James Yuan-Jih Shen

James Shen was born in Wuhan, China in 1934 to Liang-Shen and S.C. Yu. He spent his childhood in the cities of Chongqing, Nanjing, and Hwangpo, before leaving for Taiwan in 1949 during the civil war between the Nationalist and Communist parties. He attended Chengkung and Hsinchu High Schools before enrolling at National Taiwan University in Taipei in 1953 where he was class president and graduated in 1957 as valedictorian. After finishing 2 years of mandatory military service, he traveled to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship to study civil engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA, obtaining a Master’s degree in 1962. In 1963 he married Evelyn Wu in New York City. After a short stint with the New York Transit Authority, he joined Bechtel Engineering Corporation in 1964.

While working in NYC, his son Perry and daughter Caroline were born, and in 1969 he was transferred to Gaithersburg, MD. Son Philip was later born in Virginia and the family was complete. James continued to work hard and create opportunities for his family, obtaining an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1974. He then secured a highly coveted overseas assignment to Taiwan which started with a move to Irvine, CA in 1976 for preliminary project management work at the Los Angeles office. He then moved to Taiwan in 1978, living first in Kaohsiung and then Hengchun, while helping to construct the country’s third nuclear power plant. In 1983 he returned to the Los Angeles office before heading out to multiple engineering assignments across the country and throughout Asia. These included stops in Guangzhou, China; Shanghai, China; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Nagasaki, Japan. He retired from Bechtel in 2000 after 36 years of distinguished service.

When James first moved to Irvine, CA in 1976, he founded the Irvine Chinese School which has grown to become the largest Chinese Cultural Center on the West Coast. During his retirement, James enjoyed an active social life playing poker with friends, taking cruises around the world, and doing work projects around the house. He is survived by his cherished wife Evelyn, younger brother David; 3 children Perry (Jane), Caroline (Matt), and Phil (Sam); and grandchildren (Conrad, Scarlett, Alexandra, Kennedy, Lauren, Taylor, and Chandler). James was known for his extraordinary work ethic, helpfulness and concern for others, and ability to connect with people and make friends. He was an amazing person and role-model who made a wonderful life for himself and his family in his adopted country, and we will never forget him.

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