Written by Leeva Chung
Stella Ting Toomey (Ting Wun Chu), a prolific intercultural communication theorist and scholar whose work focused on achieving adaptive and mindful communication with others, passed away peacefully at home in Fullerton, California. She leaves behind her premium joy—her son Adrian (partner Susy), and three close brothers, Tom, Henry, and Victor. Stella was born in Hong Kong in the auspicious year of the Dragon in Hong Kong, on 22 May 1952, the only daughter of parents Ting Chun Wen and Wang Shu Chin. At twenty years of age, Stella left Hong Kong to attend the University of Iowa. After receiving her BA, she and her husband, Charles, moved to the University of Washington for her MA and PhD in communication.
Best known for her theories of face and identity negotiation, for more than forty years, Stella was considered a leader of intercultural communication. Her influence extended far beyond communication to many of the social sciences, business, and global studies, and her work was transformative, clear, and impactful. She (co)authored more than seventeen books, including academic monographs, edited volumes, and educational materials, and published more than 120 scholarly articles and book chapters. Much of her work was closely connected to her passion and love of teaching students in the classroom. In fact, her theories were deeply personal to her and aligned her behavior with her interactions with others, such as validating the face (projected self-image) and identity of others, despite cultural differences.
Stella’s public image was that of a serious scholar, private, reflective, and the opposite of spontaneous. She was known for her meticulous editing, reliance on multiple USBs to save all her documents, and incredible work ethic. Her private image was that of a woman who loved her L.A. Lakers (when they were winning), sharing an appletini on a special occasion, listening to classical music, and her fun obsession with Korean Dramas, which would keep her up until the late hours of the night. Motivated during COVID, Stella went back to playing the piano.
In her identity negotiation theory, Stella reflected on how we can respect, support, and understand those who are different from us. This powerful observation is the very nature of Stella as a true inspirational life scholar. In her passing, Stella’s legacy will continue through the students, colleagues, and workshop attendees, and she continues to transform lives in her writing.
Photo of Stella Ting Toomey & Leeva Chung
