Kai Lai Chung Papers
Scope and Content
The collection consists of correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, and notebooks for Chung's lectures, research and publications. The collection also contains Chung's journals and several annotated publications. The collection reflects Chung's contribution to the study of mathematics and also his interest in the historical contributions of others, in particular Pao Lu Hsu and French mathematician Wolfgang (Vincent) Doeblin. In later years, Chung made annotations and comments to his files. These are found throughout the collection in the margins of documents and as post-it notes attached to files.
A keyword index for the letters and notebooks is available.
Dates
- Creation: 1933-2004
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1946-2004
Creator
- Chung, Kai Lai, 1917-2009. (Person)
Language of Materials
Includes materials written in English, French, Chinese.
Access
The collection is open to researchers.
Biographical/Historical Note
Chung was born in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province of China in 1917. He entered Tsinghua University in 1936 to study physics. He later attended the National Southwestern Associated University where he earned a degree in mathematics. He studied number theory with Lo Keng Hua and probability theory with Pao Lu Hsu. Chung did his doctoral work at Princeton University. His dissertation, "On the maximum partial sum of sequences of independent random variables" was completed in 1947. Chung taught at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the University of California, Cornell University and Syracuse University before securing a position at Stanford University in 1961. His primary work was in probability theory, specifically Brownian motion and the theory of Markov chains. He was one of the founders of the Seminars on Stochastic Processes. Chung died in 2009.
Extent
2.17 Linear feet (4 boxes)
Abstract
Correspondence, journal and notebooks of mathematician Kai Lai Chung.
Arrangement
Box 1 contains correspondence. Box 2 contains research and lecture notebooks. Box 3 contains Chung's journals and several publications. Where there is a substantial number of letters to or from one person the correspondence is arranged by name. The remainder of the letters are arranged chronologically or, in a few cases, by subject matter. Box 4 contains lecture notes from a later addition to the collection.
Physical Location
University of Florida Smathers Library Building
Acquisition Information
The collection was donated by Lilia Chung, Chung's wife, in 2011. Additional 23 letters donated by Ru Qian and Xin Wang Ru in 2020. Additional lectures and notes donated by the family in 2024.
Alternate Form of Material
Digital reproductions of selected items in this collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.
Processing Notes
Collection was processed in June 2011.
- Title
- A Guide to the Kai Lai Chung Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Carl Van Ness
- Date
- July 2011 (Updated June 2024)
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu