Embedded Files
From: Chuck Searcy via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, August 11, 2025 5:13 AM
To: François Guillemot <francois.guillemot@ens-lyon.fr>
Cc: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>; Suel Jones <sueljones43@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Gerard Sasges
How sad, and how unexpected! Gerard was one of those people who made Viet Nam and Viet Nam studies so vibrant and rewarding, and refreshingly conversational.
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CHUCK SEARCY
Country Representative, Friends of Project RENEW
President, Veterans For Peace Chapter 160
71 Trần Quốc Toản
Hà Nội, Việt Nam
Skype chucksearcy
Cell VN +8 490 342 0769
Cell US +1 470 831 5335
Email chuckusvn@gmail.com
Web www.vfp160.org
Web www.renewvn.org
==================
From: François Guillemot via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2025 11:59 PM
To: V Pholsena <vpholsena@gmail.com>; vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Gerard Sasges
Dear Vatthana,
Very sad news. Gerard was a very nice person. Sympathy to his family.
Best
F
From: Christoph Giebel via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Saturday, August 9, 2025 8:44 AM
To: Pierre Asselin <passelin@sdsu.edu>
Cc: vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Gerard Sasges
This is terrible and very sad news. Thank you, Vatthana, for posting this on VSG. Gerard was one of the nicest and most thoughtful persons in the Viet Nam Studies orbit. My sincere condolences to his family, friends, and close colleagues.
Christoph
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Christoph Giebel, PhD (he), Assoc. Professor, International Studies and History
The Howard and Frances Keller Endowed Professor in History, Dept. of History
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3650, USA, < giebel@uw.edu >
********************
From: Pierre Asselin via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Friday, August 8, 2025 7:34 PM
To: V Pholsena <vpholsena@gmail.com>
Cc: vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Gerard Sasges
Dear Vatthana/Colleagues:
I'm absolutely stunned. I had no idea Gerard was sick, much less to the extent your message, Vatthana, suggests.
I came to know him over the years through encounters at conferences and other professional gatherings here and there. He always struck me as a nice guy -- and a cool one at that. I thought of him as the kind of guy other guys want to be, but would never dare openly admit.
And then we spent a solid two weeks together in Hanoi in May 2022. A chance encounter at Archives 3 led to a good number of bia hơi-ing nights. I was going through a tough phase professionally, and talking to Gerard helped in ways I cannot express. Not only did he listen -- and listen closely -- but he, in turn, opened up about a number of things (though nothing about being sick, if he happened to be at the time). At my age, it's exceedingly rare to find someone with whom I can be completely open and honest, but we were just that with each other. I have thought especially fondly of him ever since, though I never got the chance to tell him personally.
Gerard was a great scholar. To write here that he was a better man would be a gross understatement. Suffice it to say that after spending a good amount of time together in Hanoi and getting to know him much better, I wanted to be like him more than ever.
Love you, buddy. Rest in peace.
Pierre
Pierre Asselin
Professor of History - Dwight E. Stanford Chair in US Foreign Relations
San Diego State University
History Department
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182-6050
From: V Pholsena via Vsg <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Friday, August 8, 2025 6:33 PM
To: vsg@u.washington.edu
Subject: [Vsg] Gerard Sasges
Dear Vsg members,
On behalf of the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at NUS, it is with great sadness that I must announce the passing of Gerard Sasges, our colleague and friend. He passed away at home in Victoria, British Columbia, surrounded by his family.
Gerard spent his final academic year with us at NUS embodying profound courage and dignity. Even as his health declined, he remained deeply committed to his students, his teaching, and his research. A distinguished scholar of Vietnam, Gerard sought in both his research and his teaching to transcend disciplinary boundaries and bring different ways of knowing into conversation.
Beyond his academic accomplishments, it was his intellectual curiosity and commitment to nurturing others that left a lasting impression on our community. Gerard had a remarkable way of teaching that endured students to him. His soft spoken demeanor and gentle way of talking is something that we will always remember fondly.
Kind regards,
Vatthana Pholsena
Associate Professor and Head of Department of Southeast Asian Studies, NUS.
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