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Dr. Mohan N. Shrestha |
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Mohan N. Shrestha
Pioneer Nepalese American Professor
Mohan N. Shrestha, 68, professor emeritus of Geography at
Bowling Green State University, and one of the first
Nepalese to travel to the United States in pursuit of a
PhD, died on September 14th, at St. Luke Hospital after a
lengthy illness.
Born in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1939, Dr. Shrestha was a
modest man of few words but much heart. He distinguished
himself as an excellent student early in his life,
graduating from high school at the age of 13, and earning
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees at 17.
By the time he was 18 he was supporting his extended
family, which included his paternal grandmother, both his
parents and his sister, on his lecturer's salary. Within
four years, this family would grow to include a young
wife, a son and then a daughter. In each of the degrees
he received in Nepal, he earned the position of 1st Class,
First, these unequaled educational achievements earned
him, in addition to his diplomas, three gold medals
personally awarded to him by the King of Nepal.
In 1964, Mohan won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship
and which allowed him to pursue a PhD in the United
States. His first stop was Texas, where despite being a
foreign student, he was required to take one year of a
"foreign" language. He chose French. When he made a
comment to his faculty advisor about having a bit of
difficulty with the Texas accent, he was told that there
was an easy remedy for that, and the next thing he knew,
he was being transferred to a university in the Midwest!
So when his wife and young children joined him the
following year, it was on the campus of the University
of Iowa in Iowa City that they made their home.
In 1967, while still in the process of finishing his
dissertation, Mohan accepted a teaching position at
Bowling Green State University. A year and a half later,
in 1969, he was awarded a Doctorate in Geography from the
University of Iowa, and with his family, he returned to
Kathmandu, Nepal to teach at Tribhuvan University, his
graduate school alma mater. In 1971 he was back in
Bowling Green as an assistant professor at BGSU where
he would spend his entire professional career before
retiring in 2004 after 35 years of service. As professor,
he taught graduate and undergraduate students, and his
research focused on Computer Mapping, Weather and Climate,
and Population Migration. He also authored numerous
articles, acted as editor of many journals, and
contributed chapters to textbooks. As one of the first
geographers studying the impact of deforestation and
development in Nepal, he traveled widely and was a strong
voice for sustainable development practices.
In addition to his work at the University, Dr. Shrestha
was active in the Nepalese community, serving in different
capacities in the Nepa Pasa Pucha, the Association of
Nepalis in Midwest America, the Association of Nepalis in
the Americas, and the Nepalese Americas Council. He was
also a member of the Association of American Geographers,
the Regional Science Association and the American
Geological Society.
Those who knew Dr. Shrestha will remember him as a natural
teacher and well read scholar whose favorite TV show was
the original Star Trek series. A good friend recently
recalled her children saying he was a cross between
Elvis and the Buddha. This insightful observation not
only described his physical aspect, with his perfectly
groomed black hair, coupled with youthful good looks and a
serenity of expression, but also his intellectual breadth
as a man who was able to bridge eastern and western
worldviews. He reveled in science, calling mathematics
the "truest international language" while at the same
time drawing upon the wisdom of his own philosophical
tradition and all the world's religions to not only inform
the unfolding of his own life but to also pass on this
knowledge to his children. However, all the infusion of
philosophy did not diminish his genuine enjoyment of all
life had to offer, like the companionship of good friends,
spirited philosophical debate, the unconditional love of
his grandchildren, world travel and of course,
ice cream!
He touched the lives of all those around him - his
friends who span the globe, his students who went on to
become teachers, doctors, statesmen and ambassadors,
and of course his family, for whom he was a shining
example of dharma in action - a man who sought nothing
more in life than to follow his path, to spread his
knowledge with an open heart, and to provide for the well
being and security of his family.
Dr. Shrestha is survived by his wife of 48 years, Vijaya
Laxmi Malla Shrestha; his sister Sharada Raj Bhandari
(Kathmandu, Nepal); son, Dr. Mahesh Shrestha,
daughter-in-law Dr. Nancy Rose Orendain, and their
children, Ganesh (15), Reeta (11) and Ramesh (7) all of
Gladwynne, PA; his daughter Deepika Shrestha Ross and her
daughter Mayadevi (13) of Santa Cruz, CA.
Friends are welcome to visit the family before the service
at home, any evening after 7:30 pm.
Following Nepalese tradition, a memorial service will be
performed after twelve days of formal mourning, on
September 26, 2007, at 6:30pm at the Simpson Building,
1291 Conneaut Avenue, Bowling Green, OH 43402
(tel: 419.352.4611)
In honor of Dr. Shrestha's memory, his family asks that
you consider making a donation to either of the two funds
established in his name:
1) Mohan Narayan Shrestha Memorial Fund that will be
used to further educational opportunities for Nepalese
children. Please make your check payable to The Mohan
Narayan Shrestha Memorial Fund and mail it to Ms. Bishnu
Thapa, Treasurer, Nepal Americas Council, 6316 Pioneer
Drive, Springfield, Virginia 22150
2) Mohan Shrestha Memorial Scholarship Fund, Bowling
Green State University, which will provide scholarships
to students within the Department of Geography.
Please make your check payable to the Mohan Shrestha
Memorial Scholarship Fund - BGSU, and mail it to the
Department of Geography, 305 Hanna Hall, Bowling Green
State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
Open in pdf format
BGSU educator trailblazer for Nepal students
Mohan Shrestha on Sentinel Tribune
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