SAN FRANCISCO (September 13, 2020) — The Dui Hua Foundation’s long-serving director, Tom Gorman, passed away in peace in Hong Kong on September 11, 2020 with his beloved wife Jenny and daughter Listen Chen by his side. Dui Hua mourns his passing.
Tom was a strong voice for the American community in Hong Kong. He served as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in 1995. He also served as board chair of the Hong Kong International School for several years. He was a member of The Nature Conservancy’s Asia-Pacific Council and the Advisory Committee of International Service Committee Hong Kong Branch. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he served on the board of the Jesuits’ Beijing Center, offering wise counsel. He joined Dui Hua’s board in 2006, a year before Dui Hua established its Hong Kong office.
He was Chairman Emeritus of CCI Asia-Pacific Ltd., which he founded in the early 1970s. He was a pioneer in magazine publishing for a mainland Chinese audience.
Tom was an active a member of the Foreign Correspondent’s Club in Hong Kong, which he frequented whenever the opportunity arose. He was a writer–his most recent book, Hitchhiking to Hong Kong, was published earlier this year. He was a respected commentator on developments in China and Hong Kong.
A native of Chicago, Tom arrived in Hong Kong in 1974 after graduating from Princeton University in 1973. Hong Kong was his home for 46 years.
“Tom was a man of great courage, indefatigable optimism, and unflagging generosity who was deeply concerned about those less fortunate than him,” said John Kamm, Executive Director of Dui Hua. “He served with distinction on the Board of Directors of The Dui Hua Foundation, and he will be greatly missed.”