Dr. K. Wendell Chen (1937 - 2008)

The obituary for my uncle, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

ARLINGTON -- Dr. K. Wendell Chen passed away Saturday, June 21, 2008 in Arlington at the age of 70.

Funeral: 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Moore Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation: The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorials: The family suggests remembrances be made in Dr. K. Wendell Chen's name to the American Red Cross China Earthquake relief Fund The American Red Cross

Dr. Chen was born in Anwhei, China and came to the U.S. in 1955 to attend the University of Washington in Seattle. After graduating from UW with a B.A. in Physics (1960), he pursued his post-graduate education at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. and received a PhD for Physics (1964). Dr. Chen then took a position as an Assistant Professor at Princeton University, N.J. (1964-1972), a Professor at Michigan State University (1973-1979), a Senior Scientist at Fermilab in Batavia, Ill., and a Senior Scientist a the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland (1980-81). From 1981 until his retirement, he was a professor and director of the Center for Accelerator Sciences and Technology at the University of Texas at Arlington. He served as a member of the panel in high energy physics for the National Academy of Sciences and also was a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Dr. Chen was instrumental in the consortium for the Superconducting Supercollider (SSC) Project which took place in Waxahachie, TX.

Survivors: Dr. K. Wendell Chen is survived by his son Henry R. Chen of San Francisco, and daughter, Kristina M. Chen of Los Angeles.

Opera At The Ballpark?!?!

This past Friday night, I attended my first opera. The odd thing about it was that I watched it not at the War Memorial Opera House at Civic Center. Instead, I watched it on the big screen from Section 108 in AT&T Park. Each year, the San Francisco Opera simulcasts a performance onto the screen at the ballpark and the admission is free. The general public can bring a blanket and plop right down on the field and watch an opera.

The name of the opera I saw was Lucia di Lammermoor It's the story of love being sacrificed for the "good" of the family and in the end death is rampant and no one ends up happy. I was amazed at how emotionally invested I became in the story and performance. Once the final curtain came down, I sat there catching my breath and coming back to the reality that I was actually cold in the night air at the ballpark.

I was impressed with the performances of the main characters, but was particularly impressed with the Lucia's (the Soprano playing Lucia) ability to sing with equal volume and range while laying down. On more than one occasion, Lucia was flat on her back on the floor and she sounded exactly the same as were she standing up.

Lastly, I have to thank the man who played the character of Raimondo for arranging for my special "Friends and Family" ticket. He and I met at a dinner a couple weeks back and he was able to swing these special tickets for me. This is why I was sitting in Section 108 and not out on the field.