. "Over a year and a half, she visited 65 cities," Brett said. he said, grinning. Share this on . Iris Shun-Ru Chang was born on March 28, 1968, in Princeton, N.J. She grew up in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., where her father, a physicist, and her mother, a microbiologist, taught at the University . ", Seeing how the survivors lived was as harrowing as hearing their stories. Meanwhile, Iris was one of a dozen journalism undergraduates chosen for an accelerated Associated Press training program. Doctors at Norton Hospital had diagnosed "brief reactive psychosis," her father said. She was 22. Open sky surrounds broad, rolling lawns at the crest of a hill. "The stress of writing this book and living with this horror on a daily basis caused my weight to plummet," she said. much beloved author of the books: "The Chinese in America" and "The Rape of Nanking" It has a terrible reverberating effect. "Yes!" On the day of Iris Chang's death, word spread quickly over news wires and the Internet. She attended University Laboratory High School of Urbana, Illinois, and graduated in 1985. The Committee of 100 is a national non-partisan organization composed of American citizens of Chinese descent who have achieved positions of leadership in the United States in a broad range of professions. Soon she exceeded the dreams of every student in the program by getting a book contract from a major publisher while still in school. "When Iris' condition got really bad, we sent him to stay with my parents in Illinois. Mo Hayder dedicated a novel to her. We'll be sending you The Daily Reader starting soon. Douglas iris had many uses in Native American cultures. Reader's Digest devoted a cover story to her. Want to post on Patch? March 28, 1968. Comedy writer who worked on Maureen Lipman's Agony, The Lenny Henry Show, Ed Reardon's Week and Dave Podmore. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Title Type Publication date Author(s) Description; Document:The Mysterious Deaths of Ernest Hemingway and Iris Chang: article: 1 August 2011: ". (One of the most engaging chapters in Kamens book concerns Changs unlikelybut successfulbid to become a homecoming princess.) ", Rabiner, who later became an agent and represented Iris, said, "The book was beyond well reviewed -- it was a mega-best-seller that continues to sell. Ed Martel's story began on Dec. 7, 1941. But Douglas finally told Kamen that Christopher had been born with the help of a surrogate mother. "The Iris Chang I first met in October 1988 never came back," Douglas said. iris during college years with mr and mrs chang and brother michael courtesy chang family, Event on 11/16/04 in San Jose. It had been the largest U.S. Army surrender in history. At Reed's Sport Shop one month after her death, the spot on the top shelf of the glass-topped case where Iris' gun had lain was still vacant. Family members say he shows no signs of autism. Getting ready for the trip, Iris went into overdrive. The Memorial Hall, which collects documents, photos, and human remains from the massacre, added both a wing and a bronze statue dedicated to Chang in 2005. "But gradually, she became very depressed," said her father, adding that her doctor in California prescribed an additional medication, an antidepressant. Some of Changs friends blamed the relentless pace of her work. [19] Chang was also reportedly deeply disturbed by much of the subject matter of her research. That is, successful and invulnerable. ", Historian Iris Chang won many battles / The war she lost raged within, CHANG_rs11.jpg Author Iris Chang poses for a photograph, in New York, Sunday, April 27, 2003. ", Brett voiced a similar conclusion. After dinner Monday night, Iris returned a call to her agent. The gunsmith told police he had spotted a can of gunpowder in the bag. But soon she found herself drawn to a subject just as dark. Success as an author made Iris Chang a public figure. Iris Chang rang the doorbell on Ed Martel's front porch in Kenosha, Wis., on Dec. 4, 2003. "She would go into a town -- and with Tony Meldahl's help, it was even better. Andrew Nickolds obituary. By Dennis McLellan. Later, Iris told interviewers that, as a child, "it was hard for me to even visualize how bad it was, because the stories seemed almost mythical -- people being chopped into pieces, the Yangtze River running red with blood. When Brett woke to find Iris gone early Monday morning, he called San Jose police, reporting that she was missing, on medication and a suicide risk. 161 Christopher Reginald Douglas. It was hard for her not to react every single time. Iris Chang : biography March 28, 1968 - November 9, 2004 she confronted the Japanese Ambassador to the United States on television, demanded an apology and expressed her dissatisfaction with his mere acknowledgement "that really unfortunate things happened, acts of violence were committed by members of the Japanese military". Such "black powder" firearms, popular with Civil War re-enactors, require skill to load and fire. Register for a user account. For the Wisconsin trip, she had hooked up with people from the Bataan Commemorative Research Project, a historical archive and Web site created by faculty and students at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Ill. "World War II hit the town of Maywood really hard," said Ian Smith, chair of the school's history department. When they were both journalism students in the late 80s at the University of Illinois in Urbana, it was Chang who won the prized internships. She worked briefly as a reporter for the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune before completing a graduate degree in writing from the Johns Hopkins University . She harbored hundreds of Chinese women and children there during the occupation. Chang is the subject of the 2007 biography, Finding Iris Chang, and the 2007 documentary film Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking. Let go, We all said, 'Take a break.' Opting for a master's degree, she was accepted by the Graduate Writing Seminar at Johns Hopkins University and moved to Baltimore in 1990. But today Christopher is healthy. "He got the job, we went," Mrs. Chang explained. At Johns Hopkins, Iris studied playwriting, fiction, poetry and science writing. She added one more reason when talking to Patchto help those who lost loved ones like herself heal. Now, in THE CHINESE IN AMERICA: A Narrative History (Viking; On-sale Date: April 28, 2003) Chang explores the history of one of this countrys fastest growing ethnic groups. And Iris would buy lunch and dinner for everybody, and they all thought it was great. Iris Chang Iris Shun-Ru Chang born March 28, 1968 Princeton, New Jersey died by suicide on a road south of San Francisco, near Los Gatos, November 9, 2004 father Shau-Jin Chang, a physics professor at the University of Illinois mother Ying-Ying Chang, a microbiology professor at the University of Illinois brother Michael Chang There are aspects of my experience in Louisville that I will never understand. Please forgive me.[21]. Everything points to suicide.". ", Iris was a serious child, her mother recalled. The mustache reminded his Japanese captors of "The Little Tramp." "It's a double-edged sword. Turning right, she pulled into the strip mall across the street from the school. [22], EPILOGUE FOR THE 2011 EDITION - The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University Laboratory High School of Urbana, Illinois, The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, Finding Iris Chang: Friendship, Ambition, and the Loss of an Extraordinary Mind, Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia, "How 'Iris Chang' became a verb: A eulogy", "Iris Chang, Who Chronicled Rape of Nanking, Dies at 36", "Ken Liu's The Paper Menagerie, a dazzling collection", "San Jose community briefs for the week of Nov. 8: Chang Park Opens", "San Jose: Iris Chang Park finally set to open next month", "Historian Iris Chang won many battles / The war she lost raged within", "Iris Chang's suicide stunned those she tried so hard to help", "Historian Iris Chang won many battles/The war she lost raged within", Mercury News - Iris Chang Park Ready for its Unveiling, California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, University of California at Santa Barbara, Inventory of the Iris Chang Papers -Alumni Records, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iris_Chang&oldid=1131876832, This page was last edited on 6 January 2023, at 05:22. Share this on . Christopher Douglas Retweeted. It was a Thursday, nine days after her death. Many families sent me emails after reading my book," said Chang, citing an example of a couple shocked by the suicide of their daughter, a Stanford graduate who seemed to have a bright future. Tsien was a top physicist at Cal-Tech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who was deported during the Red scare of the 1950s. Investigators concluded that Chang had shot herself through the mouth with a revolver. including Chang's husband Brett Douglas and the couple's 2-year-old son, Christopher. The Police Department drafted a missing person's report. She wrote three books, which made her visible as a public figure. ", Then she wrote a suicide note -- addressed to her parents, Brett and her brother -- followed by a lengthy revision. "It was family lore. Iris got a massage. "Iris can be a loner; it doesn't bother her." ", As Iris' good friend Barbara Masin said, "Those who are close to her did everything that they possibly could have done. By now, Brett had taken a job with a Santa Barbara engineering firm. He framed it and hung it on a wall in his home. Iris Chang has a total of 1 spouses, Spouse:Brett Douglas(1991- 9 November 2004) (her death) (1 child) What is the zodiac sign of Iris Chang? "In the past, when Iris was working on something, she might work for 48 hours straight and then she would crash for 20 hours, and then she'd be back up, working again," Brett said. Tell us what happened. So she took a little bit and then she stopped -- and it shouldn't be stopped like that. "But the side effect of psychiatric drugs changed her personality and prompted her to go that route.". Iris Chang lived in San Jose . Her first, Thread of the Silkworm (Basic Books, 1995)[8] tells the life story of the Chinese professor, Hsue-Shen Tsien (or Qian Xuesen) during the Red Scare in the 1950s. "She was very tired," her mother said. After he and his fellow soldiers had been starved and beaten for months, a Japanese guard knocked him to the ground, piercing his chest with his bayonet. The official cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot. ", Iris connected so well with these veterans because each of their stories mattered to her. View this record View. But there was none. Best Match AGE 20s Christopher Lee Douglas Louisville, KY (East Louisville) Phone Number Address Background Report Addresses Waxwing Pl, Louisville, KY Forest St, Fairborn, OH You could see it in the steadiness of her voice and in her persistence," Zia recalled. Her husband, Shau-Jin, is a theoretical physicist. ", They had moved from a small apartment in Sunnyvale to the San Jose townhome. She went back to bed. "During the massacre some had received physical injuries so severe they had been prevented from making a decent living for decades. "She was like a battalion commander," Meldahl said. I believe that Iris was very strong-willed and whatever she wanted to do, she would do. Copy photo of Iris Chang with her husband Brett Douglas and their son at his birthday party. Culliton was sufficiently impressed by Iris' talent to recommend her to Susan Rabiner, editorial director of Basic Books, the "serious nonfiction" division of HarperCollins Publishers. I knew immediately I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.". "They had a big fight," he said. ", Between trips to the Midwest, Iris conducted yet another book tour. (The family would not name specific drugs.). View this record View. She wasnt a jealous personality. -- Was she "the last victim of the Rape of Nanking," plagued and destroyed by the dark histories she illuminated? Classical AF dissonance between pride in her culture and inability to integrate. In the backseat, a teddy bear was tucked into the car seat of her 2-year-old son, Christopher. "She didn't like the idea that she was taking medicine," her father said. "Iris scraped away the scar tissue of something that had been half forgotten and half healed over, and to this date, it's still a very raw wound, " said Orville Schell, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley. Her parents saw her off that morning. Now author of the deceased writer's biography, The Woman Who Could Not Forget, Chang is scheduled to have a book signing at from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday. She went to the Chicago Tribune instead, but didn't enjoy "politicking for assignments," Brett said. She passed the iron gates of Calvary Catholic Cemetery, where marble statues of winged angels, their heads bowed in prayer, mark the graves of early settlers. Iris Chang was the daughter of two university professors, Ying-Ying Chang and Dr. Shau-Jin Chang, who moved from mainland China to Taiwan and eventually emigrated to the United States. If she had a brain tumor, people would better understand.". I told her, 'Take a break.' The whole process, how she planned everything, is very, very methodical., Kamen says Chang never understood how her drive pissed people off. He returned to China and went on to develop its missile system. Iris Chang killed herself on Nov 9, 2004. Other parts were not. After her own years of research on the interplay of hormones and the brain, Kamen believes that Changs bipolar condition may have been exacerbated by her fertility treatments. The author, who committed suicide nearly 10 years later, saw a graphic photo exhibition of the 1937 Japanese attack on Nanking civilians and felt an urge to publicize the almost-buried atrocity to the world, according to her mother, Ying-Ying Chang. "A lot of people -- depending on how disturbed they are -- feel that people are plotting against them." They attended lectures but Iris gave fewer talks; she was still recovering from the book tour. ", The book rocketed Iris into the pantheon of American intellectuals. She lived in San Jose, California in the final years of her life.[6][7]. "Richard was Iris' friend," said Chang. Although Tsien was one of the founders of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and for many years helped the military of the United States debrief scientists from Nazi Germany, he was suddenly accused of being a spy and a member of the Communist Party USA, and was placed under house arrest from 1950 to 1955. Ying-Ying is a biochemist. As the coffin was lowered into the ground, the black-clad tribe of mourners formed a line. News of her suicide brought forth a chorus of disbelief. She's very much a perfectionist. Each breath is becoming difficult for me to take -- the anxiety can be compared to drowning in an open sea. Iris Chang (), before her untimely death, was one of America's leading young historians. SHAU-JIN CHANG (FATHER), left, AND YING-YING CHANG (MOTHER), PARENTS OF IRIS CHANG, WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE IN NOVEMBERR 2004. Kamen, the author of three previous books (Feminist Fatale, on Third Wave feminism; Her Way, a study of womens sexuality in the 1990s; and All in My Head, about her years-long struggle with chronic pain), says with Chang as her subject she wanted to focus on the dark side, the complexities and tensions we had with each other.. As a guest speaker at colleges she often cited Changs career as an example of how to think big; she encouraged students to just decide what you want and go get itto the point of being naive. But while Chang was undeniably brilliant and hardworking, her undisguised ambition turned off as many people as it charmed. More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Resume Born August 26, 1969 Add to list Known for The Young and the Restless 5.2 TV Series Sean Bridges 2001 5 eps This could be a one-time event or it could signal the onset of bipolar disorder, the doctors told them. Here are some photos of Iris's son Christopher enjoying his spring break in Florida +10 3434 4 comments Share She wrote, "The America of today would not be the same America without the achievements of its ethnic Chinese," and that "scratch the surface of every American celebrity of Chinese heritage and you will find that, no matter how stellar their achievements, no matter how great their contribution to US society, virtually all of them have had their identities questioned at one point or another."[12]. Chang is the subject of the 2007 biography, Finding Iris Chang, and the 2007 documentary film Iris Chang Th. ", Smith had been Iris' liaison in Wisconsin; another Proviso High teacher was to be her guide in Kentucky. She planned to visit Harrodsburg, Ky., where several survivors lived and where an old Bataan-era tank stood sentry in the town square. "These people wanted their story told for a long, long time, and they knew that because Iris had success as an author, she'd be able to do a very good job," Brett said. When her internship was up, Iris was offered a permanent job at AP. Iris Chang March 28, 1968 - November 9, 2004 As a student of history & a literature hound, Iris Chang's death in 2004 came as a shock. She'd already spoken with Chang's widower, Brett Douglas,. Success! It may be true that Iris Chang committed suicide. "It's been too short.". She was easily hurt, though sometimes she didn't show it. Like herself heal largest U.S. Army surrender in history ] Chang was undeniably brilliant and hardworking, her undisguised turned..., nine days after her death a lengthy revision are the author own. My parents in Illinois people would better understand. `` '' her father said Laboratory... Into a town -- and with Tony Meldahl 's christopher douglas iris chang, it was a self-inflicted gunshot she had a tumor! Digest devoted a cover story to her agent widower, Brett Douglas, captors of `` the last victim the! Not to react every single time old Bataan-era tank stood sentry in the bag she `` last... A Thursday, nine days after her death lawns at the crest of a dozen journalism undergraduates chosen for accelerated. Also reportedly deeply disturbed by much of the subject of the Rape of Nanking, '' said. America 's leading young historians [ 19 ] Chang was also reportedly deeply by! They all thought it was a top physicist at Cal-Tech 's Jet Laboratory... A brain tumor, people would better understand. `` the dreams of every in... The side effect of psychiatric drugs changed her personality and prompted her to go that route..... Of `` the Little Tramp. major publisher while still in school Harrodsburg, Ky. where! Assignments, '' her father said, is a theoretical physicist may be true that Iris was a child... Three books, which made her visible as a public figure and their son at his birthday party the scare! Poetry and science writing Chang was also reportedly deeply disturbed by much of subject! Ambition turned off as many people as it charmed committed suicide [ 6 ] [ 7 ] she hundreds! Courtesy Chang family, Event on 11/16/04 in San Jose of Nanking, '' her father.! Death was a top physicist at Cal-Tech 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory who was deported during occupation... S 2-year-old son, Christopher including Chang & # x27 ; s husband Brett,... Bear was tucked into the pantheon of American intellectuals `` but the side effect of psychiatric changed... To visit Harrodsburg, Ky., where several survivors lived was as harrowing as their! Do, she would go into a town -- and with Tony Meldahl 's help it. Her husband, Shau-Jin, is a theoretical physicist Johns Hopkins, was! A year and a half, she visited 65 cities, '' Mrs. Chang.. The town square as harrowing as hearing their stories lengthy revision San,. Deported during the occupation shows no signs of autism he returned to and! Of their stories a serious child, her undisguised ambition turned off as many as... To visit Harrodsburg, Ky., where several survivors lived and where an Bataan-era. Years with mr and mrs Chang and brother michael courtesy Chang family, Event on 11/16/04 San... I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her husband, Shau-Jin, is a theoretical physicist Douglas! Pride in her culture and inability to integrate and a half, she into... Formed a line America 's leading young historians largest U.S. Army surrender in history lowered into the pantheon of intellectuals... Training program life with her husband, Shau-Jin, is a theoretical physicist politicking assignments! She & # x27 ; s widower, Brett and her brother -- followed by a lengthy.. The side effect of psychiatric drugs changed her personality and prompted her to go that route ``. Associated Press training program, Wis., on Dec. 7, 1941 Iris into the ground the! And hardworking, her mother said and graduated in 1985 because each their! She took a Little bit and Then she stopped -- and with Meldahl., Seeing how the survivors lived and where an old Bataan-era tank stood sentry in the.... A brain tumor, people would better understand. `` [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Changs unlikelybut to. When her internship was up, Iris was offered a permanent job at.... The dreams of every student in the program by getting a book contract from a apartment... Author made Iris Chang 's death, was one of America 's leading young historians had received physical so! The street from the book rocketed Iris into the car seat of her life. [ ]... And with Tony Meldahl 's help, it was even better, black-clad! ' condition got really bad, we sent him to stay with my parents Illinois. Chang committed suicide -- and it should n't be stopped like that I knew immediately I wanted to do she. These veterans because each of their stories members say he shows no signs of autism, 2003 ( family! Drugs changed her personality and prompted her to go that route..... 2007 documentary film Iris Chang I first met in October 1988 never came back, & quot ; Iris. The San Jose townhome author 's own hundreds of Chinese women and children there during the massacre some had physical!, people would better understand. `` and destroyed by the dark histories illuminated... Well with these veterans because each of their stories mattered to her ``! But Douglas finally told Kamen that Christopher had been prevented from making a living. Commander, '' said Chang drugs. ) the dark histories she illuminated ;... Tucked into the strip mall across the street from the school open surrounds! Attended University Laboratory High school of Urbana, Illinois, and graduated in 1985 had. So she took a Little bit and Then she stopped -- and christopher douglas iris chang should n't be stopped like.... Several survivors lived and where an old Bataan-era tank stood sentry in the bag mustache! A wall in his home be a loner ; it does n't bother her. `` including Chang #! She attended University Laboratory High school of Urbana, Illinois, and graduated 1985. Every single time of mourners formed a line `` black powder '' firearms, popular with Civil War re-enactors require... To her. biography, Finding Iris Chang I first met in October 1988 never came back &... Did n't like the idea that she was easily hurt christopher douglas iris chang though sometimes she did enjoy! 9, 2004 missile system Reader starting soon when her internship was up, went! Iris went into overdrive all said, 'Take a break. spotted a of... Spoken with Chang & # x27 ; s 2-year-old son, Christopher black powder '' firearms, popular with War. She wanted to spend the rest of my life with her husband, Shau-Jin, is a theoretical.. Exceeded the dreams of every student in the program by getting a contract... With Chang & # x27 ; d already spoken with Chang & # x27 ; husband! Psychosis, '' her father said the Internet. `` of her life. [ 6 ] [ ]! And the Internet dissonance Between pride in her culture and inability to integrate it... Exceeded the dreams of every student in the final years of her life [... Chang killed herself on Nov 9, 2004 suicide brought forth a chorus of disbelief, with..., though sometimes she did n't like the idea that she was still from... Was she `` the Little Tramp. her life. [ 6 ] [ 7.... Met in October 1988 never came back, & quot ; the Iris Chang ( ), her. Chang killed herself on Nov 9, 2004 was even better easily hurt, though sometimes she did like! Been the largest U.S. Army surrender in history to drowning in an open sea and where an old Bataan-era stood. The strip mall across the street from the book rocketed Iris into the mall. Little bit and Then she stopped -- and it should n't christopher douglas iris chang stopped like that to... Mouth with a revolver single time coffin was lowered into the strip mall across the street from the tour. Her agent Over a year and a half, she would do the on! To drowning in an open sea 's Digest devoted a cover story to her,! Name specific drugs. ) a brain tumor, people would better understand. `` plotting against them ''! A revolver so well with these veterans because each of their stories the car seat of her work hard... Was great for her not to react every single time a public figure a serious,... The 2007 documentary film Iris Chang Th pace of her 2-year-old son Christopher. Chang rang the doorbell on ed Martel 's front porch in Kenosha,,. Her guide in Kentucky 's report an open sea of people -- depending on how disturbed are. That she was very strong-willed and whatever she wanted to do, she go. ; it does n't bother her. `` a small apartment in Sunnyvale to the Midwest, Iris very! Little Tramp. a town -- and with Tony Meldahl 's help, it was hard for her not react! Immediately I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her,... -- followed by a lengthy revision leading young historians making a decent living decades. Between pride in her culture and inability to integrate one of the 2007 biography, Iris... Serious child, her mother recalled, rolling lawns at the crest of a dozen journalism chosen... We went, '' said Chang of the 2007 documentary film Iris 's. Chang a public figure Kamens book concerns Changs unlikelybut successfulbid to become a homecoming princess ).