My father Wen-Yang Wen (溫文洋) 1931-2021

Wen, Alvin （溫宏明）wrote January 12th,2021 “It is with heavy heart that I share the sad news that my father passed away this morning at 8:30 AM. [溫文洋，1931年3月7日出生於新竹，是溫吉和余月娥的次男；2021年1月12日安息，妻劉淑媛是台南劉主安之次女。]  

My father, Wen-Yang Wen (溫文洋), was born in 1931 in Hsinchu (新竹), Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. The second of four brothers, his parents were both schoolteachers. His first language was Japanese(日語), and he remained passionate about Japanese language and culture throughout his life.

He was one of only two non-Japanese students admitted to the highly selective Taipei Middle School(台灣總督府 台北高等學校), and studied at National Taiwan University(國立 台灣大學) after the end of the war. After graduation, based on results of a national examination he was one of only two students not affiliated with the government to be awarded a scholarship for study in the United States.

He traveled to the US in 1953 where he earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, studying the properties of the water molecule under Professor Henry S. Frank. He subsequently undertook one year of post-doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

He married his beloved wife, my mother Sue Shu-Yuan (Liu) Wen(劉淑媛) in Pittsburgh in 1959, and after a two-year postdoctoral appointment at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois under Professor Irving Klotz, he became an Assistant Professor at DePaul University in Chicago.

In 1962 he joined the faculty of the Chemistry Department at Clark University, in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he would remain until his retirement in 2000. He remained intellectually active after retirement, taking courses in subjects including astronomy and geology. He was passionate about astronomy and carried a telescope with him on field trips to Hawaii and Australia. He was also an avid runner, and ran a mile or more every day as long as he was physically able.

Although he was highly introverted and preferred to avoid social engagements, as you can see in these photos he had a joyful spirit that bubbled to the surface in the presence of friends and family. He passed quickly and painlessly at home on 13 January 2021. We will all miss him dearly.