Mourning the loss of Professor Emeritus Chuen Yen Chow
The world lost one of its kindest people on August 20, 2022 when Chuen Yen Chow passed away peacefully at the age of 89 in Henderson, NV.
Chuen Yen was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, professor and mentor to his family and so many others.
Chuen Yen was born on December 5, 1932 in Nanjing, China, one of five sons and the third of six children to Chow Bang-Dao and Yang Hui-Qing. His family emigrated to Taiwan in 1949 and he graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from National Taiwan University in 1954.
Chuen Yen always had a fascination with flying. While his dream of becoming a pilot never came to fruition, he did become a scholar of all things related to flight. He traveled to the United States to study and received M.S. degrees from Purdue University in 1958 and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1961, and his Ph.D in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1964.
He dedicated his career to academic research and teaching to help others achieve the vision of always flying higher, farther and faster than ever before. Chuen Yen started as Assistant Professor in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Notre Dame in 1965, and in 1968 joined the University of Colorado in Boulder as Associate Professor and then Professor of Aerospace Engineering, retiring in 2000 after a distinguished career.
He authored and co-authored several textbooks and also taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy as a Distinguished Professor in 1979-80. Chuen Yen is survived by his wife, Julianna, his sister Chou Chun-Yuan (Der Lin), his sons, Chi Hui Robert (Hilda), Chi Tu (Rieko) and Chi An Steven (Karen), grandchildren Lauren, Melissa, Kyle, Coby and Hannah, and many colleagues, former students and friends. He will be dearly missed.