Traveling across rocky seas — without family — from China to San Francisco’s Angel Island in 1926, Frank Chuck Toy (CE’39), then 12, began designing his future. 

Now 101, he credits Purdue for his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, recommendation to Pennsylvania State University, where he earned his master’s, and referrals to Boilermaker alumni who hired him — at Harrington and Berner in Indianapolis and, later, at Sprague Iron Works in Chicago.

“Purdue did a lot for me,” he says. His American journey began with a train trip to Chicago. There, he lived with an uncle who owned a restaurant, learned English, and attended school.  

“When some high-school friends decided to take a test for Purdue, they asked me to join in. Luckily, I got a scholarship.” 

—Frank Toy

“I never spoke about college to my uncle,” Toy says. “When some high-school friends decided to take a test for Purdue, they asked me to join in. Luckily, I got a scholarship.” 

At Purdue, he shared a house with other Chinese students. He remembers buying rice in 100-pound sacks and cooking chicken. For fun, they played Mahjong. 

One of his professors was Charles Ellis, who designed the Golden Gate Bridge. And at Purdue’s Ross Summer Surveying Camp, an eight-week program he paid for with a monthly stipend from his uncle, he gained hands-on experience. 

As a Boilermaker, Toy was in the American Society of Civil Engineers, Chi Epsilon, the all-engineering honorary Tau Beta Pi, and Chinese Students’ Club. In 1939, he graduated third in his class of 56. 

Toy served in the US Army from 1943 to 1946, earning two Bronze Battle Stars. First stationed in China, he also spent time in India, where he did flood control survey work. 

While in China, he met his future wife, Judy, and her cousin, Jean. He and Judy, married from 1946 until her death in 1972, had two children. He later married Jean, who had moved to the United States and whose spouse had passed away.

Although Toy sometimes faced housing discrimination and limited chances for career advancement, his view is positive. “I wanted to be a structural engineer, but I didn’t get a chance to. I did drafting. That doesn’t matter as long as I could support my family,” he says. 

“Purdue was my connection for jobs,” he says. “And in the army, I went to China — if not for that, I would never have met my wife.” 

After spending most of his working years in Chicago, he and Jean now live in the Denver, Colorado, area.

His mantra: “Things work out.”