James A. Hunter (1890-1966)  

 A native of Illinois, James A. Hunter first went to China in 1913 as a lay missionary. Altogether he dedicated a total of 24 years to the service of the people there. He devoted himself to promoting agricultural education and agricultural extension work.

 During the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) he administered a refugees' and relief program. After the war he worked for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). He came to Taiwan in 1949, where he was appointed as head of the livestock division of the Joint Commission for Rural Reconstruction (JCRR). In this capacity he made a major contribution to the development of livestock husbandry on Taiwan. He especially played a major role in controlling northern Taiwan, setting up vaccination and quarantine programs for livestock, and introducing superior breeds of livestock from abroad. In recognition of his outstanding service to China and Taiwan, the government awarded him a Jinhsin medal upon his retirement from the JCRR in 1958.

 Through his association with Tunghai University, he taught Sociology, administrated a unique student work-study program, and assisted in launching the university's livestock husbandry program. Acting on Professor Hunter's proposal, the university set up a Committee on Improving the Quality of Life of the Villages on the Tadu Hill Ridge in 1960. More than three decades later, Taiwan is following in the path pioneered by Professor Hunter.

 James Hunter's wife, Maude A. Hunter, taught in the Department of Foreign Languages. All three of their children were born and raised in mainland China. After over four decades of dedicated service to the people of China and Taiwan, the Hunters returned to their homeland in 1961. James A. Hunter died in 1966 at the age of 76.

 Mindful of James A. Hunter's legacy and "thankfully tracing the water drunk to its source", the Tadu Hill Ridge residents and members of the Tunghai community joined together to construct the James Hunter Memorial Park. The statue was erected in the hope that the community development model pioneered by James Hunter, and the spirit of Christian love he expressed, will remain forever.