HAPPY DAZE IN JUNE
HAPPY DAZE IN JUNE
By Gerrye Wong June 25, 2019
After the very successful Longevity Ball 2019 recently presented by the Self Help for the Elderly at the Hyatt Burlingame Hotel . the good news was that the event raised over $600K which will go to SHE’s worthy senior causes. Very personable MC’s David Louie and Jana Katsuyama welcomed the over 600 supporters who had thronged among tables full of silent auction items in the entrance lobby. Ever efficient co chairs Dorothy Yeung and Flora Zee were supported by the staffs of the Self Help for the Elderly centers who helped manage the silent auction as overseen by Chair Helen Hubbs.
Amy Tan and cousin Brian Tu at Self Help for the Elderly Longevity Ball
There were constant happy smiles and eager attention given throughout the evening. Especially when David and Brian Tu went on stage to help Fulfill the Dream to raise $50K , the room came alive with many number cards being held up to exceed their modest goal. In 10 minutes over $100K was pledged by the eager crowd. following the enthusiastic generous bids given by Norman and David Tu, Andrew Zee, Douglas Shen.
Brian and David Tu with Co Chairwomen Flora Zee and Dorothy Yeung
Auction chairs Eva Jones, Helen Hubbs and Frances Liu , together with David Louie, and Tu auctioneers, had the crowd revved up to give to Self Help causes. One of the most popular auction items was a dim sum tour of the Flintstone House in Hillsborough which was won by William Joe and John Lee Families. Happy touring fun!
Winners of Flintstone House Luncheon Tour were William Joe and John Lee families.
To continue the happy excitement of the night was a fascinating Face Changing performance by Masters Wai Sui Kwan and Wai Choy Hung, world renowned masters of the art. Master Wai before our eyes as he came off stage to stand close up to front row guests, changed masks so fast , it is so easy to understand he holds the world’s record for changing the most faces in an act on TV – a total of 75 face variations, no less.
John Lee and sexy Boys with Eva Jones, Dorothy Yeung and Flora Zee
Getting people to clap hands or tap their feet were John Lee and The Sexy Boys trio . John is the musician master mind who formed his own band when 14 years old. He formed a quartet of friends, Bob Laye, Benson Kam and Tom Ho who sang a la Jersey Boys sounds, and even grabbed ladies in the audience to dance to their lively lyrics.
All in All, a happy night for all knowing they raised over half a million for Self Help for the Elderly senior services, but also having a lot fun doing it! The demand for Self Help services and programs now can continue to be served with active programs on health and/or business.. Congrats to all, winners and losers because the BEST result was earning enough funds to carry on Self Help’s services for seniors with their fine programs.
Co Chair Flora Zee welcomes guests Gerrye Wong and Tamiko Wong
Executive Director Anni Chung spoke to the audience of their success in opening services to include all Asian Pacific Asian Americans. Self Help promotes independence, well-being and dignity for older adults through culturally aligned services and programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. To find out more about Self Help for the Elderly facilities and senior living quarters, check: www.selfhelp elderly.com.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
No matter how long, any anniversary celebration is a time to rejoice for the merry couple. So said Margaret Lee as she and her husband, Ed celebrated their 60th three months early. Good reasoning was that June was a better month for outdoor festivities and they were doing their own personal celebrating on an anniversary cruise on their actual October date.
Twin Lions perform dance at Margaret and Ed Lee anniversary party.
California proved the perfect backdrop for a Lion Dance to prance around their son Phillip Lee’s Atherton home’s outdoor entrance. The Lee’s guests were entertained by the well wishing lions, a Chinese minority dance, a baritone singing Hawaiian Wedding Song, and a live combo providing reminiscing music of the 50s when the Lees got married.
Rick Torres’ ELVIS with Gerrye Wong
Hilarious happenings occurred with the appearance of a local ELVIS (alias Rick Torres) who appeared courtesy of a surprise anniversary gift from Eva Jones and Flora Zee. But the most endearing moment was when usually shy Ed admitted that as soon as he saw Margaret across a crowded party 61 years ago, he made a beeline to meet her and fend off two other potential suitors for lovely Margaret who had just arrived from Taiwan.
Sisters Mai, Rosemary, Margaret and Patty at celebration party
Margaret’s response and recollection was she picked Ed because he fit her wish list of a nice Chinese fellow who was tall and had lots of hair. After a poignant pause, she looked at him and said loyally, “Oh well, I still love him even though he’s shrunk and is now bald after 60 years!” to a garden full of laughter from the 80 guests gathered.
Happy party goers with Ed and Margaret Lee
Enjoying the California afternoon of friendship congratulating the Lees were many friends and family, including her sisters, Patty, Rosemary and Mai, Silicon Valley friends the Ken Lais, Tom Jows, Norman Tus, Helen Kwan and Sandra Joe. Bay Area friends there were the Gene Matsuuras, Clifford Changs, Mel Lees, Bobby Changs, Spencer Leongs, Lena Fong, Ed Jang, and Jim Jues.
A very thoughtful Margaret Lee recognized other celebrating couples, and announced Ernie and Mary Ann Wong were celebrating their 60th that weekend too. She also acknowledged that Calvin and I beat the Lee’s record by celebrating our 63rd wedding anniversary that week . To wish the Lees many more happy years to catch up with us, my husband Calvin presented them with the Tan Fa plant (made famous by its showing in the Crazy Rich Asians film) which would bring the Lees good luck when it would have its one night of full bloom destined a few days after the party.
Chef Yu Min Lin of The Sea by Alexanders Steakhouse greets Wong party.
I couldn’t complete this column without proudly showing off our own family Wong celebration with daughter Kelly and Gary Matsuura and grandchildren Melissa and Todd at Palo Alto’s The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse. Our intimate celebration was made special meeting Executive Chef Yu Min Lin and enjoying his newly introduced Sunday Sushi Platter, with its chef choice selection of seasonally fresh fish with specific selections determined by Chef Lin and market availability.
The Sea General Manager Tim Halsted shows his special Sunday Sushi Sampler
Manager Tim Halsted told us that Taiwan born Chef Lin defeated the most famous Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto in “Battle Black Fish” on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America program in 2008 and at The Sea has become known for his fine dining seafood-focused menu with premium quality ingredients and techniques. Featured only on Sundays, our Sushi Platter included shrimp tempura, tamago, veggie roll, hamachi, ahi and salmon roll with ponzu with truffle oil and shoyu to dip with.
Matsuura Family congratulates 63rd anniversary celebrants
Additions to our Anniversary dinner were a delicious lobster cheddar biscuit, grilled octopus appetizer, attractively presented fried whole snapper, miso black cod, and finishing celebratory Dough-Not beignet, chocolate mousse cake and everyone’s favorite Alexander’s dessert finis, strawberry cotton candy on a stick . Voila! Happy Anniversary to any other June brides out there celebrating anniversaries this month!!!
CONTINUING HAPPY NEWS
Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition (PAAWBAC) just announced that it is reviving its Woman Warrior Leadership Awards and will be presenting 2019 winners at an October 6 luncheon at the InterContinental San Francisco. The Woman Warrior Leadership Awards recognize women in areas such as the Arts, Business, Community Advocacy, Government, Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, Law, Media and Communications, Medicine, Politics, Science, Sports and Technology.
I am happy to recall that Doris Grover and I were awarded the Woman Warrior Leadership Awards many years ago for our capital campaign chairmanship which raised the necessary funds to purchase and open the Chinese Historical Society Museum in San Francisco’s Chinatown over a dozen years ago. From 1983-2005 the group recognized 101 Woman Warriors, announced Board Members Kathy Lee, Mary Jung, Jennifer Varano, Elsie Lum and Vivian Lee. To make nominations for Woman Warrior Awards by deadline July 12, check info at www.paawbac.org. Continue your good work, ladies, of honoring well deserving woman warriors of today. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful occasion to recognize all of past Woman Warriors with honors to see what they have accomplished in the subsequent years?
MAKING TIES:THE CONGDONG VILLAGE PROJECT film was introduced along with its Director Barre Fong for its North American Live Premier at the Stanford University archaeology Center recently before a packed audience. Stanford Archaeology Department Professor Barbara Voss introduced Barre, saying that for past five years Fong had become imbedded within an international research team conducting the first archaeological study of a migrant’s home village in southern China’s Pearl River Delta.
Filmmaker Barre Fong with Stanford Professor Dr. Barbara Voss
The film showed how the study of material culture can reveal complex networks that connected to the 19th century Chinese migrants, many of whom were among the 2.5 million people who left China’s Pearl River Delta to the US and countries around the world seeking new lives. Fong is a fourth generation Chinese-American San Francisco native whose activities as a filmmaker and community activist is an embodiment, he said, of his grandfathers dream of preserving his own experience as a Chinese immigrant at the turn of the century. Info: http://cangdong.stanford.edu
Audience members at Stanford movie showing show enthusiastic approval of film.
The Cangdong Village Project was a joint undertaking of the Stanford Archaeology Center, the Guangdong Qiaoxiang Cultural Research Center at Wuyi University and the Guangdong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. Thank you, Barre Fong and supporters for giving us a glimpse of the lives of so many of our ancestors who came from the Pearl Delta and braved journeys to the New World to make better lives for their families, and ultimately, for subsequent generations like ourselves. Everyone – it’s time to search and learn about your roots that came from villages in Southern China. To learn more, contact Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation who have helped many find their ancestral histories through searches in San Bruno. www.aiisf.org.
Learning more about the Pearl Delta archaeological study that evening were Gene and Mary K Lim, Ralph and Julie Gin, Gordon Chang, Connie Young Yu, Chinese Historical and Cultural Project Board Members Brenda Wong, Anita and Yucaipa Kwock, Al Low and Debbie Gong-Guy. Congratulations to the organizations which sponsored this event to share Fong’s movie and background. Event was co sponsored by Asian American activities Center Program on Asian American Studies, Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club, Center for East Asian Studies and the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project.
SUPPORTING SOUTH BAY THEATERS
Palo Alto Players always chooses a non-profit local organization to co sponsor their presentations during the season. When they presented the David Henry Hwang’s updated version of the old 1960s favorite FLOWER DRUM SONG, Director Elizabeth Santana invited the CHINESE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL PROJECT to be its co-sponsor.
Palo Alto Players Johnny Viller presents check to CHCP officers
As theater goers exited the theater following each performance, announcement was made that donations given to a box held by a performer or staff member would be divided between Palo Alto Players and its co sponsor. Citing that this Chinese themed production capped a record breaking attendance record and solicited the most donations, Box Office and House Associate Johnny Viller presented to the CHCP President Dave Yick, Board member Erwin Wong, and Trustee Gerrye Wong a symbolic giant check of over $2500 recently. What a nice gesture from Palo Alto Players and its theater patrons to support our CHCP programs. Theater goers showed much interest in learning about Chinese American history in Santa Clara Valley through an exhibit presented by the CHCP in the Lucie Stern Theatre lobby titled Pioneering the Valley.
If you want to have an evening of uninhibited laughter, rush to see Palo Alto Players latest production, ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, a British farce set in the swinging ‘60s London which made Late Late Show actor James Cordon a star when he played it in Broadway and London. Rush to see it before it ends on June 30 as it is the funniest show I’ve seen in many a year without being slapstick. Tickets: info@paplayers.org.
BEST HAPPY MOMENT
Happy Wong family UC Davis graduate Braden Wong surrounded by family heaping floral leis on him.
I dare not sign off without congratulating my youngest grandson, Braden Wong, who graduated from University of California at Davis this month with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences. Not ready to leave campus life there, Braden told his proud parents, Dr. Mike and DeeDee Wong, he will continue on to work towards a Masters and PhD. Degree at his Alma Mater with research study on pigs. Congratulations dear grandson, and this is the year of the pig, so you’re right on track! Go for it!
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