Shobha Bhattachar
On behalf of Fei’s senior managers namely Arup Roy, Michael Chang and Dinesh Mishra and beloved colleagues, including Nan Schulte, Nate Milton and others in Lilly’s Product Development organization, I wish to speak a few words to remember Fei Tian.
As membes of Fei’s work family, we have always admired and respected Fei for some of her unique qualities. Fei was one of the most patient, humble, mild mannered and persevering colleagues we have ever known. She stood out among us as someone who delivered on her responsibilities with great commitment and diligence, but never ever spoke out loud about her accomplishments or made any attempts to gain recognition for her good work. Her quiet confidence and pride in what she did was only known to people who were closest to her. Like a fragrant flower that produces the same lovely fragrance no matter how it is handled, Fei’s friendly and pleasant disposition was steady and unshakable no matter how stressful or desperate the situation.
As New York Times columnist David Brooks said in his recent book “The Road to Character” our current corporate culture attaches much greater importance to resume’ virtues rather than eulogy virtues. As we focus on developing our careers we often lose sight of the core values that makes us human beings until age catches up with us and we realize that we have neglected virtues such as humility and sympathy that form the strength of our character. Fei was far ahead of most people in that respect.
What was not very well known outside the Chinese network was Fei’s talent as a dancer and her dedication to the art. Despite her busy schedule, she always found time to practice and coach a number of children and women who dazzled large crowds with their brilliant performances at the cultural events. Only people who were close to her at work knew about this. When asked once if she had had formal training, she said in her characteristic soft manner, that “No…. it is just a little hobby”. “Just something we do to keep fit while our children attend Sunday school!!” We always heard about these dance recitals after the fact. Once the local newspaper Indy Star had front page article and a nice big picture of Fei from one of the performances. Always shy of any limelight, Fei called the newspaper and had them remove the picture. “That picture focused on me and it made me uncomfortable” she said.
Fei and her family were surrounded by a number of friends who worked very hard to help out in every way possible over the past 6 months. Despite all the efforts, those of us whose main mission it is, to make people feel better, watched helplessly as a rare disease quietly progressed unbeknownst to us, and gradually robbed her of precious life. The best of technologies and the brightest of medical professionals could not find or stop it. It was humbling and frustrating at the same time. All along, we were really amazed by the resilience of her husband John. He never left her side or lost hope.
It is truly ironic that for someone as patient and unhurried a person as Fei, her clock was ticking so fast and her time with us was short!
On behalf of all her colleagues, I’d like to bid Fei a fond farewell. Fei, as a valued member of Lilly R&D, you will always be respected and missed. You have been a great parent and your children will make you proud wherever they go. We wish the family well as they find strength and courage to deal with this loss and we will always stay in touch.