A forum at the Missouri History Museum that presented the roles and achievements of AAPI in the architecture and engineering professions in St. Louis. I was there to present about William Tao, my father, who was an accomplished engineer and a prominent leader in the Chinese American Community, as well as to provide some insights on the challenges during the mid-20th century.

Immigrating to the U.S. in 1949 to attend the graduate engineering program at Washington University (St. Louis), he would often be the lone, Asian American in the room, or at the table. It would not prevent him from his dreams of having a business and pursuing engineering excellence.

The young (and lone) Chinese American in the room. Photo: St. Louis Board of Education office. Circa early 1950s.

Alone again, this is his company’s first major engineering commission. The Pierre Laclede Building ground breaking dedication. 1962.

Being around fellow engineers. Asians don’t all look the same. Can you find him?

Investing in research about solar power at a time in the U.S. when energy was cheap and people did not have the foresight to care.

In 1941, to preserve precious gasoline, my father would convert a fleet of trucks used for transporation on the Burma Road supply route, to coal burning. These trucks were used to transport fuel from Burma for the Flying Tigers in Kunming.