Publication Date: Friday, December 31, 2004
Another Stanford student survives tsunami
Another Stanford student survives tsunami
(December 31, 2004) Four found, but James Hsu still missing at press time
by Jocelyn Dong and Alexandria Rocha
There was a point when Laura Wales, 29, almost gave up.
The Stanford University marketing student had been swept out of her bungalow by a massive wave that thrashed her under debris and across the island of Koh Phi Phi.
"About that time, she made a decision," said her father, Allen Wales, by phone Thursday from their hometown of Santa Rosa. She was able to "grab a breath of air. She held on to a tree for an hour, then ended up on a beach."
Laura was one of five local graduate students vacationing together in the resort area of Koh Phi Phi when the devastating tsunami hit Southeast Asia Sunday. She is one of the four who have been found. James Willis Hsu, 25, also a second-year business student, is still missing, according to a report posted on the university's Web site Thursday.
Laura was with Hsu and one other student in a bungalow when the waves hit, according to the university's report. Laura and the other student did not see what happened to Hsu.
"The entire Stanford community hopes and prays for the safe return of James," said Dean of Students Greg Boardman.
The death toll from last weekend's catastrophe climbed to more than 117,000 Thursday. Thousands of people remain missing.
Allen Wales said some French travelers and her fellow Stanford students found Laura on the beach where she landed. She suffered a gash in her leg and had tied her sarong around it to stop some of the bleeding. They gave her aspirin and tried to keep her spirits high. They also called home for her.
Your "daughter's been in an accident. She'll be OK. She'll call you later," Allen recalled the person saying. It was more than a day before Laura was able to call home.
Laura, who has been joined by her mother, Eleanor, is currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Bangkok.
Stanford officials have said Hsu's family does not wish to speak with the media. They have seen tragedy before. According to Hsu's hometown paper, his brother, Stanley Ford Hsu, was killed in a June 1995 car accident at the age of 22.
In a biography Hsu prepared for the study trip, he wrote of various projects he is currently involved with. They included an import business selling products from China and a product design firm, Tray6, that he co-founded with his sister earlier this year.
Hsu graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001, and began his career at a music technology start-up called Kick.com. He worked at both Yahoo and Sun Microsystems last summer.
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