A mother picks you up when you fall down; a mother lifts your
spirits up when you are feeling down. You will put your ultimate trust in her,
as she will always in you. A mother is a pillar of strength, a matriarch; she
shows us the way — how to be decent, honest, human beings, how to know right
from wrong. She inspires our best. She will take you on hikes, teach you the
names of the plants in her garden, divulge her recipes in life and your
favorite meals from her kitchen, and always encourage the pursuit of dreams.
She will always make you feel safe and secure; nobody will ever hurt her family
— never on her watch.
That was my mother, Dolores, not just to my family and me, but the
countless hundreds — maybe more — of her students, colleagues, friends, and
almost everyone she touched during her 88 years, especially in the Music
Department at UCSB. Indeed, as she took her last breath, she left this Earth a
better place, a testament to her ability to bring out the best in others. “You
just have to sharpen your sword,” as one of her former graduate students
recalled her imploring with a knowing look, “to cut through the BS.” Another
student wrote, “When Dr. Hsu smiled at me, it made me feel smart.”
Dolores had a ferocious wit, matched only by her gregarious laugh. Tenacious and with boundless energy, she led every day of her life with grace and style: sophisticated, supportive, and generous. That was my momma, and she’s now free from the fog of Alzheimer’s disease. Her spirit will always burn brightly, and she is at home with my father.