w:\doc\web\2001\07\obit.txt


John Chih-An Hu Age 79. Passed away July 29, 2001. Ancestor of Hu
Guo-Pei of 1600. Born in Hupei province China July 1922.  Survived by
wife Betty and children Arthur, Benjamin, Carl, David, Eileen,
Franklin, George and the 17th generation of 13 grandchildren. Former
Chairperson Puget Sound Section American Chemical Society. Studied at
National Central University in Nanjing which relocated to keep ahead
of occupying armies during WWII. Came to US from Taiwan on a steamer

in the 1950s for graduate study at University of Southern California.
He met another Chinese student, Betty Siao Yung in 1957, who used her
chemistry degree towards a career of motherhood starting in 1958. 


Quietly perfected practical sealants for energy-saving dual-pane
windows in 1963. John's fateful choice of moving to Renton in 1966
made us among the first of what would develop into an immigrant
center with the first suburban Asian shopping mall in the state.  He
worked for Boeing for over 25 years on sealants and materials still
used today on the 747, and pushed for creating a Boeing chemical
company.


His patent for "chromatopyrography" was widely lauded, and led to
contributions to industry books, magazines, and a 4 week lecture tour
of China in 1982. He received an honarary PhD in organic chemistry in
1985.  


His greatest wealth was invested not in possessions but his children.
All played violin, some as concertmaster.  His remarkable American
dream was sending all 7 children to Stanford and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology from Renton Public Schools.  Six are in
software, one is a urologist. Son Arthur got the 2nd highest number of 
votes for statewide minority candidate in 2000.


Before our generation's 22MPG cars and minivans, "Baba" spent
countless hours in the "little car" VW Bug driving us to Cub Scouts,
the Science Center, Thalia and Seattle Youth Symphonies, and violin
teacher Vilem Sokol when we weren't waking up to oatmeal and JP
Patches. Many summers were spent driving on camping trips all over
the west and music camps in our "big car", a VW Bus.  We will miss
him dearly and we will strive to love our children and help them
achieve success as he did.