Ben T. Yen, Ph.D.

September 15, 2020

Ben T. Yen, Ph.D., 88, of Allentown, passed away Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Twp. He was the husband of Dr. Concepcion T."Connie" (Chun) Yen, with whom he shared over 55 years of marriage. Born on January 19, 1932 in Guangzhou, China, he was a son of the late George and Anna (Yeh) Yen. He was a member of Cathedral Church of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown. Professor Yen earned his B.S. from National Taiwan University in 1953 and completed his M.S and Ph.D. degrees at Lehigh University in 1958 and 1963. He continued as a professor with Lehigh University's department of civil and environmental engineering and as a research faculty member of the Engineering Research Center for Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS). He retired in 2001 and after retirement continued as Professor Emeritus. He was presented a lifetime achievement award by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Over the course of his career he lectured internationally, was widely published, and he mentored dozens of graduate engineering students. Many of the bridges that we use every day bear his mark.Survivors: Wife Dr. Connie Yen; sons Thomas G. and his wife Beth of Wescosville; Dr. David M. and his wife Lisa of Lower Saucon; sister Ben Yee Yen of Maryland; 5 grandchildren Emily, Jack, Grant, Ryan and Lindsey; 3 nieces. He was predeceased by a sister Ben Chow (Yen) Chen and brother Ben Chie Yen.Mass of Christian Burial: 10:30 AM, Saturday, September 26, at Cathedral Church of St. Catharine, 1825 W. Turner St., Allentown. Calling will begin at 9:30 AM in the narthex. Social distancing and masks are required. Brief moments with the family during visitation are permitted. In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Dr. Ben Yen may be directed to the Dr. Ben Yen Endowed Fellowship at Lehigh University by going to giving.lehigh.edu. The Fellowship enables civil engineering graduate students to continue their research. Please specify that the gift is in memory of Dr. Yen and should be directed to the Yen Fellowship. Contributions by check may be made to Lehigh University. Please specify Yen Endowed Fellowship in the memo line and mail to the Lehigh University Development Office at 306 S. New St., Suite 500, Bethlehem, PA 18015.