Robert Scalapino, UC Berkeley expert on East Asia, dead at 92 By Rick Hurd Contra Costa Times Posted: 11/04/2011 06:17:30 PM PDT Updated: 11/04/2011 10:14:32 PM PDT BERKELEY -- Robert A. Scalapino, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus in government whose expertise in the field of East Asian Studies made him an adviser to three presidents, died Monday in Oakland. He was 92. A release from the university said Scalapino died of complications from a respiratory infection. Scalapino, who joined the university's political science department in 1949 and spent seven years as the department chairman, founded the Institute of East Asian Studies, one of UC Berkeley's largest and best-endowed research units. He directed the institute until 1990 and was awarded the Berkeley Medal, the campus's highest honor, in 1999. "Robert Scalapino was a giant in Asian studies and U.S.-Asia relations," said T.J. Pempel, a UC Berkeley political science professor and former director of the institute. "His scholarship was prodigious, and his teaching and active engagement in U.S. foreign policy shaped the policy views of countless Americans and Asians." Last year, the National Bureau of Asian Research and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars created the Scalapino Prize in honor of his contributions to the field of East Asian studies. He served on East Asia and China advisory committees for Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter between 1965 and 1980. Scalapino wrote 39 books on Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. He also wrote about Asian politics and U.S.-Asian policy. The Advertisement two-volume "Communism in Korea," written with Chong-Sik Lee in 1972, won the Woodrow Wilson Award for the best book on government, politics or international affairs. In 1984, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the government of Japan for promoting cooperation between the two countries. Scalapino is survived by two daughters (a third preceded him in death), five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in December, with details to be announced at a later time. Contact Rick Hurd at 925-945-4780 and follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/3rdERH.