Dear Colleagues,
The campus community mourns the passing of David John Lu, 94, who died on Monday, Dec. 26. David retired as Professor Emeritus of History and Japanese & East Asian Studies in 1994 after more than 33 years of service to Bucknell. Three of David’s children attended Bucknell — Daniel Lu ’79, Cynthia (Lu) King ’81 and Stephen Lu ’85.
An expert in Japanese history, David created and served as inaugural director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Bucknell in 1966, an undertaking supported by Title VI of the National Defense Education Act of 1958, dedicated to the study of strategically important areas. He was a Fulbright-Hays fellow in Japan and served as the director of the Associated Kyoto Program in 1987-88. David also served as a correspondent for a Japanese weekly, Sekai to Nippon (The World and Japan), from 1972-2012, and personally knew 17 Japanese prime ministers. In partnership with the late Professor James “Jamie” Pusey, he taught for many years Introduction to East Asian Civilization, a very popular course with students. David’s publications include Sources of Japanese History (1974), Japan: A Documentary History (1996) and From the Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor: Japan’s Entry Into World War II (2012).
Included below is the complete text of the obituary, as provided by the family.
I encourage you to visit our In Memoriam site to share personal notes of sympathy and remembrance with others.
On behalf of our entire University community, I extend our deepest sympathies to David’s family, as well as to all who knew him at Bucknell.
John C. Bravman
President
The Lord called Dr. David John Lu home on Dec. 26, 2022.
He has joined his loving wife, Annabelle Lu (1929-2014), father Ming Lu, and mother Lai Yeh.
He is missed dearly by his family — his four children, David Lu of Lewisburg, Cynthia (David) King of Bel Air, Daniel (Nancy) Lu of Ventura, and Stephen (Yolanda) Lu of Virginia Beach; grandchildren Kevin (Elizabeth) King of Bel Air, Brian King of Bel Air, Annamaria (Eric) Lu of St. Louis, Olivia (Warren) Lu of Austin, Naomi Lu of Ventura, Christina King of Nashville, and Ava Lu of Boulder; three great-grandchildren Levi, Jane and McKenzie King; and siblings John Lai of Boston and Sue Lai of Taipei, Taiwan — and friends, colleagues, students and the many mentees he advised as a lifelong educator.
The family thanks those who had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Lu for their prayers during this difficult time and invites them to share stories and celebrate David’s life on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. at McComas Funeral Home, Bel Air, MD. The church service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at New Covenant Presbyterian Church, Abingdon, MD. Condolences can be left at mccomasfuneralhome.com.