James Chen

June 17, 1944 - September 30, 2012James Cheng-Hsiung Chen, born in Taipei, Tawain as the middle child of nine siblings, helped run his family's neighborhood grocery store throughout his childhood, along with his brothers and sisters. During summer vacations he did construction work to help out the family.

A strong student throughout his early learning, James entered National Taiwan University’s Department of Civil Engineering, then served in Taiwan’s army where he passed the Special Examination of the Taiwan Provincial Civil Engineering Staff.

After working with the Tseng-Wen Reservoir Engineering Bureau with responsibility for construction of the water conduit spillway system, James transferred to the Expressway Engineering Bureau of the Ministry of Communications in Chilung (Keelung), Taiwan, where he worked in quality construction inspection.

Upon graduation from National Taiwan University, he met Shu-Chin Hsieh, and they married in 1972. In 1974, James came to the US on Research Assistantships in Mechanical and Structural Engineering at the University of Washington. In 1975, he received dual master degrees in structural and mechanical engineering.

He worked at Whitely Jacobsen & Associates, then at KPFF and with Lin & Associates. In 1984 he joined the City of Seattle’s Department of Construction and Land-Use (DCLU). According to his DCLU colleague Steve Pfeiffer, James first worked as a plans examiner reviewing structural plans for new commercial projects, and later as a permit leader where his technical knowledge and his excellent communication skills facilitated his work with the public. He retired in 2010.

Posted October 2012