Clement Leo Tai was born in 1915 in China. He received his Bachelor's Degree in 1941 in Hydraulic Engineering from National Central University in wartime Chongquig. After the war, he worked on the Yangtze Gorge Dam Project, resulting in his being sent to the USA to work on a Master's Degree at the University of Colorado in 1947. Prior to his departure to the USA, he married Clare Chu. He received his Master's Degree in Civil Engineering at the end of 1947.

Due to the deteriorating situation in China, resulting from the civil war, they decided to stay in the USA. They moved to New York where he found engineering work. In 1956 he began work towards a doctorate degree, while working full time to support his family. Son Clement Jr. was born in 1949 and daughter Louise in 1954.

In 1961 after receiving his doctorate from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in Applied Mechanics, Dr. Clement L. Tai began a distinguished twenty-year career with Rockwell International working on America's space programs. He began working on the Apollo Lunar Landing Project and the Saturn V booster rocket. He later worked on Skylab and the Apollo Soyuz Project. His work on the Saturn booster resulted in his being responsible for Space Shuttle POGO stability studies, early in the Space Shuttle program. During his career, he received numerous awards from both Rockwell and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) including:

- Apollo Achievement Award, July 1969, presented by NASA
- First Man Landing on the Moon Medallion, July 1969, presented by NASA
- Skylab Achievement Award, February 1974, presented by NASA
- Saturn S-II Program Team Members Achievement Commendation, February 1974, presented by Rockwell International
- Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Award and Medallion, July 1975, presented by NASA/ASTP
- Approach and Landing Test Program Award and Medallion, August 1977, presented by NASA/ALT
- Space Shuttle Program Team Members First Spaceship Landed on Earth Achievement Commendation, October 1977, presented by Rockwell International

He retired from Rockwell in1980. He spent his retirement years traveling and doing occasional guest lectures. He died in 2000.

Also pictured is Clare C. Tai, his wife who supported him in all his endeavors.