Born and raised in New York City, Richard J. Chin was a gifted student, excelling at math and physics. Handpicked to attend the elite Bronx High School of Science, Rich went on to receive his undergraduate degree at The State University of New York at Stony Brook, followed by postgraduate work at Lehigh University and U.C. Berkeley.
Chin worked for the legendary AT&T Bell Labs as a researcher, where he helped innovate the tertiary compounds used to protect astronauts from solar radiation during space travel, before becoming a tech executive in Silicon Valley.
Rich was very community oriented, volunteering for the Inner City Youth at Risk Program in New York City with Outward Bound, specializing in outdoor adventures and life skills for teens. He taught seminars and mentored students at UCLA in engineering while an international executive for Advanced Micro Devices.
When Chin became a Kumon Instructor and franchise owner in 2013, he combined two of his life passions—fostering young people and enriching his community. In his own words, “I want to help these kids so they can make a real difference in their lifetimes.” Rich made a positive contribution to the lives of countless people. He was widely respected and loved for his intelligence, integrity, good humor, generosity and unfailingly positive attitude.
Rich Chin is survived by his daughter Victoria Chin of Seattle and his son, Brett A Chin of Los Altos, California; his brother Jimmy Chin and nephews Alexander Chin and Jonathan Chin, of Springfield, Massachusetts; his father Nai Gwong Chin, mother Sue Ping Chin; and his beloved partner Brenda Knight of El Cerrito, California.
In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in the name of Richard J Chin to the nonprofit NGO A Living Tribute, which is dedicated to restoring the planet: https://www.alivingtribute.org/