BACKGROUND

Dan and me freshman year.

FOR DAN NGUYEN

My roommate's passing left a great emptiness in my apartment and in my life. For the first few weeks I could not help but feel a profound sense of grief and sorrow. I still think about him to this day. After two memorial services and several weeks time, I finally accepted the reality of his passing. My only consolation is in knowing that he is in a far better place and accomplishing great things. Thank you Dan for being a great friend and roommate. I miss you.

MEMORIAL SERVICE MEMORIES

Dan Vu Nguyen, affectionately known as "Donny" by his family and "Dan" by his friends, was born on January 13, 1978 at the University of Pennsylvania hospital in Philadelphia, P.A. When Dan was born, his parents, Tin and Cynthia Nguyen were students. They enjoyed those years as a young family with other student families. Dan was a responsible and dependable son. Even though he was still very young, he helped take care of his younger sister when his mother returned to school. At an early age, Dan demonstrated the brightness that would later characterize his school years. A few of Dan's favorite things as a child were playing with his transformers and with the snow in the winter.

Dan attended the St. Francis de Sale Elementary, a Catholic school in Philadelphia, where he was recognized annually for being at the top of his class. The teachers there had a special fondness for Dan and would often visit his family. He was a faithful and loving son and big brother. Dan's family moved from Philadelphia to Southern California when Dan was 9 years old. He attended Lemay Elementary School and then the Gifted Magnet Program at Porter Middle School.

Dan received many honors for his academic achievements. He earned GPAs of over 4.0 in both middle and high school, and was a winner of many corporate, government, and other scholarships. He was a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship. Much of Dan's education and extra-curricular activity was a preparation for a career in medicine. He was a student in the Medical Magnet Program at Van Nuys High School where he graduated at the top 1% of his class. During this period he volunteered hundreds of hours of his time at hospitals. At the University of California in Berkeley, he majored in Bioengineering.

Yet Dan was not only interested in school. He was also a leader in student organizations. He wrote poetry and played the viola. He also enjoyed sports - especially basketball, tennis and downhill skiing. Dan was always a caring person who was willing to help others without asking anything in return. As a high school student he went with his church youth group to help build houses for poor families in Mexico. He was a volunteer tutor of inner city Asian children in Oakland.

Above all, Dan loved God, and his affections for those he met was always genuine and generous. Dan devoted a large portion of his time to the work of the Lord by serving on worship teams, leading small groups, and spending time with church members. Dan began attending the Chinese Christian Alliance Church when he was in high school. He was baptized at the Evangelical Formosan Church of the San Fernando Valley on Sunday August 17, 1997. He was a member of the student leadership team and a Bible study group leader at Harvest Berkeley, the Evangelical Formosan Church in Berkeley which ministers to the students at the University of California.

Dan Passed away on Friday March 26, 1999 at the Waimea Valley Falls Park in Oahu, Hawaii while he was vacationing with his friends from Harvest Berkeley. He is survived by his parents, his sister Kimberly, his brother Michael, his grandmother, and five uncles, four aunts, and thirteen cousins.