1926-2017
Born and raised in Newark’s Chinatown Aileen Fong Shane was an early woman engineer, graduating from Newark College of Engineering in 1946, at just age 19. In a 1947 article in the Star Ledger she was called an “outstanding female student” who graduated “near top of her class.. one of few woman mechanical engineers in the history of the school”.
Aileen grew up in Newark’s Chinatown, at age 3 she is listed on the census in a lodging house at 191 Mulberry St with many other Chinese. By 19
Aileen attended Chestnut Street School. In 1936, Aileen and her brother were pictured in a Newark News article about Chinese students at Chestnut Street School.
In the article, Miss Marsh, the Chestnut Street teacher, called Aileen an exceptional pupil. Aileen said she wanted to be a newspaper reporter or a missionary, adding that her mother was inspired by Irish neighbors to name her Aileen. She was President of the Florence Nightingale Health Club at Chestnut Street School, stating, “Its purpose is to promote good health, and help its members become happier and healthier.”
Later, in 1940 Aileen lived at 222 Elm St, where her parents ran a restaurant. She was a member of East Side High class of June 1943, where she was listed “Class Giggler” and was on the yearbook staff.
At Newark College of Engineering, she finished near the top of her class, one of three girls that year. Aileen said she was inspired to study mechanical engineering when she got a job in a Newark power plant, saying, “I realized at the beginning that it was hard for a girl to break into the engineering field so I was prepared for those hardships.”
The Sunday Call did a full profile on Aileen and her plans to move to China in 1946. She said, “The important thing is there is going to be tremendous development in China and I want to be part of it.” She said, “I like to tinker in a laboratory and do my own testing but most employers think girls are afraid to get their hands dirty…One of the reasons I want to go to China is because I may have a chance to work in overalls there…Besides that I love the country and the people.”
However, instead of living in China, after graduating the College of Engineering, Aileen got her MS in mechanical engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1954. She participated in the founding of the Society of Women Engineers in 1950. She married Harold Shane in 1953.
Aileen worked for Curtiss-Wright and Reaction Motors for many years, working on engines, airplanes and the space program, including the engine cooling system for the first North American X-15 rocket plan which is on display at the Smithsonian. She also worked at Howmet Corporation and Picatinny Arsenal, before retiring in 1991.
She also served as substitute teacher and Girl Scout leader, while raising her children. She was featured in a 1987 book “What Is Ethnicity?”
From her obituary:
Mrs. Shane had a big heart, and wanted the best for humanity. A first-generation Chinese-American, she had a lifetime of experience with prejudice and discrimination. She wanted others facing similar challenges to be heard, and to be aided. Her life touched many people, and she had an unquenchable spirit. Although she never regarded herself as a trailblazer and never saw herself as anything special, she was unique in every way.
Bibliography
Census
“More Women Invade Engineering Field” Star Ledger Mar 2, 1947
“Girls at NCE” Sunday Call Oct 21, 1945
“Newark Girl Returning to China to Use Engineering Training” Sunday Call Sept 22, 1946
“Schools Out and These 23 Are very Glad” Newark News Jun 30, 1936
NJ Marriage Index