 |
T.Y. Lin's visionary
spirit captured in print
By Jan Ambrosini
The life and times of structural engineering pioneer Tung-Yen
(T.Y.) Lin were captured in interviews and preserved in print
in an oral history produced in late 2001 by The Bancroft Library’s
Regional Oral History Office (ROHO).
 |
| T.Y.
Lin, with Eleanor Swent of Berkeley ’s Regional Oral
History Office at an event held in his honor in October 2001
upon the publication of the oral history detailing his life
and accomplishments. Photo: Bruce Cook |
Lin, a professor emeritus in the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, achieved worldwide renown not only for the projects
he designed, such as San Francisco’s Moscone Convention
Center, but also for the innovative ideas he proposed, beginning
with a "Peace Bridge" across the Bering Strait between
Alaska and Siberia.
"For half a century, I have been witness to the brilliance
of T.Y. Lin," writes Berkeley colleague and professor emeritus
Alexander Scordelis in the book’s introduction. "It
is a brilliance that illuminates not only from his mind, but from
his heart; not only from the excellence of his innovations, but
from the warmth of his intentions; not only from his pioneering
work, but from his visionary spirit."
Based on a series of interviews conducted by ROHO’s Eleanor
Swent in 1999, the volume spans Lin’s life, from his childhood
in China to his extraordinary achievements as a civil engineer.
Born in 1912, Lin earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering
from Jiaotung University in China, then came to Berkeley as a
graduate student in 1932. His master’s thesis on direct
moment distribution led to important advances in structural design,
and, as the first student thesis published by the American Society
of Civil Engineers (ASCE), became a classic in the field.
Lin returned to Shanghai in 1933 to work with the Chinese Ministry
of Railways. At age 25, he became chief bridge engineer of the
mountainous Chungking-Chengdu Railway system, helping to survey,
design, and build more than a thousand bridges across China’s
rugged terrain. After marrying Margaret Kao in 1941, Lin returned
to Berkeley to teach in 1946. Here he pioneered the development
and use of prestressed concrete, which combines concrete with
steel tendons for both strength and economy. Engineering News
Record called the material a "radically simple idea"
that made standard the fabrication of prestressed frames, slabs,
and shells used in construction worldwide.
To link his teaching and research with actual practice, Lin founded
T.Y. Lin International in 1954. He retired from Berkeley in 1976
to lead the company full-time until 1992, when he sold the firm
and formed Lin Tung-Yen China, Inc. Lin received the National
Medal of Science, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering,
was named Alumnus of the Year by the California Alumni Association,
was listed among the 125 "Top People of the Past 125 Years"
by Engineering News Record, and was the first recipient of ASCE’s
Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Design award. ASCE further
honored him by renaming its annual Prestressed Concrete Award
the T. Y. Lin Award.
The Lin oral history was funded through contributions from the
T.Y. Lin Foundation and the College of Engineering. To order copies
of the volume, contact the Regional Oral History Office, 486 The
Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, or
call 510/642-7395.
Author Jan Ambrosini is former editor
of Forefront.
|
