Juan Carlos Chaves was born on August 22, 1961 in San Jose, Costa Rica a proud son of María del Carmen de Oña Ferré Cipriano Chaves Núñez. He was a hard-working, loyal and honest man, whose life was characterized by academic and professional achievement as well as supporting his family, his pride and joy.  Juan will be remembered as a compassionate, successful professor and author who focused on his family, students, classmates, friends, and country.

As a young man, Juan attended Lincoln School in Costa Rica graduating a year earlier than his peers in 1978 as class valedictorian. He excelled as a leader, academically, and in extra-curricular activities including sports. He was a Youth Golf Champion in Costa Rica. Rising above his contemporaries, Juan secured an international nomination to the United States Military Academy from the United States’ Embassy in Costa Rica.

Juan’s start at West Point was one for the ages. After flying with a classmate for more than 16 hours from San Jose, Costa Rica, Juan hopped a Port Authority bus to Newburgh arriving around 11:30 pm because the Academy representative assigned to meet their plane was AWOL. A state trooper chuckled at the scene of two bozos walking - yes walking from downtown Newburgh to West Point at midnight dragging suitcases and portable typewriters. The trooper opened the back door to his cruiser, they bounded in, and he drove them Highland Falls. Obviously, there was no rooms to be found. The trooper managed to accommodate them in a dusty motel storage room around 2am where they crashed for the next three or so hours. Feeling underfed and sleep deprived they moved out smartly to Michie Stadium as they would not have missed R-Day come hell or high water!

After that auspicious start, Juan was an unforgettable friend and comrade to his 1983 West Point classmates. Juan spent his upper-class years in Company A-1, yet, understandably, Juan had friends across the Corps and more than one remembers “Donde-Esta-Juan” the tutor in Yearling Spanish. Never a negative comment and always ready to help without regard to personal sacrifices, Juan was the guy who you could always count on to help pull all-nighters on a tough engineering project.

Lest you think Juan was all work, classmates remember a Juan you could count on to blow off steam at Eisenhower Hall and actively participate in Company A-1 antics like the putting of a Trophy Point cannon on top of the clock tower of Pershing Hall. He was an upbeat and good-natured person, and everyone in A-1 was a recipient of his kind-heartedness. Juan somehow always was assigned the room across from the orderly room. In the days before cell phones, a cadet’s lifeline was the company orderly room phone, and Juan regularly knocked on doors delivering messages from the outside world. We all got to know him, his wit, and his natural compulsion to help a fellow classmate.  We joined him on sojourns to cities and universities to visit Costa Rican friends studying in the U.S.  Juan graduated with a bachelor’s in Science in Mechanical Engineering and with the skills that would enrich his professional and personal life.

Juan then received a scholarship from the Organization of American States, to study Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute obtaining a Master’s Degree followed by a degree with a Masters of Business Administration from the State University of New York in 1990.  Juan greatest academic achievement came in 2002 when he earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Manufacturing Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Juan’s dissertation was “The Effect of Surface Condition and High Temperature Oxidation on Quenching Performance of 4140 Steel in Mineral Oil.” Juan published several articles in his field and was the Director of the Mechanical Engineering Magazine of the University of Costa Rica, as well as the Sub-Director of the Mechanical Engineering School.

Juan returned to Costa Rica and served his country by educating its youth as a university professor in 1985 and as an engineer consultant.  On July 5, 1986, Juan married Carolina Evans, an English teacher, and began their lives together. Juan and Carolina had two wonderfully talented children: Gloriana Chaves Evans born in 1990 and Juan Ignacio Cháves Evans, born in 1994.  As one would expect, Juan inspired and challenged his children to embrace life and reach for greatness. Juan’s daughter Gloriana’s intelligence and compassion drove her to a selfless career in nursing distinguishing herself treating her patients and colleagues with respect, kindness, and dignity. Gloriana was also a very talented singer becoming a classical soprano. Juan’s son, Juan Ignacio, followed his father’s military aspirations attending the United States Naval Academy Class graduating with the Class of 2016. Juan Ignacio became an economist and went on to earn a MBA at the esteemed Instituto Centroamericano de Administración de Empresas (INCAE) Business School ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 10 international business schools in the world.

Above all, Juanand Carolina were great hosts to those who visited him either in the U.S. or in Costa Rica. Juan Carlos passed away after fighting a long battle with Neurological Pathologies, on July 7, 2019. He was surrounded by his loving family.

“Always willing to help in academics, and a loyal friend, Juan will be missed by all.” - Howitzer, 1983

“Juan had a positive, delightful presence that was infectious. If I was in the midst of a bad day, just encountering him in the barracks would bolster my mood.” - Bob Cole, A-1