IPOH, May 20 — Sadness filled the halls of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) here yesterday after it lost Prof Dr Elvis Teh Chee Seng, one of its respected educators on Wednesday night.

The student development and alumni relations vice-president suffered a fatal heart attack while on a cycling trip. He was 51.

Teh had set out on a 50km ride with four other cyclists at about 6.40pm, before succumbing to the heart attack about three hours later.

Utar journalism student Eugene Lim, who was one of the cyclists, told Malay Mail that Teh seemed out of breath before embarking on the final leg of the ride.

“I had accompanied him on rides to Teluk Intan before and I had found the 120km round-trip torturous but he enjoyed it,” he said.

“On Wednesday night, however, he seemed out of breath on our last stop in Tronoh. We told him to take a longer break, but he only stopped for 15 minutes before getting back on the bike.”

Lim, who then went ahead with another rider, realised something was amiss when two motorists told him a cyclist had fallen on the road behind them.

After turning back, he was shocked to see that the rider was Teh, who had lost control of his bicycle before collapsing on the road.

“I still can’t accept the fact that he is gone because it was just so sudden. We will all miss him dearly,” said Lim.

Teh, a bachelor from Kuala Lumpur, had been employed at Utar for 12 years, where he was also dean of the university’s Faculty of Arts and Social Science.

A lecturer at the faculty, Teh Boon Teck, who is not related to the deceased, described him as someone deeply connected with the staff and student body.

“He loved to help people, students and staff alike. It is a huge loss for the university because he was really special,” he said.

Fellow lecturer Afi Roshezry Abu Bakar said he was distraught by Teh’s demise.

“I remember sharing a laugh with him during a meeting last week. I never thought I would be crying over him seven days later. I will miss those good memories,” he said.