Wing Ching Lam

Wing Ching Lam, age 95, passed away March 30, 2012, in San Antonio, Texas. He was born May 6, 1916, in Taiwan to Mutu Lim and Duan Lee (maiden name). Wing Ching was educated at Ling Nam University High School in Guangdong prior to immigrating to the United States where he attended the University of Hawaii (1938-39) and received his Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder(1939-42). He went on to receive a Master in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University (1942-43). Additional studies were done at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (summer 1942) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1943-44). While attending M.I.T. he met and married Wai Ching Li (1944) and began work with Carrier International Corporation and studied with Dr. Carrier. Their three children were born in New York City before moving to Hong Kong in 1948. They returned in 1952 to New York to raise his family. In New York he was active the Chinese fraternity Rho Psi social events and participated in Boy Scout events with his sons. Working at Carrier International (1944-1981) as a senior engineer, he designed climate control systems for many hotels, industrial projects and American embassies abroad located in tropical areas. Work took him to Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, France and Caribbean islands After retirement from Carrier (1981), he and his wife moved to San Antonio in 1982 where their eldest son and his family resided. They made many friends in the San Antonio Asian community as a faithful participant in the San Antonio Asian Festival and several Chinese societies. In retirement he very much enjoyed travelling to yearly Ling Nam University high school reunions (for more than 20 years). Their 50th year school reunion was held in Hong Kong and the class reunions were hosted where the alumni lived including Canada, Hawaii, California, New York and in San Antonio. In recent years Wing and Wai Ching moved to the Towers where they made many new friends, partly from his love of bridge and puzzles. He established The Wing Ching Lam Endowed Award in History at UTSA because of his keen interest in world history particularly the migration of the Chinese peoples. Wing Ching will be dearly remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend to many people. He kept in touch with many dear friends and relatives over the years and delighted in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Wai Ching Lam; sons, Victor Lam and wife May, and Wilfred Lam and wife, Esther; daughter, Vivian Lam Braciale; sister, Linda Ling and husband, Eton; 9 grandchildren, Alice Lam, Dorothy Lam, Rebecca Lam, Cynthia Lam Chen, Andrew Lam, Philip Lam, Kara Braciale Nath, Michael Braciale and Laura Braciale Schneider; and 11 great grandchildren, Caleb Chen, Abigail Chen, Alex Lam, Audrey Lam, Sophia Lam, Daniel Lam, Christian Lam, Sebastian Lam, Joanna Lam, Pia Nath, and Asha Nath, and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be designated to: The Wing Ching Lam Endowed Award in History at UTSA Checks payable to UTSA may be mailed to: UTSA - College of Liberal and Fine Arts Office of the Dean One UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249 MEMORIAL SERVICE SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 2:00 P.M. Episcopal Church of Reconciliation 8900 Starcrest San Antonio, TX 78217 www.churhofreconciliation.org