David M. Chen ’65

David M. Chen died of a heart attack on Mar. 9, 1999. at his home in Montreal. He was born in Chungking, China, and immigrated to this country when his father was posted to China's diplomatic mission in Washington.

Following the 1949 change of government in China, his family became US citizens under special consideration of the State Department. At Princeton, he earned his degree as a civil engineer, played football, and belonged to Quadrangle Club. After graduation, he joined the Peace Corps, serving for two years in Pakistan before enrolling at Stanford to get a master's in civil engineering. He then began a long, successful career with Bechtel, supervising engineering projects all over the world. He left Bechtel in 1988 for a series of successful ventures as the pres. of small engineering companies.

He had come to think of Montreal as his home, the city where he met his wife, Marie-Paule Chen-Dube, who predeceased him in 1993. His companion, Sylvie Robichaud, and her son, Kenny Pinel, were with him when he was stricken. He is survived by his parents, Wansu and Yin Ching Chen, his sister Min-Vin Chen, and his three brothers Frank, Philip, and Melvin. The class sends it sympathies.

The Class of 1965