Dr. Victor Henry Mair, scholar of East Asian studies, & longtime Swarthmore resident, and University of Pennsylvania professor, passed into the next world at Riddle Hospital on June 28, 2026, at 9:38 p.m.
There was no official diagnosis, and we surmise that he passed due to advanced age (83) and rapid decline due to a medical device-related infection. He was surrounded by loving family and friends on his last day and is survived by his son Thomas; grandchildren Samira and Leo-Daniel; and siblings Joseph, David, Thomas, Denis, and Heidi; as well as nephews Douglas, Derek, Dave Jr., Rhett, and Matthew; and nieces Katrina, Rebecca, and Kolleen.
Victor’s influence among his students and colleagues and within academia was deep and far-ranging. He authored a large amount of books as well as translations of seminal ancient Chinese texts, such as Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, Laozi’s Daodejing, and Chuang Tzu’s Wandering on the Way, as well as serving as editor to countless publications and online forums, including Sino-Platonic Papers, Xin Tang, and Language Log (online). It should be noted that Professor Mair, alongside his wife (d. 2010), and sometimes recruiting their son, was deeply committed to the advancement of the adoption of the Pinyin system of Chinese language text communications. He was associate editor of the ABC Chinese-English Dictionary:
In his youth, Victor was a French horn player in the City of Canton Symphony Orchestra and went to East Canton High School, where he was a captain of the basketball team and a varsity football player. He attended undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College and completed his graduate Ph.D. studies at Harvard University.
In between, he served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. He was a lifelong world traveler, attending publishing conferences and association meetings, as well as leading tour groups.
In his late life, he endeavored to run across the country, beginning at the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic City, NJ., and through his hometown of East Canton, Ohio, following the historic original East-West highway of our great nation – the Lincoln Highway (later known as Route 30, and now mostly Route 80) – and eventually ending in Astoria, Ore.
Victor will be sorely missed and no longer seen running in our 40s town and the Crum Creek forests, sometimes with a bowl of oatmeal in hand, always eager to stop and converse with his neighbors or admire a flower or tree. A public memorial is being planned and may occur in the early fall months of 2026. It will be announced when more details develop. May Victor wander forever in all the cic 1st an playful and loving energies of the universe, where he always dwelled while here among us.