Yibao Xu, 48, of Plainsboro died November 7 at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick. A member of the West Windsor-Plainsboro school board, he served on the finance committee and was a Board of Education liaison to Plainsboro’s Planning Board. Survivors include his wife Yongxian (Delia) Yu; and his sons Jonathan Xu and Alex Xu Yu.
Xu was raised in China’s Jiangxi province. His mother was a homemaker and his father was a miner. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Shangrao Teachers College and came to the United States in 1995 to pursue a PhD in the history of science at City University of New York.
His wife, Delia, a professor of English literature in China, came to the U.S. in 1998 with their son, Jonathan. The family settled in Queens. When their son Alex was born, Xu wanted to move the family to an area that would offer his sons better educational opportunities. They moved to Plainsboro in 2007.
“I truly understand that education is very important for social mobilization and the benefit of the individual as well as the family. I believe elementary, K through 12 education is very important and it has a dramatic impact on later education. In fact, K-12 is more important than college. College is something that you can go through if you have time and resources later in life. But if you don’t get the elementary education right the first time around, there’s no going back,” he said (The News, March 2, 2012).
A professor of mathematics at Manhattan Community College, Xu was a member of the American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of America, and the History of Science Society. His newest book, “Nine Chapters on the Art of Mathematics,” was introduced at a memorial service on November 16.
“I have always had a passion for community service,” he said in a letter to The News, March 2, 2012. “Whenever my time and energy allow, I serve my communities.” President of the board of directors of a co-op in Queens, he became a trustee of the Walker Gordon Farm Homeowners Association Board. He was also active within the Chinese community.
Donations may be made to Huaxia Chinese School at Plainsboro, 732-829-6755, E-mail rennanpan@yahoo.com, or visit www.hxpcs.org; or Dr. Yibao Xu Memorial Scholarship Fund, contact Doris Holz, City University of NY, at 212-220-8021 or E-mail dholz@bmcc.cuny.edu.
