IPOH: It has been three decades but bakery owner Sam Ching still gets asked about his encounter with Stephen Hawking who came here in 1994.
He was a mere 15-year-old schoolboy when the renowned British scientist visited Ipoh, the hometown of his Ipoh-born Malaysian nurse Sue Ching, Sam’s paternal aunt who had cared for Hawking for several years.
Hawking visited the family- owned bakery here after delivering a public lecture titled “Life in the Universe” in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 16, 1994.
“I had a brief chat with him, just saying ‘Hi’ and asking how he was. But I can’t really remember his response anymore,” he said.
Reflecting on Hawking’s visit, Sam said one of the biggest lessons he learnt was humility.
“He could have made a big announcement; people could have prepared a huge welcome for him, but he didn’t.
“He came quietly and even tried durian,” he said in an interview.
Hawking died in 2018 at the age of 76 after a long battle with motor neuron disease. The University of Cambridge, where he was a professor, described him as one of the world’s most brilliant minds for his contributions to science.
Sam, 47, said many people at the time did not fully know about Hawking and got curious after seeing a crowd gathering outside the bakery.
Several secondary school students took the opportunity to ask the physicist questions, he said.
He recalled Hawking presenting the family with a signed copy of his book, A Brief History of Time, as a memento.
“What I heard was that he was a very nice person, very kind. That was why he came and visited my aunt,” he said.
As an arts stream student, Sam admitted that he was not very aware about Hawking’s background until his arrival.
“That was when I started becoming interested and began reading about him,” he said.
Following the visit, Sam became curious about Hawking’s work and began reading more about him, including topics related to black holes.
These days, he said, curious tourists would stop by at the Ching Han Guan bakery to ask about the late Hawking’s visit.
The bakery, established in 1949 by Sam’s grandfather, Ching Beng Han, is now managed by the third generation of the family.
Sam, who is a co-owner, said the original shop remains in operation at Jalan Sultan Iskandar, while a second branch opened two years ago at Jalan Yau Tet Shin for production, storage, and preparation work.
It is at the newer outlet that Hawking’s images are on display, drawing attention from passers-by.
“Many tourists stop by when they see the pictures in the window display. They are surprised to find out that Hawking had visited our bakery.
“The middle-aged generation usually recognise him. Some will stop to snap pictures. Others would ask me questions,” he said.
As for his late aunt, Sam described Sue as a caring person who had worked in Britain as a nurse for many years.
He said Sue had initially been looking for work outside the hospital environment before learning about an opening to care for Hawking.
Sue was the fourth of eight siblings and had gone abroad to study before eventually working in Britain; she later died of cervical cancer, believed to be in her 50s, in 2000, Sam said.
Sue’s cousin, Lee Yin Pheng, 65, recalled feeling proud to meet Hawking during the visit.
“I was glad to meet him. Despite his condition, he still came to visit us. I was also very proud about Sue taking care of Hawking at that time,” she said, estimating that Sue might have worked for the scientist for about 10 years.
Lee described Sue as a kind-hearted person who cared for elderly people and often participated in charity work.
