the short biography of richard b. mather from that family memoir, "william arnot mather, american missionary to china and richard burroughs mather, professor of chinese: the biography and autobiography of a father and a son," is as follows: "richard b. mather, an ordained presbyterian minister and a professor emeritus of chinese language and literature at the university of minnesota-twin cities, is a world-renowned specialist of the chinese six dynasties period (220-589). as the author of several noteworthy books, he is especially well-known for his monumental english translation of the chinese classic, "shih-shuo hsin-yü," by liu i-ch'ing (403-444). he and virginia, his wife of 71 years, reside in falcon heights, minnesota."