Emily Keebler is a senior exercise science major and member of Illinois State University’s swimming and diving team. She received the Dr. Peter Yuan Kai Wang Scholastic Excellence Award in recognition of her work in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation (KNR).
“When I visited Illinois State for the first time, I loved the campus and the academic opportunities that it offered through the exercise science major and the Honors Program,” she said. “One experience that I enjoyed was working with my anatomy professor to run a study group for students in the class; this helped me feel more connected with the Kinesiology Department.”
Keebler is among hundreds of students impacted by the late Dr. Peter Yuan Kai Wang. He served as a full-time professor at Illinois State from 1972 until his retirement in 1992. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2001. His wife of 46 years, Carol, died in 2021.
Their sons, Dr. Tom D. Wang, M.D. and Peter A. Wang, established the scholarship to honor their father’s legacy. Tom and Peter have also honored their mother, a lifelong teacher, by underwriting a Chinese language competition at the high school in Taiwan where she taught before immigrating to the United States in 1966.
Dr. Peter Yuan Kai Wang was born in Beiping (now Beijing) in 1927 and fled to Taiwan in 1949 to escape Communist rule. In Taiwan, he earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education before pursuing a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, which he finished in 1965. He later taught at Tulane University, where he was also head soccer coach, before enrolling in a Ph.D. program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
After completing his Ph.D., Wang was hired as faculty instructor and head soccer coach at the United States International University in San Diego in 1971. A year later, his former master’s thesis advisor Dr. Robert E. McAdam connected him to a faculty position at Illinois State.
Wang maintained a love of athletics and competition throughout his life. His son Peter recalled playing tennis, badminton, and ping pong as a child, taking hikes as a family, and participating in the annual summer camps his dad coached.
“My dad always said, ‘When you grow up, don’t be too sedentary,’” he said. “I always keep that in mind, and I pass that on to my kids, too.”
At Illinois State, Wang taught undergraduate and graduate courses in what was then the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He helped his students—including one famous Redbird, Doug Collins ’73—navigate course curricula. Wang was also active in many athletic and social organizations on campus: Illinois State’s Badminton Club at McCormick Hall; Illinois State’s Chinese Student Association; and the local YMCA. Above all, Wang had a passion for academic excellence and held integrity and honesty in high regard.
While Keebler never met Wang, she is grateful to have received the scholarship in his memory.
“This scholarship reflects my hard work in the classroom and within the KNR department,” she said. “I would like to thank Dr. Peter Yuan Kai Wang’s family for making this possible. I am very appreciative of this scholarship.”
The Dr. Peter Yuan Kai Wang Scholastic Excellence Award is a one-time award for students enrolled in any major in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation as a junior or senior, based on the following: One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to the top senior student based on GPA in the core courses (determined by each major) taken in the KNR curriculum based on major; one scholarship will be awarded to the top junior based on GPA in the core courses (determined by each major) taken in the KNR curriculum based on major; scholarship award will be determined by the amount available after the senior scholarship award is paid. In the event multiple students qualify by GPA, the student with the highest overall GPA, based on all classes taken at ISU, will be selected. If there are still two or more students meeting the second criteria, split the award equally between those students. For more information and to apply, please visit: Dr. Peter Yuan Kai Wang Scholastic Excellence Award | Scholarship Finder-Illinois State
