Jeffrey Chuan Chu

Jeffrey Chuan Chu, computer pioneer and passionate crusader for U.S.-China cultural exchange, died at his home in Lincoln, Massachusetts, on June 6, 2011, at the age of 91. While at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1940's, Mr. Chu was a core member of the engineering team that designed the first electronic computer, ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). This room-sized computer, hailed in the press as a "Giant Brain," became operational in February 1946, ushering us into the computer age. ENIAC's successors would improve upon vacuum tube technology, eventually introducing the use of the transistor and then the microchip, leading to computers so compact that individuals could use them in their own homes, and ultimately leading to the hand-held devices we use today. Jeffrey Chuan Chu, known as Chuan to family and friends, was born into a family of scholars in Tianjin, near Beijing, on July 14, 1919. An eldest son, he received private tutoring at home until the age of 12. He was schooled in the Chinese classics and developed an enduring love for Chinese culture and the country of his birth. He later studied at the University of Shanghai (which became Fudan University). Because the war with Japan had reached Shanghai, he was sent to the U.S. to complete his studies in 1940. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Minnesota and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at the Moore School of the University of Pennsylvania. In the midst of this flourishing career, a new chapter began in Chuan's life when the U.S. reopened travel to China in the 1970's. He found the cause that would consume him for the rest of his life - active participation in the modernization of China. In October 1978, Chuan and his wife Loretta returned to the country of his birth for the first time in almost 40 years. As a successful Chinese-American he had reached the pinnacle of his career in the country that was leading the world in the computer industry, and he received a warm welcome in China. The Chinese were eager to modernize their technology and business practices, and open to hearing the advice of someone so prominent in his field. Chuan realized that, with his Chinese roots and his expertise in technology, he was in a unique position to benefit both the U.S. and China. In the early 1970's, Chuan had participated in the master planning of Taiwan's Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, which is now a major center of the global semiconductor industry. This would prove to be good preparation for the task he would undertake on a larger scale in China. In 1980 Chuan met with Deng Xiao Ping, who was leading China into an era of freer market practices. This meeting confirmed to Chuan that the Chinese leadership was committed to reform, and kindled the hope that he could personally make a difference in bringing China forward. Chuan became a passionate voice in the effort to modernize China, serving on various State boards and advising American companies who were interested in doing business in China. Over a period of 30 years, he and his wife Loretta returned to China numerous times in service to this cause. Chuan held honorary advisory positions at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, and the State Planning Commission, among others. Inspired by his years of living in the U.S., Chuan promoted the ideal of public service as being an essential ingredient of a successful modern society. Believing that technology and modern business practices can take a society only so far, he considered the moral ideal of public service to be an equally important export from the U.S. It became his self-appointed mission to inspire individuals to help those less fortunate, and to serve a cause beyond themselves. He advocated this ideal in his many public speeches in China, and he established a Campus Civility Award for the practice of public service at Jiao Tong University. Chuan was a man of tremendous vigor and adventurous spirit. He and his wife Loretta traveled all over the world, to every continent except Antarctica, during their nearly 40-year marriage. He has a large, extended family, in the U.S. and beyond, and he particularly enjoyed the family reunions that were held every five years on his birthday. The last reunion was held in Concord, Massachusetts, to celebrate his 90th birthday. As the family patriarch, he considered it his role to promote harmony among his family members, in the Chinese tradition. He was a prolific letter writer and dispenser of fatherly advice. Although he spent much of his life in the public arena, he seemed happiest when he could find time for quiet contemplation, reading, and writing. He was both teacher and perennial student, invigorated by the world of ideas and eager to share his knowledge with others or to engage them in scholarly discussions. More than 70 years ago, when his parents sent Chuan on his solitary journey to the U.S., they wrote poems to send with him. His father urged him to take a "far-sighted view" and not to be homesick. His mother wrote: Tears trickle down my cheeks, While preparing your clothes. So many things I'd like to urge you. In this troubled world I wish you to succeed, And render your service to the country and the people. Always forward-looking, Chuan could see that we were approaching a time when China and the U.S. would occupy the world stage together. His hope was that this would bring forth only the best in both cultures, and he did his utmost to encourage it. As his father had admonished, Chuan never looked back, but he did return, and he rendered a service to both his countries that will continue to inspire all who remember him. Jeffrey Chuan Chu is survived by his wife Loretta Yung Chu of Lincoln, MA; his brother Zhu Chuan-yi of Beijing, China; and his sister Zhu Chuan-yi of Tianjin, China. He leaves his daughter Lynnet and her husband Noel McDermott of Santa Cruz, CA; daughter Bambi and husband Michael Rae of Naples, Italy; daughter Deirdre and husband Fanul (Bodhi) Kocica of Miami Beach, FL; stepson Van Tsai and wife Paula of Hanover, NH; 8 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. He was pre-deceased by four sisters, Zhu Tao-le, Zhu Shang-rou, Zhu Chuan-xun, and Zhu Chuan-rong, and by his granddaughter Lauren Tsai. A celebration of Chuan's life was be held on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at the First Parish Church in Weston, MA. Interment at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York is private. Donations in memory of Jeffrey Chuan Chu may be made to the Wharton-Penn China Center Fund by contacting Jeffrey Sheehan, jsheehan@wharton.upenn.edu. Please visit jcchu.com for additional information. Arrangements under the care of Glenn D. Burlamachi, CONCORD FUNERAL HOME, Concord. To share a memory or offer a condolence visit: www.concordfuneral.com.