Dr. Kwang-tzu Yang

1926 - 2020

Dr. Kwang-tzu Yang

Nov. 12, 1926 - July 29, 2020

GRANGER, IN - Dr. Kwang-tzu Yang died peacefully at home on July 29, 2020 surrounded by his beloved wife of 68 years, Heather, and his five children, Ginger Hwalek (John), Eugene, Sara Bosco (Joseph), Rini Ng (Terry), and Benson (Fran). Also surviving Dr. Yang are grandchildren, Heather (Taylor), Joseph (Ann), Katherine (Eric), Jennifer, Kevin, Isaac, Hannah, Anna (Fred), Paul (Katie), Julia (Nick), Adrian, Darren, Nicole, Kaitlyn, and Connor; and 3 great-grandchildren, Lucy, Violet and Aiden. Dr. Yang is also survived by a sister, Kwang-jin Yang and a sister-in-law, Randy H. Yang, and many nieces and nephews. Dr. Yang was born in Suzhou, China, in 1926, and came to the United States in 1948 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. While there, he received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering, and completed his Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Professor Max Jakob. Soon after receiving his doctorate with a major in Heat Transfer, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Notre Dame to begin a life-long career in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. He was promoted to Full Professor in 1963, and served as Department Chairman from 1967-1978. He also served as a long-term consultant for Dodge Manufacturing and Tyler Refrigeration. He received several University honors, including the Faculty Award, Graduate School Award, and Honor Researcher. In 1986, he was appointed as the Viola D. Hank Professor of Engineering at Notre Dame. He also received several honors for his research contributions to the field of Heat Transfer by the global research community. These included the Senior Editorship of the Journal of Heat Transfer, the North-American Editorship of the International Journal of Experimental Thermodynamics and Fluid Flow, Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), and the Heat Transfer Memorial Award of ASME. He was also the recipient of the prestigious lifetime achievement award, the Max Jakob Heat Transfer Memorial Award (a joint award from the ASME and the American Institute of Chemical Engineering) and the Foreign Researcher Award of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineering. He retired from the University of Notre Dame Faculty in 1998, after graduating altogether 31 Ph.D. students over his entire academic career at Notre Dame. Dr. Yang was also a member of the viola section of the South Bend Symphony. In retirement, he was invited as a guest lecturer at many leading universities throughout Asia, and enjoyed dispensing investment advice to grandchildren, cruising, and attending Yang Gang family reunions. The family wishes to thank his caregivers, Julie DeWulf and Tanya Warren, and the staff at the Center for Hospice Care, and Brookdale Granger for their caring service. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Hospice Foundation, 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka, IN 46545 (https://foundationforhospice.org) or The Scholarship Foundation of St. Joseph County, 3515 N. Main Street, Suite C, Mishawaka, IN 46545 (https://www.scholarshipfoundation.org). No service is planned at this time due to COVID-19.