Dr. Chai My name is Ryan Sugamoto. I was a student of Dr. Chai at UH. I remember the first time I met Dr. Chai. At the time he was the department chair. I was walking down the hail and he asked me what is your name? And when I told him he laughed and said jokingly "I can look at your grades now" at first I didn't think it was that funny, but the more I got to know him, the more I appreciated his sense of humor. Taking class from Dr. Cbai was a unique experience in itself. He would always try to explain things in a practical and easy to understand manner. He made sure by the end of class that everyone was comfortable with the points he was frying to get across. That's how much he cared about the students. He also made it a point to get involved with the students on a personal level. What was really amazing was his ability to remember the student's names. And when I say the students, I mean every student he's ever taught. He even kept a binder full of the names and pictures of every student that graduated from the department for the past - I don't know how many years. Some of the guys at our office went to visit him about a month ago. Sure enough, he recognized everyone and even joked around with us. Dr. Chai was an incredible role model for the students. He was always straightforward and honest.., and when it came to technical knowledge, he really knew his stuff. I took a class from him during my last semester called "Nuclear Heat Transport" it still amazes me that Dr. Chai was 76 years old and teaching us about Nuclear Energy. He would joke around that he was getting old and forgetful, but his mind was always sharp. He always had good advice to give us. Whether it was about school or our plans after graduation, Dr. Chai would always listen to us and give his honest opinion. Every once in a while he would tell us stories of his younger years when he played ping pong, or when he was in the Japanese Military. He told us of how he traveled all over the US and I remember thinking, man this guy really lived life to the fullest. I could only hope to accomplish half of what he's done and hope to touch as many lives as he has over the course of a lifetime. He will be missed, but he will continue live on in all of our hearts. Thanks Dr. Chai.