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AAPI Washtenaw Oral History Project - Cynthia Yao

Photo of a Chinese American woman with gray hair and glassesCynthia Yao was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where her parents settled after immigrating from China. In 1959, she moved to Boston to attend Emmanuel College. She met Edward York-Peng Yao who was at Harvard finishing his PhD in Physics. They married and came to Ann Arbor where they raised four children: Michelle, Mark, Steven and Lisa. She received a Master of Museum Practice from the University of Michigan in 1979. She was inspired by science centers and children's museums that she visited with her children. Yao proposed to the city a museum in the former firehouse building and worked with many community members to create the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum which opened on October 13, 1982. She served as Executive Director for 18 years. 

Note: Cynthia and Ed’s eldest daughter Michelle passed away in 2022, after the recording of this interview. All four of their children have successful careers–three became doctors, and one became an engineer.

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Hands-On Museum Goes To The White House

Hands-On Museum Goes To The White House image
Month
July
Year
1990

In 1990, Cynthia Yao represented the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum at the White House to receive an IMS-GOS (Institute of Museum Services General Operating Support) award. First Lady Barbara Bush made the announcement of 390 museum recipients nationwide.

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