and Chinese blood, would come to the United States from Australia. The two of them reunited, got married, and had children at the Rollier house, and Mrs. Rollier took care of it. Ke and Sy have already bought a car, a house, and a yacht; they recently bought a new big house, realizing the American dream. Their three children, Tony, Suzi and Sandra, are all in college. The story of Ke and Sy's relationship with the Lolier family is a favorite among Vietnamese.

The love of the Loliers, both white, for people not only transcends race, skin color, and nationality, but also transcends language barriers, living customs, cultural differences, political backgrounds and religious beliefs.

Former students studying in the United States from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and three places have warmly invited Dr. Lolier to travel to China many times, and once he finally made the trip. After the Loliers arrived in Hong Kong, a plane collision between China and the United States happened. As native Americans and Christians, and having read and heard numerous cases of persecution of Christians in mainland China for decades, they felt frightened and decided to give up entering mainland China. It was a pity.

If you have the opportunity to visit the Rollier family in Tempe, the university town where Arizona State University is located, you will see countless gifts, souvenirs, and handicrafts from Chinese friends in the living room. Extra-large folding fans hang on the wall. Some of the golden fans are painted with peacocks in full bloom, while others are painted with hundreds of birds approaching the phoenix. Hanging next to it are bamboo-carved couplets and various Chinese knots. The four treasures of the study, chopsticks, abacus, Chinese paintings, cloisonne, paper fans, round fans, folding fans, sandalwood fans, bamboo ware, lacquer ware, Teng ware, porcelain, silk quilts, embroidered dolls, Chinese seals, ink pads, etc. are displayed in glass cabinets and tables. The dazzling array of items is breathtaking, highlighting the owner’s family’s strong Chinese sentiment.