Obituary of Dr. Tsai Chen Soong

Dr. Tsai Chen (“TC”) Soong, age 92, passed away on February 26, 2015 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Dr. Soong graduated from Tsinghua University (considered the MIT of China) and received a PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University. In an early sign of his brilliance, Dr. Soong received the second highest score in China’s nationwide college entrance examination. Born in Hangzhou, China, he grew up during a tumultuous time in China’s history – warlords, economic turmoil, Japanese invasion, and civil war between the Communist Party and the Chinese Nationalist Party. During the Second World War and thereafter, Dr. Soong was an officer in the Chinese Air Force. He was stationed in Taiwan where Chiang Kai-Shek fled with the remaining Nationalist forces after the Communists emerged victorious in 1949. In Taiwan, he had to juggle four jobs to support his family. In appreciation of his invaluable contributions, one of his employers, as a gift, paid for his passage on a ship to the United States when Dr. Soong received a full scholarship to attend Stanford University. Dr. Soong was separated from his family for five years while he completed the PhD program. Upon graduation, he worked as an engineer at The Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington, and then for Xerox Corporation in Webster, New York. In a more than twenty-five year career, he achieved the rank of Xerox Fellow, the company’s highest technical position. Dr. Soong was also an adjunct engineering professor at the University of Rochester. He was an inventor with 32 U.S. patents and also authored numerous technical articles. Dr. Soong was fascinated with the performance of sports equipment and authored pioneering studies on throwing the javelin, discus, and shot put. Also, he created innovative racquetball rackets, tennis rackets and golf clubs which involved obtaining patents, developing prototypes, lining up manufacturers in Taiwan and China, and marketing his sports equipment. Dr. Soong is survived by Jeanne, devoted wife of sixty-four years, daughter Zo Ann (partner, Charles Dagonese), son Zosan (Grace), and grandchildren, Chantal, Simone, Taylor, and Victoria. Calling hours Saturday March 7, 2015 10 AM – 12 Noon at Falvo Funeral Home, 1295 Fairport Nine Mile Pt. Rd. (250) Burial service at Riverside Cemetery to follow.