Cheng, George & Arlene
程榮庭、程宋瑞玉
(The following text is an excerpt from the book Chinese Americans in Irvine 1971-2021)
The Cheng Family Foundation was established after the passing of George and Arlene Cheng. George was from Shanghai, and Singapore, meeting Arlene on a mission in Malaysia. They came to the United States in 1956, where George enrolled at Loma Linda University, earning his medical degree. George worked as an ophthalmologist, while Arlene began investing in real estate, which was the driving factor behind their family’s fortune. The family Foundation is run by their four children: Keith, Eugene, Jeannie, and Jennifer.
The Cheng family supports the arts, especially classical music. They had a long-term relationship with the Barclay Theater, supporting the theater with more than $2 million over the years, including an initial gift of $750,000. In 1995 the theater hosted a surprise performance by YoYo Ma for Arlene’s birthday.
As president of the Cheng Family Foundation, Jennifer Cheng has continued her parents’ tradition of support for the arts. Her focus is on dance, as the founder of Dance Conservatory of Pasadena, and was the executive director of Diavolo | Architecture in Motion, a Los Angeles-based dance company from 2014 to 2018. Jennifer is a member of the USC Kaufmann School of Dance Board of Councilors, establishing her relationship with the school through a gift and becoming a member of the Founders Circle. Jennifer was once a member of the Board of Overseers at the Huntington Library, Gardens and Art Collection. Jennifer received her BA in art history from Pomona College, her JD from UC Davis School of Law, and her MBA from UC Irvine School of Business.
Arlene Cheng created a graduate level fellowship in writing and a studies abroad program at UC Irvine. Through the Cheng Family Foundation, UCI has been supported in the following areas: ‧ MFA in Writing ‧ School of Dance ‧ Humanities Dean’s Excellence Fund （Courtesy of the Cheng Family Foundation）
(以下文字摘錄自《爾灣華裔紀實1971-2021》一書)
程氏家族基金會是在程榮庭 George 和程宋瑞玉 Arlene Cheng 逝世後成立的。程榮庭生於中國上 海，長於新加坡，在馬來西亞與宋瑞玉相遇。他們於 1956 年來到美國，程榮庭在洛瑪琳達大學（Loma Linda University）入學，獲得了醫學學位，是眼科醫 生，而宋瑞玉開始投資房地產，這是他們家庭財富來 源的主要因素。 程氏家庭基金會由他們的四個孩子經營：基思 （Keith）、尤金（Eugene）、珍妮（Jennie）和詹妮弗 （Jennifer）。
程氏家族支持藝術，尤其是古典音樂。他們與巴 克萊劇院（Irvine Barclay Theatre）建立了長期合作關 係，多年來為劇院提供了超過 200 萬美元的支持，其中包括 75 萬美元的首筆捐贈。1995 年，曾邀請馬友 友（Yo-Yo Ma）來巴克萊劇院作一場驚喜的演出，為 宋瑞玉（Arlene）慶生。
作為程氏家族基金會的主席，Jennifer Cheng 延續 了其父母對藝術支持的傳統。她專長於舞蹈，是帕薩 迪納舞蹈音樂學院的創始人，並於 2014 至 2018 年在 位於洛杉磯的舞蹈公司 Diavolo | Architecture in Motion 任執行董事。
詹妮弗（Jennifer）是南加州大學考夫曼舞蹈學院 理事會成員，通過捐贈與學校建立了聯繫，並成為創 始人俱樂部的成員。詹妮弗曾經是亨廷頓圖書館，花 園和藝術收藏館監督委員會的成員。 Jennifer 擁有波莫納學院的藝術史學士學位，加州 大學戴維斯分校法學院的法學博士學位以及加州大學 爾灣分校商學院的工商管理碩士學位。
程宋瑞玉在加州大學爾灣分校（UC Irvine）建立 了研究生寫作和海外交流計劃。 通過程氏家族基金會，UCI 在以下領域得到了支 持： ‧寫作碩士班 ‧舞蹈學院 ‧人文學院院長卓越基金會。