The life of Huang Wei-Feng saw changes that spanned many decades and several continents. He grew up in Jiading on the outskirts of Shanghai, China with his parents, father Huang Yue Shen (黄曰駪) and mother Xia Fen Jia (夏芬迦). He and his mother went to Taiwan in 1949 during the Communist revolution where he studied Naval Engineering. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1955, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen, and completed a B.S. in Naval Architecture at the University of Michigan. There he went on to achieve an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering in 1959, sparked by an interest in nuclear submarines. By 1963, he earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics at the University of Virginia. While there he had the fortune to meet and marry his wife and lifetime companion “Dinah” Hung Chien-Ying in 1960 who came to the U.S. for postgraduate studies in Physical Chemistry. He enjoyed a long and esteemed career as a Professor of Physics at the University of Louisville, fully retiring in 2006 after 40 years of research and education. During his tenure he created a nuclear physics laboratory, later facilitating work on positron annihilation, superconductors and even catalysts (the latter in collaboration with Dinah). His research projects extended to Taiwan where he engaged several graduate and post-doctoral students.
In work and in life, he engaged in many diverse interests, devoted to a lifetime of learning, curiosity and philosophy. He honored the Huang family who were highly regarded for scholastic achievement and entrepreneurship. He helped perpetuate an elementary school (普通小学)built in his hometown with the philanthropic support of the Huang family. After the doors of China re-opened in 1979, he fostered the development of many successful graduate students, though he just missed the passing of his father. After a 30 year hiatus, he re-established and maintained contact with his brother Huang Weizhuo (黄惟卓) in Jiading.
He raised his family in Louisville, Kentucky who fondly remember camping trips to the east coast and gulf coast beaches, particularly the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and Panama City, Florida. He also enjoyed tennis, rose gardening, and several cruises including Alaska. In recent years, he and Dinah moved to Mercer Island in the Seattle area. He is lovingly remembered by Dinah, his wife of 59 years, and their four daughters (May, June, Grace and Victoria) and their families, including 7 grandchildren (Kayla, Emma, Grace, Lauren, Violet, Mia, and Lila), as well as his brother. He joins a deceased infant son Charles, the memory of whom he always cherished. May practices neurotology at Northwest Ear in Seattle. June is a violinist and string director at George Mason University in Virginia. Grace is an architect at Ming Architecture and Design in Seattle. Victoria is the graphic designer at Enso Design in Seattle. Caregiving by Dinah and the family included home dialysis in recent years. He will also be missed by his extended family: his adopted sister Wei Xue-Yi (魏学仪) in Taiwan; his half-brother Huang Weiqun (黄惟群), nephew Daniel, and niece Daisy in Australia; and niece Jane Huang (黄洁) in Bellevue, Washington.
He was deeply sentimental and understood the power of the moment and also the passage of time. In recent years he authored a Chinese book, The Story of Mr. Chen (陈先生的故事), based on several of his life experiences, so that the world may remember these interesting times. He had an appreciation for Chinese water-painting and calligraphy, keeping a collection of artwork done by his mother. In 2012 he helped publish the memoir of his step-father Wei Da-Ming who was the chief intelligence officer in Taiwan during Chiang Kai-shek, later also publishing this in Taiwan in 2015. He lectured at the Crane House (Asian art institute and cultural center in Louisville) on the epic voyages of Zheng He (Ming Dynasty). In 2012, he donated The Chinese History of 25 Dynasties to the University of Louisville, a 937 volume collection. In 2006, he and his brother donated the original set of books written by his grandfather (文惠全书) to the Jiading Library.
He loved the ocean, naval history, Chinese history, world travel, seafood and Chinese cuisine. He appreciated the beauty of all things in the world great and small, in science and in nature. He appreciated elegance and simplicity in thought and design. But most of all he sought and treasured the compelling power of human connection to bring people and family closer together. We will remain forever inspired by his warmth and vision.
All are welcome to celebrate his life at the funeral service at Sunset Hills Funeral Home in Bellevue, Washington on December 21, 2019. There will also be a memorial in Louisville, Kentucky on January 25, 2020 at the University of Louisville, Shumaker Research Building, Room 139 at 2:00 PM EST.
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