Head and shoulders image of Dr. Che Kan Leong, Educational Psychology and Special Education.

Bio/Historical Note: Dr. Che Kan Leong was born in May 1931 in Canton, China. Despite growing up in difficult circumstances, Dr. Leong believed in the importance of education, attending Northcote Teachers College (Hong Kong) and the University of Hong Kong, and studying for 2 years in Australia on a UNESCO fellowship. He later completed a PhD at the University of Alberta, supported by a Canada Council Fellowship. In 1969 Dr. Leong was recruited by Dr. Wendell McLeod to join the faculty of the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Leong spent 49 years at the U of S, the last 20 years as Professor Emeritus and then Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Dr. Leong’s research focused on the reading and writing of English and Chinese, along with developmental dyslexia. His contributions were recognized with the U of S's Distinguished Researcher Award (1995) and an earned Doctor of Letters (1998). Leong died in Saskatoon in November 2020 at age 89.