When I arrived at ISUGA in January 1998 Frédéric Le Theuff had just been appointed Director after a series of intensive planning meetings intended to give the school a re-boost. Previously, ISUGA had not had a permanent, full-time Director "sur place", which was - as now seems obvious - sorely needed. With his personal charm and positive approach, Fred immediately made this strange and somewhat difficult Brit most welcome, and we set out on this mission together. It was an exciting time, as the first influx of Chinese students soon arrived through Lunian Zheng. The second year I was there we had about 70 new Chinese students, including 53 in year 2! I can't claim that this multi-cultural shock was easily managed, but somehow we coped, and the following year was a bit calmer! Fred was an inspiring person to work for and with, always positive, always thinking of others, sociable and welcoming. I hardly ever remember a cross word, a black look or bad mood. He used to say "British humour" when I made a joke - sometimes at his expense. I used to excuse myself by saying that though I was indeed British, it was not my fault - and we always laughed. He was energetic, flexible and communicative, though some used to complain that he was "too nice" (I wish someone would complain about ME in the same terms!) ...... Over the years we welcomed a large number of guests to ISUGA - many Asian of course - and the way Fred managed all this always left a favourable impression. In collaboration with Zheng Lunian he steadily built up ISUGA's Asian contacts, and the school's reputation continued to grow under his leadership. It was a pleasure to welcome university delegations from both China and Japan - and one year the Chinese Ambassador to France even paid us a visit! One cannot claim that life was always smooth: finance was often a problem, as was managing the complicated relationship with the Chamber of Commerce. Nevertheless, I look back on this period as the happiest and most productive of my professional life, and I will always count myself fortunate to have been able to work for and with Frederic Le Theuff. Actually, the word "with" is the key here: this was a team partnership, with none of the hierarchical rigidity that may be associated with management in certain companies and countries ...... A personal highlight of my work was a promotional visit to Taiwan and Hong-Kong in 2005. Money was always tight and Fred could easily have gone himself, so I thought it was a generous gesture to entrust this particular mission to me. You can see some photos of Taiwan here (including our students). I think every day of our work together and wish I could do it all again. And so it was with immense sadness that I learned of his passing from Myriam a few years ago, just when he had finally broken away from the CCIQ (as had been his wish for some years) and landed a fabulous job in Toronto. Fate could not have been more cruel: I could hardly believe the news when I heard it. Nobody who passed through ISUGA when Fred was there, either in the 90s or later, will ever forget the immense impact he had on the school and their lives. I certainly never will. Evelyne Le Formal: "Monsieur LE THEUFF était un homme d'une grande humanité; c'est le souvenir qu'il m'a laissé." |
