Peter Chin, a computer support specialist and authority on Apple technology, has died
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Peter S. Chin in 2004 (courtesy of Thomas P. Sakmar)
Peter S. Chin, who for more than two decades provided IT support to hundreds of Rockefeller colleagues, died last month from health complications. He was 60.
Admired for his encyclopedic knowledge about Apple Inc. products, Chin will be missed by many in our community who’ve come to rely on his deep technical expertise and graceful approach to problem solving.
“Peter had great judgement about how to make things workable and useful,” says Thomas P. Sakmar, the Richard M. and Isabel P. Furlaud Professor and a senior physician, to whom Chin was both a colleague and a friend. “He would maintain his composure and focus even under deadline pressure, and he rarely if ever complained. He was also a very kind and caring person.”
Chin’s career as a computer whizz started in the 1980s, when he studied at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU and Learning Tree International and became an early member of The Whole World ‘Lectronic Link, among the first online communities. He then worked as a systems technician at Tekserve, a Macintosh repair shop on Manhattan’s West 23 Street that grew to become a precursor to the first Apple stores.
In the mid-1990s, Chin leveraged his Apple expertise as a systems administrator at the investment bank Morgan Stanley, where he worked until 2001. That year, Apple launched its first macOS operating system and the PowerBook G4, a titanium encased, one-inch-thick laptop, prompting a mass exodus of PC users toward Apple systems.
When Chin joined Rockefeller’s IT department as a computer support specialist, demand for the PowerBook and other Apple products was growing fast among the university’s faculty and staff. “Peter took the lead on setting up Apple computers around campus, and continued supporting the community for 23 years,” says Jeffrey Hayward, IT’s associate director for client support services and Chin’s supervisor. “He was passionate about Apple, and his expertise in this area was unmatched.”
Chin’s knowledge about Apple operating systems and hardware was “immensely valuable to our ability to support the Rockefeller community, which relies so heavily on their technology,” adds Brian Y. Oh, a senior manager in the IT Service Desk and Systems Administration.
Victor Cisneros, a supervisor in the IT Service Desk, agrees. “Pete was always at the forefront on all the latest news and innovations way before they became public knowledge,” he says. “Whenever we techs were stumped in an impossible situation, we could always rely on Pete to get us through.”
Aside from his excitement about all things Apple, Chin took delight in vintage television shows like Ultraman, Sledge Hammer!, and Star Trek. “But most of all, loved and adored his two kids and his cats,” Cisneros says.
Chin is survived by his children, Camille and Liam.
