Dr. Chin Houi Lin

Chin Houi Lin was born on October 4, 1942 (although official records incorrectly indicate September 16), in the rural village Putian County in Fuijian Province, China. He was the youngest of 7 children to father Wei Wuan Lin and mother Xiu Rong Liu. At the age of 7, he fled China with most of his family and moved to Taichung, Taiwan. Although Chin initially struggled in school because he had skipped the grade where the Chinese Phonetic Symbols were taught, his dear sister Jin-Wen tutored him, and he quickly rose to the top of his class. In junior high and high school, he was twice elected class president but often gave himself the hardest tasks and was the last one to go home. In 1960, Chin enrolled in National Taiwan University and entered the Chemical Engineering Department with the highest test scores of any student admitted to that program that year. He wanted to be an engineer like his father.

Chin met Jen-Ching (Grace) Chang, his “dream girl” in his own words, in 1964 after graduating college. He would faithfully visit Jen-Ching at her dorm every Sunday, and they eventually married on July 10, 1966. Soon after, he accepted a full scholarship to the Chemical Engineering graduate program at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Chin’s PhD advisor moved to another university so Chin taught himself IBM computers and FORTRAN, new technologies at the time, and received his PhD in four years.

He began his career as an aerospace engineer at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in 1980, where he stayed until he retired in 2007. At NASA, Chin developed computer models of thermal regulation in space suits, heat pipes to cool spacecraft, and two-phase flow computer simulations. Through many successes, Chin would eventually become the Branch Chief of the Thermal Systems Branch of the Crew and Thermal Systems Division of NASA, the first Asian immigrant to have a managerial position and to reach Branch Chief at JSC. During his tenure at JSC, Chin received two Exceptional Service Medals, his most cherished professional awards. He was also granted a patent for the “Inflatable Spacecraft Module”, awarded the NASA Government Invention of the Year for 2017.

Chin enjoyed reading books, particularly Chinese classical literature, poetry, and history, playing bridge, and spending time with his beloved grandchildren, Ryan and Maggie, the best sources of pride, love and joy in his retirement years. Chin is also deeply loved by his wife, his sons Alex and Andy, their spouses Lisa and Michael, his nieces Julie Yen and Grace Yin, his nephew Mike Zuo, and all of his relatives. A man of few words, he preferred to lead by example, to quietly take the hardships of others upon himself, and to express love through his actions. We thank him for showing us how to be strong while kind and gentle, and to be humble while accomplishing great things. He was a brilliant scholar, a thoughtful gentleman, and a devoted father and grandfather. We all so dearly miss him. May he rest in peace.

A visitation for Chin will be held Saturday, September 1, 2018 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston, Texas 77079, followed by a celebration of life at 1:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialoaksfunerals.com for the Lin family.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Dr. Chin Houi Lin to the Heart Center of Texas Children's Hospital, Office of Philanthropy, Suite 5214, P. O. Box 300600, Houston, Texas 77230-0630.

Link to make an online memorium donation:

http://tchos.convio.net/site/TR/Events/General?px=2025821&pg=personal&fr_id=1073