Pittsburg, Calif. – Los Medanos College will hold a celebration of life in honor of English professor
Michael Yeong from noon to 2 p.m. on May 1 in the Student Union Conference Center,
Room 109.
Yeong, 78, had taught at LMC since 1991 and earned accolades as an accomplished instructor, including recognition in 2016 by the Contra Costa Community College District as Teacher of the Year. He died April 2.
“Michael’s passing is a significant loss. People describe Michael as the most welcoming of colleagues, a teacher’s teacher, an authentic mentor who supported folks through personal and professional losses and achievements,” LMC President Pamela Ralston said. “We loved his all-college emails that offered gifts of thanks and humor. He loved this college and his students.”
Yeong was a compassionate teacher who told students they would have greater success
when they focus on learning rather than grades. He would share that when he first
started his college career at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, he struggled and had
on more than one occasion been put on academic probation.
Though his studies were interrupted by the Vietnam draft, he returned to St. Francis with renewed vigor and made the Dean’s List with 4.0 GPA. He attributed his success to a newfound joy of learning. Yeong earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Francis, and his master’s degree in education from Antioch University in Massachusetts.
In a 2016 news article he would advise students, “It’s not what you want to be, but what you are meant to be. If you are meant to be an engineer, a teacher, a nurse, a firefighter, as soon as you find this out, that’s it! That’s your life, live it.”
He was an active supporter and teacher in learning communities, including Umoja Scholars and Puente. He supported the work of faculty and staff in the Black Faculty & Staff Association as well as people on campus who served veteran students and employees.
Prior to joining LMC, Yeong taught at elementary schools, high schools and colleges on the East Coast and Canada.