Gerald Chi-Hung Mok

August 27, 1937 - May 15, 2018

Let it go on permanent record that—despite what car manufacturers may tell you—Gerald “Gerry” Chi-Hung Mok invented the push-button ignition.

He created it way back in the early 1980’s, when his Toyota station wagon decided it wasn’t going to start with a key anymore. Yes, Gerry could have taken his Toyota into an auto body shop, where they were sure to do a less-than-adequate job. Instead, he used his brain power and imagination to “Gerry”-rig a wire from the engine into the body of the car, with a push button start attached to the end of it. This means of transportation served him well for almost a decade.

This invention is just one of many revolutionary Gerry creations, including the homemade solar panel heating he created for his family’s pool that involved expert manual labor (AKA his two daughters) and a remedy for the common cold that featured rubbing alcohol, salt water, and a Q-tip. Clearly, the man was ahead of his time.

This type of ingenuity and healthy disregard for the conventional way of doing things marked Gerry’s entire life, from his birth in the Guangdong province of China, to his move to the U.S., where he received a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Brown University. Gerry created a successful and comfortable life for himself and his family in this country, working as an engineer first at GE and then at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories.

Over the years, he developed a love for Chinese art, Swarovski crystals, root beer floats, long phone conversations (in English with his son-in-law and in “Chinglish” with friends), and staying up into the wee hours of the night...because that’s really the only time you can get stuff done. He also had an appreciation for slow, satisfying meals where no crumb got left behind.

67 years after Gerry was born in Guangdong, his grandson Tyler was born in the exact same province. 72 years after Gerry was born and almost 900 miles away from Guangdong, his granddaughter Vivian was born. And, for the last 13 years, Tyler and then Vivian have been the light of Gerry’s life, bringing him joy, laughter, and most of all love. We like to think they’re the universe’s way of thanking Gerry for his many ingenious inventions and his service as a dedicated, caring, and hardworking husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle.