Bill Text: NY J00794 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Resolution 794

Introduced

Bill Title: Mourning the death of Robert Shyun-Jing Chao, proud Asian-American, family man, and devoted member of his community

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-04-25 - ADOPTED [J00794 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J00794-Introduced.html


Senate Resolution No. 794

BY: Senator HARCKHAM

        MOURNING  the  death  of  Robert  Shyun-Jing Chao,
        proud Asian-American, family man, and devoted member
        of his community

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens of the State of New York  whose  lifework  and  civic  endeavor
served  to  enhance  the  quality  of life in their communities and this
great Empire State; and

  WHEREAS, Robert Shyun-Jing Chao of  Chappaqua,  New  York,  died  on
Sunday, August 7, 2022, at the age of 74; and

  WHEREAS,  Robert  Shyun-Jing  Chao,  affectionately known to many as
Bob, was born on September 26, 1948,  to  Fei-Kuan  Chao  and  Shih-Ming
Chang  in  Nanjing,  China;  during  his  early childhood, his father, a
Kuomintang  General  who  had  fought  against  the  Japanese  invasion,
retreated to Taiwan when the Communists took over China; in 1949, Robert
and  his  mother  and brother Wei, escaped during the night on a fishing
boat and joined their father in Taiwan, where they made their home; and

  WHEREAS, In 1962, at the young age of  15,  Robert  Shyun-Jing  Chao
left  home  to  attend  high  school  in  Taipei, where he excelled both
academically and socially; and

  WHEREAS,  After  earning  his  bachelor's   degree   in   Mechanical
Engineering   from   Zhong-Xing   University,   Robert  Shyun-Jing  Chao
immigrated to the United States in 1971 for a graduate  program  at  the
University  of  Massachusetts  at Amherst, where he met his future wife,
Ann; and

  WHEREAS, Upon completing his master's degree in  the  Department  of
Mechanical  and Aerospace Engineering, Robert Shyun-Jing Chao received a
Research  Scholarship  in  the  Department  of  Materials  Science   and
Engineering at Cornell University on a PhD track in 1973; and

  WHEREAS,  Robert  Shyun-Jing Chao and Ann were married on January 2,
1975, in Taiwan, and one year later, they moved  to  Chicago,  Illinois,
for  his  first  job  with IITRI; he then took a job at IBM and moved to
Endicott, New York, and later, in 1991,  he  and  his  family  moved  to
Chappaqua,   New  York,  for  an  internal  job  assignment  within  IBM
Headquarters; and

  WHEREAS, Robert Shyun-Jing Chao spent most of  his  career  at  IBM,
first  as  an  engineer,  then  in  Intellectual  Property  Mergers  and
Acquisitions; after IBM, he  spent  years  working  abroad,  first  with
Infineon in Munich, Germany, then in Singapore and Taiwan, and came back
home in 2016, formed a partnership "Radius IP" with an IBM colleague and
worked there until his final days; and

  WHEREAS,  Devoted  to  his  community,  Robert  Shyun-Jing  Chao was
involved with numerous volunteer organizations such as  CAAPS,  and  OCA
Westchester  and  Hudson  Valley  where  he  served  as  the Co-Chair of
Advocacy; and


  WHEREAS, A genuine family man, Robert Shyun-Jing Chao loved to spend
time  with  his  beloved family, and could often be found sitting in the
audience for one of his daughter's musical performances  or  encouraging
their  academic careers and extracurricular interests; he and his family
enjoyed adventure and traveling, whether it was to see a  Broadway  show
in  New  York  City  or  walking  in  the  woods to forage for ramps and
mushrooms or visiting places in Europe and Asia; and

  WHEREAS, Predeceased by  his  parents  and  brother,  Steve,  Robert
Shyun-Jing  Chao is survived by his wife, Ann; two daughters, Yvonne and
Tiffany (David) Bebb; one grandson, Theodore; one sister, Virginia;  and
one  brother,  Wei;  as  well  as  numerous other relatives, friends and
colleagues who will long cherish his memory; and

  WHEREAS, Robert Shyun-Jing Chao was  a  man  of  many  passions  and
interests  and  truly  lived each day to the fullest; his warm smile and
engaging humor will forever remain in the hearts of all those  who  have
had the privilege of knowing such a remarkable man; and

  WHEREAS,  Armed  with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Robert Shyun-Jing Chao leaves behind  a  legacy  which  will
long  endure  the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory
to all he served and befriended; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
mourn  the death of Robert Shyun-Jing Chao, proud Asian-American, family
man, and devoted member of his community; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted to the family of Robert Shyun-Jing Chao.