Jin Tso

Dr. Jin Tso was born in 1949, eldest son of author Margaret (Yu-Chieh) Wang, and career soldier Kuang-Yu Tso. Although born in Shanghai, China, he was raised in Taiwan. He graduated from the Civil Engineering Department of the National Taiwan University in 1972, and went on to recieve his Masters in 1974.

Jin married Sharon (Tzi-Whei) Kung in 1975. The next year, they emigrated to the United States for Jin to continue his graduate studies. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Mechanics and Materials Science of The Johns Hopkins University in 1983. By this time, the young couple were already raising a son, and would soon have a daughter on the way.

In 1989, Dr. Tso was accepted as a faculty member at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Later a full-fledged professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department, he was an enthusiastic and committed teacher until his retirement in 2014.

Dr. Tso continued to teach part-time until he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2015. He was cared for by his devoted wife, Sharon, and his dedicated sister, Yen, until he breathed his last. He passed away in his home in Westlake Village, CA on June 06, 2016.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; his children, John and Jenny; his siblings, Yen, Grace, and Allen; and his nieces and nephews, Alice, Justin Jr., Wesley, and Hanna, all of whom he cared about deeply until the end of his life.

Those who knew him as a teacher, husband, father, or friend know that he didn't want to be a "great" man, only a "good" man. Today we are gathered to celebrate his success in that humble goal.