Yue-Chyou Yang

1918 - 2016

Yue-Chyou Yang

A prominent structural engineer and leader in the Chinese-American community, died in his sleep on February 18th at his home in San Francisco. He was 97.

Y.C. was born on March 26, 1918 in Haimen, Jiangsu Province, China, the elder of two children. He was educated at Tang Shan Engineering College at Jiaotong University, graduating with a Bachelor's in Civil Engineering in 1943. He performed construction and design work for railroads in northwestern China and Taiwan, beginning a lifelong association with the noted structural engineer, T.Y. Lin.

Y.C. moved to America in 1956, earning a Master's in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1957. He joined T.Y. Lin and Associates (later T.Y. Lin International) in 1959, eventually becoming Chief Engineer, Vice President, and Chairman of the Board.

With T.Y. Lin and other collaborators, Y.C. pioneered the use of pre-stressed concrete in construction, designing hundreds of bridges and buildings. Prominent buildings include the Moscone Center at San Francisco, the Shah Alam Stadium in Malaysia, the Bank of America building in Managua, Nicaragua, and international airport terminals in Taoyuan Taiwan, San Francisco, and Oakland. Particularly noteworthy bridges include the Smith Avenue High Bridge in St. Paul, the Rio Colorado Bridge in Costa Rica, and the picturesque Guandu bridge in Taiwan. Y.C. took special joy in explaining the engineering challenges and cost savings his team realized.

T.Y. Lin and Y.C. were especially devoted to infrastructure development in their native China, serving as consultants in the planning of many developments, most notably Shanghai's Lupu Bridge, the Pudong District, and the Three Gorges Dam.

Y.C. was active in the Chinese-American community. He was a founding member of the Chinese Institute of Engineers' San Francisco chapter, and the chapter's second president. He helped to found the Chinese Culture Association in San Francisco, and was a member of the Committee of 100.

Y.C.'s wife of 61 years, Jane, predeceased him in 2004. He is survived by his sons, John, Stephen, and Paul, 7 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.

The funeral and burial service will be held at Skylawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park in San Mateo, on Sunday, February 28th, 2016, at 10 am.