[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1403]]



                      A TRIBUTE TO WARREN C. CHAO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2001

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in tribute to an outstanding 
American, the late Mr. Warren C. Chao who led a life of service, great 
accomplishment and ultimate achievement of the American dream.
  Mr. Chao was born into meager circumstances during a time of great 
turmoil in Manchuria, China, on March 16, 1914. Even as a young man, he 
was deeply committed to receiving an education and left his family to 
attend school in Beijing at the age of 15. During the Japanese 
occupation, Mr. Chao was unable to return to his home.
  When he was at last able to return, Mr. Chao was distressed to learn 
that his father had been tortured and arrested by the Japanese army and 
that his family had been forced to sell their farm to buy his father's 
freedom, leaving them indigent. Also after returning to his native 
Manchuria, Mr. Chao completed his undergraduate work in Civil 
Engineering. For five years after his graduation, Mr. Chao committed 
himself to public service by building agricultural infrastructure for 
Chinese farmers. During this time he supervised various flood 
management projects in China, including the Yellow River project, which 
is, world renowned as one of the most challenging water projects ever 
undertaken by man.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1948, during the Chinese Civil War, Mr. Chao worked 
on water conservation projects in Manchuria for the Nationalist 
government. A staunch anti-communist, he was forced to escape on foot, 
disguised as a peasant, to rejoin his wife who had previously left 
Manchuria for the safety of Beijing. Unfortunately, Mr. Chao's parents 
and extended family were unable to join him. After a brief stay in 
Beijing, Mr. Chao and his wife traveled to Taiwan, not knowing that 
they would not see their homeland again for more than 40 years.
  Once in Taiwan, Mr. Chao got a job with the Taiwan Sugar Company as a 
Civil Engineer. During the eleven years he was employed by the Taiwan 
Sugar Company, he was recognized as a pioneer in developing western 
Taiwan's coastal agricultural areas. After leaving the Taiwan Sugar 
Company, Mr. Chao was employed by the National Taiwan Power Company as 
the Senior Hydraulic Engineer, and was instrumental in building 
numerous large hydraulic dams and power stations. Due to his technical 
and supervisory expertise, he was appointed to be the Irrigation 
Engineer for the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural 
Reconstruction, a venture supported by the United States Agency for 
International Development.
  Mr. Speaker, at the age of 55, Mr. Chao immigrated to the United 
States in pursuit of a better life for his family. He moved to San 
Francisco on August 8, 1970. His lack of skill in the English language 
hindered Mr. Chao professionally, but he persevered, performing hard 
physical labor to support his family.
  Like many Americans, Mr. Chao succeeded despite tremendous odds 
against him. He worked hard to get ahead and attended graduate school 
in civil engineering at the University of California at Davis, and 
environmental engineering at the University of California at San 
Francisco. He returned to engineering at the Naval Supplies Center in 
Alameda where he served as a Civil Engineer for 15 years, retiring at 
the age of 78, after spending his entire professional life using his 
technical knowledge to benefit others.
  Mr. Speaker, sadly Mr. Chao passed away on August 14, 1999. His 
family described his passing in peace and comfort and recalled these 
selfless words from his final days: ``This road is getting too long and 
hard and I don't want to make it too hard for you.'' I will close with 
the words of Mr. Chao's son Michael, who paid the greatest tribute a 
child can to a parent by memorializing his father as a man of 
``accomplishment, sacrifice for his family, service to his country and 
unyielding spirit and enthusiasm for education.''
  I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Mr. Chao for a life well 
lived, for the legacy of public service, for his commitment his family 
in America. I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
Warren Chao.

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