Obituary of Yong-Shan Austin Chang

Y. Austin Chang, Professor Passed away August 2, 2011 at age 78. He is survived by his devoted wife of 55 years, P. Jean Chang; loving sons, & daughters in law, Dr. Vincent & Suzanne Chang, Dr. Lawrence & Diana Chang, Theodore Chang; grandchildren, Kristina, Jing Chang, Brian, Alyssa, Steven, Michael Chang; brothers, Douglas & Raymond; sisters, Wan-Ru & Ai-Ling; many nieces & nephews. Professor Chang was a member of the Metallurgical Society (TMS), The American Society for Metals, and a University of Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1996, elected a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2000 and elected a member of Academia Sinica of Taiwan in 2010. A Memorial Service will be held in the Rochester Chinese Christian Church, 1524 Jackson Road, Penfield, New York (Click for a Map to the Church) on SATURDAY August 20, 2011 at 1:00 PM. Interment was held privately. Yong-Shan Austin Chang was born in Goon village, Honan province, China in late 1932. He grew up during the Sino-Japanese war period. He had frequent interruptions in his elementary and high school education. As a young child he was almost kidnapped by the Chinese army. At that time young boys were forced to serve as soldiers. His mother hid him in the school house and he was able to escape the kidnapping. He later became very ill with typhoid fever but recovered with some long term leg pain. In 1950, Austin came to the US as a foreign student and first studied at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He transferred to University of California - Berkeley the following year. He received a BS in Chemical Engineering in 1954. He went on to the University of Washington in Seattle to receive a MS in Chemical Engineering in 1955. In 1956, he married Pi-Ying Jean Ho, the love of his life. He worked as a chemical engineer for Stauffer Chemical in Berkeley, CA for three years. He returned to study at U.C.-Berkeley and received his PhD in metallurgy in 1963. From 1963-67, Austin worked as a researcher in metallurgy at Aerojet General Crop, Sacramento CA. Austin was most proud of his three sons and his six grandchildren. Vincent, his eldest son, is an accomplished general surgeon in the Rochester, NY area. Lawrence, his second son, is a successful plastic surgeon in Newark, Delaware, and Theo, his youngest son, has adjusted to life in Rochester despite his disability. It was because of Theo that Austin and Jean moved here from Madison, WI five and a half years ago. Austin enjoyed Sunday dinners and school activities with Vincent and his family watching his granddaughters grow up. Austin and Jean enjoyed their life together for almost fifty-five years. They travelled extensively to many countries on several continents for both professional reasons and personal pleasure. They also shared many other interests together such as walking, watching sunrise/sunset, visiting scenic places, and attending musical programs. His academic career began in 1967 with his move to Milwaukee, WI. Refer to below for highlights of his academic life. Appointments/ Affiliations 1967-70 Assoc. Professor of Materials Engineering Univ. of WI- Milwaukee 1970-80 Professor of Materials Engineering Univ. of WI-Milwaukee 1971-77 Chairman Univ. of WI-Milwaukee 1978-80 Assoc. Dean for Research, Graduate School Univ. of WI- Milwaukee 1980-2006 Prof. of Materials Science & Engineering Univ. of WI-Madison 1982-1991 Chairman Univ. of WI-Madison 1988-2006 WI. Distinguished Professor Univ. of WI-Madison 2006-present WI. Distinguished Professor Emeritus Univ. of WI-Madison 2010-present Distinguished Chair Professor, National Tsing Hua Dept. of Materials & Engineering Taiwan Selective Honors/Awards 1972 Outstanding Instructor Award Univ. of WI-Milwaukee 1978 Fellow ASM-International 1987 Visiting Professor Tohoku Univ., Sendai, Japan 1989 William Hume-Rothery Award TMS 1990 Educator Award TMS 1991 Fellow TMS 1991 Visiting Professor (sabbatical leave) MIT 1994 Albert Easton White Distinguished ASM-International Teacher Award 1996 Elected Member U.S. National Academy of Engineering 1996 Albert Sauver Achievement Award ASM-International 1996 Champion H. Mathewson Medal TMS 2000 Foreign Member National Chinese Academy of Sciences 2000 John Bardeen Award TMS 2001-04 Honorary Chair Professor National Tsing Hua Univ., Taiwan 2003 Edward DeMille Campbell ASM-International Lecturer Award 2010 Elected as member of Academia Sinica Taiwan Academy of Sciences 2011 Leadership Award TMS Home Fairport, New York Birthplace Honan, China Donations In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: The Arc Foundation of Monroe 2060 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road Rochester, New York 14623 Link to the Website OR The Rochester Chinese Christian Church 1524 Jackson Road Penfield, New York 14526 Link to the Website