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The James Yao Wiki
This Wiki web is being set up to collect stories about Jim Yao as well as to collect useful information for those who suffer from Parkinson Disease as Jim does. Jim's wife Anna passed away in 2006; there is a Wiki web site set up to celebrate her life].
Also take a look at http://squarearts.com which is Jim's site for his paintings and paper foldings.
In August (2007), Jim (with help from Tina, Tim, Kristiana and Sunny) gave a wonton folding class at the Benedale Center.
December 23, 2009: Jim Yao passed away at home at the Benedale Center (under hospice care) with his son Tim, daughter-in-law Nan and granddaughter Kristiana holding his hands. Here is the draft obituary.
Funeral logistics
The Mass of Christian Burial was held Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 11:00 AM at the Sacred Heart Monastery Chapel in Lisle, Illinois (googlemap).
Inurnment
Jim's ashes will be interred beside Anna's in Assumption Cemetery, Wheaton, Illinois at some later date to be scheduled when the weather is warmer.
Stories about Jim
Please feel free to create a login for yourself and to enter your stories here. If there are any stories posted which the author would prefer not to be listed, please contact Tim Yao to have them removed.
- Messages of condolence - Hojjat Adeli, Donn Hancher, Felix Wong, Tami and Hitoshi Furuta, Jose Roesset, Lee Lowery, Larry and Dottie Soong, David and Karen Blockley, Shipei Zhang, Colin Brown
- Messages of remembrance - Eric Lui, Thomas Lenox, Al Ang
- Origami Mobile - Carol Hsiung
- Origami in Kyoto - Emin Aktan
- Jim the basketball player - Robert Hsiung
- the kindest man I know - Lily Loh
- the Texas A&M years - John Weese
- compassionate - Mike Gaus
- when Jim wanted me to do something - Ross Corotis
- memories of Jim - Fred and Ruby Ju
- how I met Jim - Anshel Schiff
- the self-starter - Roberto Lee
- a personal tribute to my respected lifetime colleague and forever dear friend Jim - Henry Yang
- Tribute to Jim Yao - Paul H. Wirsching
- Jim Yao Memories - Peyton Smith
- a true mentor - Karen Chou
- this good man - Tina
- a man's accomplishment - Y. K. Wen
- a real leader and friend - Jeff Russell
- Remembering Jim - Dora Hsiung
- my friend - Dick Birdwell
- the booming voice - Tim Yao
- a bowlful of his origami - Jurene and Doug Steadman
- I knew a great man and he handed me a folded bird - Cliff and Judy Schexnayder
- You can see his foot prints in many offices around the world where he visited - Ken Chong
- Letter of condolence from President Ikenberry, University of Illinois
- Tribute from the Board of Directors of the University of Illinois Foundation
Photos
- Photos of Jim Yao (throughout his life) (picasa.google.com)
- Photos from the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE/WORKSHOP ON ENGINEERING EDUCATION HONORING PROFESSOR JAMES T. P. YAO - February 22, 2003
- There are additional photos at the Square Arts site, including water color paintings that Jim did
Memorials
Jim and Anna established three scholarships in Civil Engineering in their name:
- Anna Lee and James T. P. Yao scholarship at the University of Illinois
- You can make checks payable to the University of Illinois Foundation (or U of I Foundation), and put in the memo section CEE Yao Scholarship. If you wish to contribute online, go to the U of I Foundation secure website and select other from the menu and put in CEE Yao Scholarship.
- University of Illinois Foundation, 1305 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801-2962
- Telephone: 217-333-0810; Fax: 217-333-5577
- Anna Lee and James T. P. Yao scholarship at Purdue University
- Anna Lee and James T. P. Yao scholarship at Texas A&M University
Links
- Instructions for the folded paper superfrog, which was one of Jim's favorite things to fold (pages designed by Tina)
- Earthquake Engineering Online Archive - papers authored or co-authored by James Yao
- Suggested Topics for a Civil Engineering Curriculum in Infrastructure Management, by James T. P. Yao and Jose M. Roesset
- Engines of our Ingenuity: No. 1110: ORIGAMI by John H. Lienhard, featuring a radio program that mentions Jim Yao
