Timothy Tam, math professor at CCP

Timothy Tam, 61, of Huntingdon Valley, an assistant professor of mathematics at Community College of Philadelphia, died Sunday, Nov. 24, at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook of injuries sustained in an automobile accident that day near his home.

Born in Hong Kong, Dr. Tam received his doctorate in physics from Stony Brook University in 1982.

He began teaching at CCP in 1991. Previously, he taught at Old Dominion University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Tam was interested in the Chinese community in the Philadelphia area. He was active in Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (CCHC), a New York City-based organization that provides social services to the Chinese community in this country and abroad.

"He cared about people, and it showed in the questions he asked me about green card options and employment authorization," said his friend Calvin Sun, an immigration attorney. "I also was impressed by how hard he worked."

In 2006, he opened the Philadelphia branch of CCHC to provide services to the Chinese population here.

He was a host of the Cantonese-language evangelical radio program on health issues and current affairs that was broadcast from November 2006 to September 2008 on WNWR-AM in Philadelphia.

Dr. Tam helped newly arrived immigrants with job-hunting, food stamps, and public assistance.

He warned them about what he considered the dangers of gambling, and gave workshops on the topic.

In 2011, he was one of the Chinese members of No Casino in Our City, a coalition that organized and fought against a proposed casino near Chinatown.

In 2004, Dr. Tam received a master's degree in religion from Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside. He gave workshops and sermons in divinity, philosophy, and social and cultural issues in churches in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Juliana; son, Jedidiah; his mother, Shun Fung Tam; a brother; and two sisters.

A viewing will be held at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec, 14, followed by a 9:30 a.m. funeral service, at the Chinese Christian Church and Center, 1101 Vine St. Interment will follow at Newtown Cemetery.