Edward Shih-Tong Hsia

Edward Shih-Tong Hsia
夏世栋
Add a Photo
Born	1930 Nanjing, China
Nationality	Chinese-American
Alma mater	Stanford University
Occupation	Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer, Business Executive
Years active	1953–2000
Employer	Bechtel Corporation, Utah Construction & Mining, Fluor Corporation, Statoil
Known for	Founding Fluor China operations, Structural Engineering Projects, International Construction Management
Spouse(s)	Dorothy Dia-Lia Shen (m. 2 November 1958)
Children	Alex Hsu-Chong Hsia

Edward Shih-Tong was born in 1930 in Nanjing. He was given the name (夏世椿) but his mother thought the name sounded too much like (世蠢）meaning “the dumbest person in the world”. So at the age of 5, his name was changed to 世栋 which means “the world’s firm structural framework”.

He had several older three-quarter-siblings; the two mothers were sisters--one passed away while the other succeeded her. 大伯伯 14 years older, 二伯伯 12 years older, and a sister 6 years older.

In 1937 Japan attacked China. Dad’s father was in charge of China’s Railroad Ministry and moved the family to Hong Kong for 2 years. Edward started learning Cantonese at the age of 7. In 1940 the family moved to Guizhou, then to Chongqing. Due to wartime interruption, he skipped 3rd grade and 5th grade and graduated from primary school two years earlier than his contemporaries.

At age 11, he enrolled in the 7th grade in 南开 Middle School, which at that time was Chongqing’s top private boarding school and spent five formative years there (1941 to 1946). He joined the Nankai Boy Scouts, Regiment 777 (777 团). He was profoundly shaped by the rigorous paramilitary-training (军训) he received during his Nankai years. The self-discipline, regimented lifestyle, and independence during the years in Nankai laid the foundation for Edward's lifelong habits.

World War 2 ended in 1946, and the family moved to Hankou. Edward graduated from 文华中学 at age 17. In 1947, he passed the entrance exam for Jiaotong University and decided to attend Jiaotong’s Shanghai campus. At that time Shanghai was in great turmoil. It was held by the Kuomingtang but the Communists were closeby, fighting their way toward the city. One day in January 1948, Edward was doing an engineering survey in the field and was ordered by his father to abandon his belongings and leave immediately to board a waiting cargo plane to Hankou. Within two weeks the family flew to safety to Guangzhou; within a few months, Hankou fell to the Communists.

By 1949, the family moved to Hong Kong. Edward enrolled into Hong Kong University where he studied his sophomore year. At the recommendation of a family friend who was a Stanford engineering alumni, he applied and was accepted to Stanford as a Junior. He applied for and was awarded at 2 year scholarship sponsored by Mr. Jones, a wealthy industrialist from Arizona who set up a scholarship in honor of his deceased son Edward F. Jones, who was also a Stanford civil engineering student

Work Experience

In 1953, Edward graduated from Stanford and got a summer job with Southern Pacific Railway, which paid him $375 per month. He saved enough money to buy his first car, a dark green Mercury Coupe. A year later he got his masters degree in Civil Engineering and took his first real job with Bechtel Corporation, Refinery Division in San Francisco.

At age 26, he quit his job and went back to Stanford for post-graduate study. Then in September 1956, he met his future wife, Dorothy Dia-Lia Shen. They were married on Nov 2, 1958 in Stanford University Chapel.

In 1959, they had their first child, Alex Hsu-Chong Hsia. Four years later, Edward sent his wife and son off to Taiwan while he studied for his structural engineering license test in a small room on California & Franklin streets in San Francisco. After receiving his structural engineering license, he took up a job with Bank Building and Equipment Corporation, where he designed structurally innovative buildings.

In 1964, Edward joined Utah Construction & Mining in Palo Alto, CA. Within a year, he was promoted to Chief Structural Engineer, and got to work on projects in Peru, Australia, and Canada. Once on an extended business trip to Australia, Edward didn’t call home for 6 weeks. After he returned, he reportedly had to write 1,000 times “我出差必须给家人打电话”.

The Fluor Years / Statoil

In 1972, Edward's company was acquired by Fluor, a global engineering and construction firm. This was the launching point for his career. His new boss, Gil Murray, made Edward a trusted lieutenant. Together they won lots of jobs for Fluor. Though he was young, Edward was quickly promoted to Engineering Manager and was in charge of 680 engineers. Before long, he was made Vice President.

In 1978, China opened its doors to the West. Fluor was one of the earliest western companies to go into China. Edward was chosen by the chairman of Fluor to establish the company’s China business, and opened an office in Beijing. He moved his family to Hong Kong in 1986 to establish Fluor's China office.

Edward would go to great lengths to win work. During one business trip to Thailand, he even agreed to put his hand on a tiger's head to win business; he won over the client and got the job. Over the course of 18 years, Dad built a China team, nurtured strong relationships with Chinese clients, developed a China strategy, and despite huge obstacles, won many projects and established Fluor’s reputation in China. In 2018 Fluor China celebrated their 40th anniversary.

In 1995, Edward moved back to California and retired from Fluor the following yea, but he was not ready to retire. A Norwegian oil company, Statoil, persuaded Edward out of retirement to help them develop their China projects. Edward served on Statoil’s executive management team and worked with Statoil from 1997 to 2000. He retired fully in 2000.

External links

Add External links

This article "Edward Shih-Tong Hsia" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.