Dr. Stephen Choi Lai Chan was Hornell Hall’s longest serving Warden, over four periods (1975-1977, 1979-1980, 1981-1983, 1986-2002). He was a member of the Department of Mathematics at HKU until 2002. Dr. Chan helped usher in a new era of the hall by further unifying students and promoting educational and cultural outlets; in particular, he established Hornell Hall as a key player in drama and theatrical events. The undying devotion he showed to the hall and student affairs resonates to this day.

Dr. Chan graduated with First Class Honors from HKU in 1964, and obtained his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of British Columbia (Canada) in 1968. In addition to his physics and mathematics research and teaching, he also directed productions for professional theatre companies in Hong Kong, the Mainland and the USA. As co-founder and Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Institute for the Promotion of Chinese Culture, he was instrumental in pioneering artistic and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong, the Mainland, Taiwan and other overseas countries. In 1985, he founded the Hong Kong Federation of Drama; in 1995, he established HKU’s General Education Programme; and in 2002, he founded the Arts and Cultural Education Programme at Hong Kong Baptist University. He also served as Director of the Centre for Holistic Teaching and Learning at the Hong Kong Baptist University.