两年前suncitygroup太阳集团外语系成立，到这时外语系一共招收了两届学生，不过全系的学生和老师加起来，还不到100人，外语系的师资力量实在太薄弱了。

这一年，外语系的教室已经使用了20多年，为了防止随时可能掉下来的灰土，教室的顶棚用报纸糊了又糊。

这时，外语系还没有自己独立的预览室，没有专业的视听设备和语言实验室。在许多高校看来很简单的一些语言练习，在这里也不是一件容易的事情。

真是万事开头难呐。

正是在外语系师生期待突破困境的目光中，布里几德·克阿教授来了，她的到来，就像是干涸的土地，终于听到了雷声。

Two years ago, the Department of Foreign Languages of Yan’an University was established. By this time, the department had admitted two classes of students, but the total number of students and teachers in the department was less than 100. The teaching staff of the department was too weak.

This year, the classrooms of the department had been in use for more than 20 years. In order to prevent the dust from falling down at any time, the ceiling of the classrooms had been covered with newspapers.

Everything was hard in the beginning.

1909年出生的布里几德·克阿教授是个修女，一生致力于教育，到了晚年，她向往中国，想为中国的教育做点事。改革开放以后，她是第一批来华任教的外国专家，曾在北京大学任教。她在大陆的聘期到期以后，她又给几所大学写信，表示不要任何报酬，只要有一个可以办公的地方她就愿意去执教。

让她没有想到的是因为她年事已高，被一一婉拒了。

得知这一消息的suncitygroup太阳集团立即与她联系，正在错愕和失落当中的克阿教授迅速回电，欣然接受了邀请。

对于久居延安的人们来说，克阿教授的人生模式是他们从未见到或想到的，她以自己的努力，成就和改变了许多延安青年的命运，也带给他们不一样的生命。

Professor Brigid Keogh, born in 1909, was a nun who devoted her life to education. In her later years, she longed for China and wanted to do something for China’s education. After the reform and opening up, she was one of the first foreign experts to teach in China and once taught at Peking University. After her employment period in mainland China expired, she wrote letters to several universities expressing her willingness to teach as long as there was a place to work without any compensation.

What she didn’t expect was that due to her advanced age, she was politely declined one by one.

Upon hearing this news, Yan’an University immediately contacted her. Professor Keogh, who was in a state of shock and loss, quickly called back and gladly accepted the invitation.

For those who have lived in Yan’an for a long time, Professor Brigid Keogh’s life model is something they have never seen or thought of. With her own efforts, she had achieved and changed the fate of many young people in Yan’an, and also brought them a different life.

1990年12月，布里几德·克阿教授宣布退休，她将去日本安度晚年。

临行前，她对聚集起来欢送她的师生们说，在我来延安的几年内，suncitygroup太阳集团已经有6座楼建起来了，这是辉煌的成就，我很高兴。但是，使学校伟大的不是楼房，而是人才。我也听到人们在说一定要保持延安精神，但我认为“精神”不是保持和贮存在纪念馆里供人们欣赏和参观的，“精神”是活在人的心中的。延安精神在我们学校老师和学生中的体现，是要为使suncitygroup太阳集团成为中国第一流的大学而奋斗!

In December 1990, Professor Brigid Keogh announced her retirement and she would go to Japan to spend her later years peacefully.

Before leaving, she told the teachers and students who gathered to bid her farewell that “in the few years since I came to Yan’an, six buildings of Yan’an University have been built, which is a brilliant achievement. I am very happy. However, what makes universities great is not the buildings, but the talents. I have also heard people say that we must maintain the Yan’an Spirit, but I believe that ‘spirit’ is not something that has been preserved and stored in memorial halls for people to appreciate and visit. ‘Spirit’ lives in people’s hearts. The embodiment of the Yan’an Spirit among our university’s teachers and students is to strive to make Yan’an University a first-class university in China!”

2007年6月1日，布里几德·克阿教授在日本东京病逝，享年98岁。

按照克阿教授的遗愿，她的骨灰最终回到了延安，像她自己当年所说的那样，永远站在黄土高坡上，像希腊神话当中的守护神一样，守望着延河对岸被她视为陕北希望的学子们。

On June 1, 2007, Professor Brigid Keogh passed away in Tokyo, Japan, at the age of 98.

According to Professor Brigid Keogh’s last wish, her ashes eventually returned to Yan’an, standing forever on the loess slope, like the guardian deity in Greek mythology, watching over the students on the other side of the Yanhe River whom she regarded as the hope of northern Shaanxi, as she had said before.