Did you know the University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Science has a Hall of Fame? We want to focus on a specific individual in the Hall of Fame who has had many successes inside and outside of Wyoming, fought against racial prejudice, and put forth efforts to pave a future for Wyoming students from any walk of life.

Wayman Chung Wing (1923-2020) is a scholar in the College of Engineering and Applied Science Hall of Fame. Wing, a first-generation Chinese American, grew up in Evanston, Wyoming. Following his high school education, Wing attended the University of Wyoming (UW) in 1941 to pursue a degree in engineering. Wing and his five siblings all graduated from college as first-generation Chinese Americans. However, Wing’s UW college career was put on pause when he decided to join the army after news of Pearl Harbor reached the U.S. in 1941. Wing states in his 2006 memoir, housed in the American Heritage Center, “I joined the Army Air Corps and waited to be called up.”

In 1943, two years after Wing joined the Army Air Corps, he was sent to New York. Wing shares in his memoir that “I was an engineering student with a background in science courses, I was one of a group of 175 sent by the Army Air Corp to an accelerated meteorology course at New York University” (Pictured below, bold in the original). Wing also expressed that he enjoyed his nine months in NY because he met more Chinese friends and experienced Chinese culture more than ever before in Wyoming. He then claims to have passed the meteorology program despite “the large amount of beer [he] consumed.”

After completing his Army Air Corps training, Wing was deployed overseas to a British base on the island of Azore during WWII. Then, after the Allied Forces’ D-Day victory, Wing returned to Wyoming to finish his college career. In 1947, Wing graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering.

Wing was compelled to continue his education journey. He applied and was accepted into Stanford University, where he earned his master’s degree in Engineering. According to Wing, his education at UW prepared and propelled him to study at Stanford: “I found the engineering studies much easier than at UW.” He even had the time to take extra courses in law and business despite the rigorous nature of his engineering master’s program. The extra courses would inspire Wing to start his own engineering firm years later.

After graduating with his M.S. in engineering in 1948, Wing worked for about a decade before he started his Engineering firm in 1960 called Wayman C. Wing Consulting Engineers. Wing’s firm was highly successful as its clients included the Hilton and Sheraton hotel chains. His firm received prestigious national awards for developing earthquake-absorbent structures worldwide. Some of the most notable include the Meridien Hotel in Egypt, the Great Wall Hotel in China, the Hartford National Bank, the Indonesian Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair, and the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Along with his firm’s success, Wing was admitted into the Omega Chapter of Sigma Tau (now known as Tau Beta Pi). Wing was admitted for his success as a UW student and for the help he received from UW faculty members who fought alongside him for his admission into the honorary fraternity. Wing had to fight for admittance because, in 1942, he first tried to join the society but was barred from joining because of a “Caucasians Only” clause in their constitution. However, in 1949, Wing was finally inducted into the society. The images below show Wing recollecting his realization as to why he was not first accepted into the honorary fraternity, followed by his correspondence with the chapter when his case was appealed.

Wing’s acceptance into the honorary fraternity was not his only achievement. In 1999, Wing was inducted into the College of Engineering and Applied Science Hall of Fame because of his revolutionary work as a seismic design engineer and his many accolades throughout his career.

Wing’s work ethic, determination, and vocalization against discrimination are exemplary traits of a Wyoming Cowboy that should be celebrated today and every day. To learn more about Wayman C. Wing and his contributions to engineering and the larger Wyoming community, you can find the Wayman C. Wing Collection at the American Heritage Center.

Post contributed by English graduate students Katelyn Hayward, Cheyenne Hume, and Makayla  Kocher.