Obituary of George Chiao-Chih Tai

George Chiao-Chih Tai was born in Yangzhou, China in 1936.  He was the youngest of five children, born to Tien Chiu Tai and Shang-Fen Hu. George's father, Tien Chiu, was a prominent figure in Yangzhou as a revolutionary under Dr. Sun-Yat Sen in the overthrowing of the Qing dynasty and establishment of the Republic of China. George's mother, Shang-fen, was involved in social movements in China advocating for women's rights. George was born during the Sino-Japanese war and his early years were under Japanese occupation. During the Second World War, the family lived for a time in the foreign concessions in Shanghai. After the end of the Second World War, the family continued to live in Yangzhou until the Communist Revolution of 1949, when the family moved to Taiwan. In Taiwan, George attended high school in Chiayi and National Taiwan University in Taipei where he completed a B.Sc. in Agronomy and M.Sc. in soybean breeding. During his university days George met Cecilia Shien-ling Liaw, a nursing student at the National Taiwan University, and they married in 1963, following George's military service. Following his university studies George served in the Nationalist Army in Taiwan as a second lieutenant on the island of Hu Zi Yu, or Tiger Rock, where he commanded three infantry platoons on the front line only 300 yards across the water from Communist China.

After he completed his service, George worked briefly as an instructor at the National Taiwan University in the Department of Agronomy. In 1965, he made the decision to study abroad and with a scholarship from University of Saskatchewan. George made his way to Canada to pursue a Ph.D. in quantitative genetics of wheat. In 1968, he joined Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, as a Research Scientist in potato breeding, where he worked until his retirement in 2002. At the time he was hired, George had never seen a potato.  

During his many years at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, George made many advancements in potato breeding and genetics, and authored over 100 scientific manuscripts. George had a talent for math and statistics. His scientific work covered fundamental and theoretical research on cytogenetics and tetrasomic inheritance and applied research on improving plant breeding methods. He had a knack for explaining complex concepts in an understandable way, and was sought out by many around the world for statistical consultation and collaboration. He was known for being patient, kind and generous with his time. George enjoyed working with everyone he met. He smiled easily, had a great sense of humor and enthusiasm for research that was infectious. He was especially proud to be part of the potato breeding team and enjoyed the field work that was involved in being a potato breeder. As much as he shared his knowledge with others, he took in knowledge from all those around him. His projects included working with engineers to develop the GRAV-O-TATER instrument for measuring specific gravity. George had close friendships with many that he worked with and especially enjoyed his relationship with Henry (Hielke) De Jong. The two were the Tall One and Short One, with George as the latter.  

George was involved in international development work in the 80s and 90s that included advising the International Potato Centre in Peru, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) projects in China and Brazil, and United National Development Projects in China. George's contributions to initiating potato breeding programs in China in the 1990s are recognized for establishing potato as a major staple crop and contributing to food security.  George was also an editor at two international scientific journals, and reviewed as many as 30 manuscripts per year. He was affiliated with the University of New Brunswick, the University of Guelph, and the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (now Dalhousie University), and trained a number of graduate students. George received many awards in recognition of his scientific achievements including an Honorary Life Membership to the Potato Association of America, 2005 Honorary Life Members.

George had a keen interest in Chinese culture and was strongly influenced by the artists, musicians, and poets he encountered in his youth. George played the Chinese recorder (xiao) and was skilled in many Chinese crafts, including calligraphy, kites, lanterns, shadow puppets, paper folding, and paper cuts. He and Cecilia were founding members of the Chinese Cultural Association of New Brunswick (CCANB) together with their close friends in the Chinese community in Fredericton. George and Cecilia were instrumental in establishing the CCANB language and culture school. Over the years George taught Chinese arts, crafts, and music to hundreds of children, and shared Chinese culture to the wider community through the CCANB. In his retirement, George's interest in Chinese music led him to organize tours of classical Chinese musicians across Canada.

George was predeceased by his beloved wife, Cecilia, in 2011; son-in-law, Bill Parenteau, in 2023; parents, Tien Chiu Tai and Shang-Fen Hu; brothers, Han Tai, Fu Hu, and William Tai, as well as a sister, Mary Tai. He is survived by his three children, Helen Tai, Sean Tai and Vera Tai (Art Poon); three grandchildren, Mia Parenteau, Finn Poon and Marin Poon, as well as many nieces and nephews.

The Tai family would like to thank George's caregiver Noemi Acosta Moyano whose patience and kindness lifted his spirits.

Visitation will be Sunday, September 14, 2025, from 9 am to 11 am at McAdams’s Funeral Home. A Memorial Service will follow at 11 am in J. A. Memorial Chapel, with a reception after. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations made to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada or The Canadian Museum of Immigration.