Ben T. Yen, who led a prolific research career focused on structure and bridge evaluation and repair, passed away Sept. 15, 2020. He was 88.
Born in China, Yen earned his B.S. from National Taiwan University in 1953 and completed his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at Lehigh in 1958 and 1963. He continued as a professor with Lehigh’s department of civil and environmental engineering and as a research faculty member of the Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS), retiring in 2001.
Over the course of his career, he lectured internationally, was widely published, and he mentored dozens of graduate engineering students. Many important bridges that are used every day bear his mark. He is fondly remembered by many for the popular tours of bridges he led throughout Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.
“Ben was devoted to all students, both undergraduates and graduate students, he came in contact with,” said John W. Fisher, Lehigh professor emeritus in civil and environmental engineering. “This was common for all of his years at Lehigh and Fritz Lab since 1960. He liked to take them on bridges, especially if we were working on the structures in the 1970s through the 1990s.”
Gregory J. Kulinski worked alongside Yen for close to 15 years to plan bridge tours. On their last bridge tour together, Kuklinski said, Yen told him it was his turn to talk about the last bridge.
“Looking back,” Kuklinski said, “it was his way of passing the torch, which I have been humbled to do ever since to keep his tradition going for the Lehigh students and to follow in the footsteps of my mentor.”
Yen endowed the Yen Family Fellowship, which has supported numerous graduate students pursuing advanced research. The fellowship specifically enables civil engineering graduate students to continue their research.
“All of us who knew Ben were fortunate to experience his infectious smile, his inviting and ever-helpful personality, his true intellect, and his love for his family and his students,” said Shamim Pakzad, associate professor and interim CEE department chair in a message to faculty and staff. “His distinguished career at Lehigh, his generosity toward this institution, and his pride in our Structural Engineering research and education will be remembered by his colleagues and students.”
In 2015, Yen was presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Yen is survived by his wife, Dr. Connie Yen; sons, Thomas G. and his wife, Beth, of Wescosville, Dr. David M. and his wife, Lisa, of Lower Saucon; sister, Ben Yee Yen of Maryland; five grandchildren, Emily, Jack, Grant, Ryan, and Lindsey, and three nieces. He was predeceased by a sister, Ben Chow (Yen) Chen, and brother, Ben Chie Yen.
