Birthday wish results in S$14,600 gift towards Tay Teck Eng Dental Bursary Fund

24 October 2008

Mr Tay Wei Lien (center), son of the late Tan Sri Dr Tay Teck Eng, asked guests at his 60th birthday party to make gifts to the Tay Teck Eng Dental Bursary Fund, instead of buying presents that he says will just gather dust

The Tay Teck Eng Dental Bursary Fund, named in honour of the late dental surgeon Tan Sri Dr Tay Teck Eng, has received a S$14,600 boost, thanks to gifts from family friends.

Dr Tay’s son, Mr Tay Wei Lien, celebrated his 60th birthday on 31 August 2008. He requested for no presents and instead asked his family and friends to make gifts towards the Tay Teck Eng Dental Bursary Fund.

“Achieving one's 60th birthday is something of a milestone in one's life,” said Mr Tay. “I thought why not ask my friends and family that instead of spending money on a gift that might potentially collect a lot of dust, that they give towards a worthwhile gift of a dental bursary to a needy student instead – and be assured that their gift would certainly be appreciated !!,” Mr Tay added.

Although Mr Tay is not an NUS alumnus, some of his thirty-eight friends who made gifts to the Fund are – and so was the late Tan Sri Dr Tay Teck Eng. The dental surgeon was an alumnus of King Edward VII College of Medicine, a predecessor institution of NUS.

The NUS Faculty of Dentistry established the Tay Teck Eng Dental Bursary Fund in 2007 with a S$45,000 expendable gift from the family and friends of Dr Tay.

The Fund, which aims to honour and keep alive the late dental surgeon’s passions in education and service to the needy, supports two bursaries of S$1,500 each annually.

Dr Tay had actively supported the advancement of dental and medical education in both Singapore and Malaysia. He was also a stalwart supporter of charities such as the Society for Aid to the Paralysed, the Singapore Cancer Society and YMCA, as well as the Rotary Club. Dr Tay's passion for helping the needy dated back to his student days, when he made a gift to the medical college to help students in financial difficulty pay their fees.