Slain USC professor Bosco Tjan recalled for his generosity, empathy, humor and love

With hands clasped and heads bowed, hundreds of USC students, faculty, staff and university leaders gathered at a memorial Monday for Bosco Tjan, a beloved neuroscience professor who was stabbed to death by a student on Friday, the last day of classes.

“Tragically, Bosco died doing what he loved, doing what he believed in — serving his students and building up a new generation of scholars,” USC President C.L. Max Nikias said. “His achievements are real, his influence enduring.”

The shock of Tjan’s death reverberated over the weekend through USC, where he had worked for more than 15 years and was considered a cornerstone of the neuroscience graduate program.

He was a co-founder of the university’s neuroimaging center, where he served as technical director, led a number of research projects and taught a lab course on functional imaging.

Mourners on Monday stood together in front of the Tommy Trojan statue to offer memories of the slain professor. As they held each other and wiped away tears, they grappled with his unimaginable death.

Helga Mazyar, a PhD neuroscience student who had been studying under Tjan for the past five years, said her professor was more than just a mentor; he was a good friend.

When her car broke down, he suggested which mechanics to try and how to make sure they were doing a good job, she said. When the hard drive on her laptop failed, he taught her how to diagnose the problem. When she ran into problems with her student visa, he personally followed up with embassy and other officials until the issue was resolved.

“I could talk to him about anything,” Mazyar said. “Helping people in every possible way was in his nature... I learned from Bosco not to make excuses when people needed my help.”

Tjan, 50, was stabbed to death inside his 10th-floor office in USC’s Seeley G. Mudd Building about 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to Los Angeles police. He suffered a severe chest wound and died at the scene, officials said.

Police arrested David Jonathan Brown, a 28-year-old student in Tjan’s introductory lab course, who was still at the scene when authorities arrived. He was apprehended with no resistance, an LAPD spokeswoman said.

Authorities described the slaying as “targeted,” but have not discussed a motive.

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Hundreds of mourners listen to a speaker during a remembrance ceremony honoring slain USCprofessor Bosco Tjan.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Father Richard Sunwoo of Caruso Catholic Center, left; Varun Soni, dean of religious life at USC; and the Rev. James Burklo, associate dean of religious life embrace.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Mourners listen to USC graduate student Helga Mayzar speak.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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USC graduate student Helga Mayzar hugs fellow mourners after speaking at a ceremony honoringprofessor Bosco Tjan.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Mourners embrace during a remembrance ceremony for USC psychology professor Bosco Tjan.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Flowers are placed outside the Seeley G. Mudd building on the USC campus where USC psychology professor Bosco Tjan was stabbed to death.  (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

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A student walks by the Seeley G. Mudd building on the USC campus where USC psychology professor Bosco Tjan was stabbed to death.  (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

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People walk by the Seeley G. Mudd building Saturday on the USC campus where USC psychology professor Bosco Tjan was stabbed to death Friday night.  (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

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An LAPD officer enters the Seeley G. Mudd Building on the USC campus, where a male professor was stabbed to death.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Yellow crime scene tape is seen near the entrance to the Seeley G. Mudd building on the USC campus.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar addresses the media near the entrance to USC’s Seeley G. Mudd building after the on-campus slaying.  (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Varun Soni, dean of religious life at USC, said he spent the weekend meeting Tjan’s many friends and colleagues and students, who all talked about “his generosity, his empathy, his humor, his love.”

“Indeed, they all knew him as a scientist who led first and foremost with his humanity,” said Soni, who added that people described Tjan as someone with “pure heart” who remembered the people that his research was meant to help.

Others remembered how tirelessly he worked, and how he served on various committees at school and often chose to repair the complex machinery in the imaging center himself.

As the vigil came to a close, Soni and university leaders called on the hundreds who had gathered together to take care of each other, to be more compassionate, to pay more attention to their peers, ask more questions and support each other.

Counselors and chaplains from various faiths raised their hands among the crowd and asked students to share their grief and sadness should they need more support or guidance.

Many students and faculty lingered long after the service. They greeted each other with hugs and waited in line patiently to sign a memory book that will be given to Tjan’s wife and son.

rosanna.xia@latimes.com

UPDATES:

5:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the memorial service and background on Tjan’s death.

This article was originally published at 2:35 p.m.