James Melmuth Brock

Family-Placed Obituary

JAMES MELMUTH BROCK Civil engineer, entrepreneur, educator, long time Hawaii resident and Chinese energy specialist, Jim passed away unexpectedly on March 28, 2008 in Beijing, China. He was 64 years old. Jim moved to Beijing in 1998 as Chief Legal Rep. of HEI Power Corp. (China). Jim established himself as an independent energy consultant on China's coal, oil and power industries, working later with Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) and Anglo American/Anglo Coal. He worked closely with the Chinese government on its draft Energy Law, was an active leader in the American Chamber of Commerce, Beijing and a member of the China-US Mediation Center's Panel of Neutrals. Born in Brockton, MA on January 12, 1944 to James Melmuth Brock and Ruth Copeland, Jim apprenticed as a land surveyor at age 13. In 1962 he became the fourth High School student accepted into the Peace Corps, at the age of 18. Stationed in North Borneo, Malaysia, he surveyed Mt. Kinabalu and, in May 1964, appeared in an issue of the National Geographic Society Magazine for his assistance in locating the world's largest flower-the Rafflesia. After his marriage to Mary Soong of Sabah, Malaysia, the couple lived in Vietnam and Thailand before moving to Hawaii with their daughter Cynthia. From 1973 to 1982 he founded and ran Brock & Associates, Ltd. an engineering and surveying firm in Wailuku, Maui, and in 1982 began working in venture capital development including Advanced Library Concepts which computerized the UH Library, Seaculture a shrimp and oyster production firm, and Ko'olau Brewery, Hawaii's first microbrewery. A visionary and planner, Mr. Brock taught classes at the University of Hawai'i in the area of Future Studies and, in 1992, founded the USA-China Technology Corporation. An autodidact, Jim will be remembered as a man of encyclopedic knowledge, passion, generosity and original insight whose leadership in mediation, resource allocation, managing change, conservation and policy development made him a much sought after speaker, writer and expert resource on issues as varied as Hawaiian land matters and survey methods, future studies and China's energy development. Jim married Jiang Na of Hohhot, Mongolia after divorcing Mary Brock in 2001. Besides Jiang Na of Beijing, China, he is survived by daughter Cynthia Brock (Raymond Craib), grandchildren Connor and Alana Craib, former wife Mary Soong-Brock all of Ithaca, New York; and his brother, Ralph Brock of New Braunfels, Texas. Please contact Cynthia.ny@earthlink.net to share memories and receive notification a future gathering. Updated on 08/17/2008.