Category Archives: Rev Chan family Legacy Project

Vancouver Sun newspaper addresses the evolution of Chinese New Year

A Holiday in Everything But Name: Chinese New Year is now celebrated locally like never before – is it time to make it official?

Vancouver Sun – February 12 – page D1 & D19

The Vancouver Sun's Kevin Griffin addresses issues
around the evolution of Chinese New Year in Vancouver and Canada. 
He asks the question: Should Chinese New Year become an official
holiday?

Griffin also cites how “the uniquely local Canadian
banquet Gung Haggis Fat Choy that mixes and matches Scottish and
Chinese New Year's traditions continues to grow and threatens to morph
into its own festival.”

Griffin interviews Dr. Jan Walls and explores the history of the
Vancouver Chinatown parade that originally emerged in the 1960's, faded
then re-emerged in 1974.  He then addresses Toddish McWong's Gung
Haggis Fat Choy and its spin-offs. I have only included the parts about
Gung Haggis Fat Choy and Todd Wong.

“Another multicultural tradition that's 100 percent local is Gung
Haggis Fat Choy, the creation of fifth generation Chinese-Canadian Todd
Wong.  The postmodern mix of chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day
started seven years ago when Wong invited 16 friends for dinner. 
Two weeks ago, about 600 people turned out for a feast that included
Haggis Wun-tun in maple syrup at Chinatown's Floata Restaurant.

This past year, Wong added something new to the mix: The first annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy Canadian Games
at SFU that started off with a Highland dance, a tune by a bagpiper and
a Lion Dance.  The main event was dragon cart racing with teams
sporting names such as Haggis Hooligans and Fat Choy Chunkies.

Crystal Buchan had the honor of steering the winning team.  At 20, she's in her second year in the theatre-finarts program.

Asked if Chinese New Year should be a holiday, Buchan said, “Sure, why not?.”

Todd Wong – aka 'Toddish McWong' – isn't nearly as certain.

'It depends on the will of the people.” Wong said.  “It's hard to say at this point.”

In part, Wong's perspective comes from his own family history.  He's a descendent of Rev. Chan Yu Tan,
his great-great-grandfather who came to B.C. from Hong Kong in 1896
when immigrants were actively discouraged and had to pay a head tax of
$50 (later increased to $500).  Wong recalls growing up in the
1960's and 1970's when Chinese culture was maginalized.

Wong's family history spans the historiy of discrimination towards
Chinese immigrants and the complete prohibition of immigration from
china from 1923 to 1947 with the Chinese Exculsion Act
Because the emphasis was on fitting in when Wong was growing up int he
late 1960's, his fmaily never celebrated chinese New Year.

He believes that the next challenge for Chinese New Year is not only
to integrate the old and new Chinese Canadian communities but to make
it a uniquely multicultual and Canadian event.

“That's where the future lies,” Wong said. “Canada is an evolving
culture.  Lunar New Year will continue to grow and be inclusive –
not just limited to Chinese.”

For more of Kevin Griffin's story in the February 12 Vancouver Sun – pick up a copy or check www.vancouversun.com

 

 

My Uncle Daniel Lee, wants an apology from the Canadian Government for the Chinese Head Tax

My uncle Daniel Lee, wants an apology from the Canadian Government for the Chinese Head Tax

My Uncle Dan is one of the sweetest people you will
ever meet.  He is the grandson of Reverend Chan Yu Tan who arrived in Canada in 1896.  He is also a tireless volunteer for the Veterans Unit
Pacific Unit 280.  He is a World War 2 veteran, helps organize the
Victory Square Cenotaph Ceremonies, sells poppies in the cold November months, and is the only
Chinese-Canadian to recieve the Veterans Award of Merit.  I am
proud of my Uncle Dan, and glad to support him in a quest to have the
Canadian Government follow through on an issue that the United Nations
has asked Canada to make reparations for
.

For more information on the Chinese Head Tax – check out the Chinese Canadian National Council's web page for Head Tax Redress

Check out the Vancouver Courier website and story by Mike Howell.
http://www.vancourier.com/issues05/022205/news/022205nn9.html

 

War veteran Daniel Lee is sending off
another round of letters to federal government ministers asking for an
apology for imposing a head tax on his father. Photo-Dan Toulgoet


Chinese senior says apology long overdue

By Mike Howell-Staff writer

At 84, Daniel Lee knows he doesn't have a lot of time left.

But while he's still alive, the Second
World War veteran would like to receive one thing from the federal
government-an apology for imposing a head tax on his father and
grandfather when they arrived from China.

“I'm not asking for money, or any
compensation, just an apology,” said Lee, a longtime East Side
resident, who was born in an apartment at Main and Pender. “How hard
can that be?”

Since the 1980s, Lee has sent letters
to various federal government ministers in Ottawa asking for an
apology. So far, he's received no indication an apology will be
forthcoming.

On Monday, he showed the Courier
another 11 letters he was sending to the government's new crop of
ministers, including Minister of State for Multiculturalism Raymond
Chan and Minister of Veteran Affairs Albina Guarnieri.

This year, more than any year, would
be the time to make an apology, said Lee, noting the government has
proclaimed 2005 “Year of the Veteran.” In his letter, he noted he and
more than 600 Canadians from Chinese backgrounds served as Canadian
soldiers in the Second World War.

At the time, the 600 were not
recognized as citizens, but were prepared to make “the ultimate
sacrifice” for the country. That fact alone should be reason enough for
an apology for the financial harm done to Chinese families, he said.

When Lee's grandfather and father
immigrated to Canada at the beginning of the 20th century, they each
had to pay a $500 head tax. Lee's father was a poor watchmaker who had
to support Lee and his 13 siblings.

In Vancouver at the time, Chinese were
forced to attend segregated schools, sit in Chinese-only sections in
movie theatres and were barred from city-owned swimming pools.

A 1902 Royal Commission described
Chinese and Japanese immigrants as “unfit for full citizenship…
obnoxious to a free community and dangerous to the state.”

Lee's father died in 1927, and his
mother died in the late 1980s, Lee recalled. As the years pass, he said
many of his fellow veterans have died, including Wing Wong, a sergeant
in the Canadian army.

Lee pointed out a quote from Wong in
an old newspaper article, which captures what many Chinese were feeling
in the early part of the 20th century in Vancouver: “You can't imagine
the struggle of an 11-year-old Chinese boy in that do-or-die situation
in Canada… trying to grow up in a society that valued their horses
and dogs far above any Chinese.”

During the war, Lee was an aircraft
mechanic with the 168th Heavy Transport Squadron of the Royal Canadian
Air Force. Lee said his fellow non-Chinese soldiers treated him with
respect, unlike today's government.

Janice Summerby, a spokesperson for
Veteran Affairs Canada, said she couldn't comment on the head tax
issue, saying it was “completely outside our mandate.”

“It would be very hard to comment on
something we wouldn't have been involved in or have much background
about,” Summerby told the Courier.

A spokesperson for Guarnieri's office,
who wouldn't give her name, echoed Summerby's comments and added that
she didn't know which government ministry would be able to comment.

In May, Lee plans to be in Holland for
the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Holland. He'll be there with
other Canadian veterans, and expects to receive a warm welcome.

“Over there, we get a lot more respect.”

posted on 02/09/2005

Here's another Vancouver Courier story that featured my Uncle Dan along with his friend Roy Mah

 

History Fair is a big success for Chinese Canadian Historical Society

History Fair is a big success for Chinese Canadian Historical Society


My mother Betty Wong and me with pictures from the Rev. Chan family archives.




The History Fair put on at the Vancouver Museum on Saturday January 22, 2005 by The Chinese Canadian Historical Society
was a great success.  The Joyce Whalley room was packed with
displays and visitors.  I was almost constantly answering
questions or explaining about my two displays: 
Rev. Chan Legacy Project  and Gung Haggis Fat Choy: the 2005 dinner event.

The formal welcomes took place with Dr. Edgar Wickberg welcoming
everybody.  He very peceptively told the audience that while we as
a society know a lot of how the mainstream community reacted to or
against the Chinese community, we don't know a lot about how the
Chinese community thought about these same situations, or what went on
in the families and the community.  Dr. Wickberg emphasized that
is is very important right now to take stock of what we do have, so
that we can move forward in including Chinese Canadian history within
the larger context of Canadian history. He explained that BC is often
the last end note in Canadian history.


I had four poster cards filled with pictures
of the families of Rev.
Chan Sing Kai and Rev. Chan Yu Tan on display, standing  upright –
while other poster cards were flat on the table including the Chinese
ancestral family tree written by Rev. Chan Yu Tan in 1924, and the 2000
Rev. Chan Yu Tan  family tree of descendents.  These posters
displayed picture of Rev. Chan Sing Kai soon after he first arrived in
Canada in 1888 and soon after wearing “European costume.” 
Pictures also included Rev. Chan Yu Tan's 50th wedding anniversary
picture with his wife.  The most recent pictures were from the
1999 Rev. Chan Clan Family and featured pictures of each of the
attending generations from my Grandmother's 3rd generation with her
brothers, sisters and cousins to the 7th generation featuring my cousin
Lisa's two granddaughters who are both only 1/4 Chinese now.


Marisa Alps visiting me at my Rev. Chan Legacy display.


The display attracted lots of attention
from attendees.  Some
had attended the Chinese United Church as they grew up in
Chinatown.  Some recognized friends in the pictures. Some were
inspired and wanted to research their own famility histories and family
trees.  Some people had heard me on CBC Radio being interviewed by
Sheryl MacKay for her North By Northwest CBC radio show.

My parents came down and brought my 94 year old grandmother to see the
show.  Sing Tao Newspaper photographer Richard Li took a picture
of us with pictures of us with the Rev. Chan Legacy display. 
Channel M also had a television camera shooting picutres
too.   Filmaker Nettie Wild had some good conversations with
myself and my mother regarding the lives of our ancestors 100 years
ago, as Nettie is researching stories for her next project.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy™ was my other display
I displayed posters for the 2005 dinner event, the SFU GHFC Canadian
Games and the 2004 CBC television special.  As well, I displayed
past newsclippings and one of the first pictures ever taken of me in a
kilt in 1993, by SFU media photographer Marianne Meadhal.  Many
people came by had heard me on CBC radio, saw me on The National with
Peter Mansbridge or saw the CBC tv special Gung Haggis Fat Choy. 
They all enjoyed the concept of a combined Robbie Burns Chinese New
Year Dinner, as I explained that I was partly inspired by my Chan
Family's 6th and 7th generations who are now only 1/2 or 1/4 Chinese
and will need to find inclusive expressions to express their dual or
multi-ethnic hybrid culture and ancestry.


“I think you've identified Vancouver's
'Two Solitudes',” Vancouver
Museum's history curator Joan Seidl told me.  We joked about how
in BC, the influencing forces were Scottish and Chinese as opposed to
English and French.  While the Scots were on top and the Chinese
on bottom, Vancouver's history is filled with stories of both
interaction and non-interaction between these groups.

The history fair had a wonderful atmosphere of comraderie as friends
greeted each other, of discovery as old friends reunited, and of
importance as insights were made.  The following is a list of the
presenters and my comments.


Strathcona House Genealogy
– James Johnstone had a picture of my grandmother's old house and a
list of the houses' genealogy of occupents.  He talked with both
my mother and grandmother about the house.
Chinese Family Laundry & Enping County
– Elwin Xie and his partner Fanna brought together pictures and
artifacts for this cool display.  Elwin is also a friend and an
ACWW board member.
Chinese in Guyana – Trev
Sue-a-Quan had copies of his two books about the Chinese in Guyana and
his own family stories.  Trev is also a poet and a friend through
dragon boating.
Multicultural Canada is
a  Simon Fraser University project that is creating “…a freely
and highly accessible and visible cultural heritage portal online.”
Historical Cartoons – Patricia Roy had her book and collections of cartoons detailing the clashes and atteitudes about the Chinese
Won Alexander Cumyow – Janet
Nicol had been reseaching the life of the first Chinese born in
Canada.  Cumyow married the daughter of Rev. Chan Sing Kai – and
just discovered that “Eva” was actually an adopted daughter
Historica – Shannon Steele will be putting together an educational fair for youth about their place in history

Canadians for Redress
Sid Tan, Linda Jang and Sean Gunn all had a great display on Head tax
redress with lots of copies of Shared Vision which featured them on the
cover and in the story
Settling the Score
Chinese Stoneware Record – Trelle Morrow
WWII Veterans & Chinese Cemeteries – Judy Maxwell worked on a research paper about the veterans and a wonderful display was provided by the Chinese Canadian Military Museum
WWII Chinese Canadian Female Aviators
– Patti Gully featured pictures and stories about young attractive
Chinese woman who helped lead the war effort promotion.  
Very insightful.

Chinese Burial Practices
– Laura Pasacreta
Chinese Artifacts from Salt Spring Island – Chris Hatfield has found many many pottery pieces and shards on his Saltspring Island farm.
Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society – Don Montgomery, executive director shared his table with Rice Paper Magazine
Yan Family Tree – May Yan-Mountain
Lau/She Family Tree – Jennifer Lau
Kamloops Chinese Cultural Association – Heroes of Confederation Museum Project
Chinese in Kamloops & Railway Workers – Joanna Maxwell
Chinese Opera Costumes – Elizabeth Johnson brought together a display from the Museum of Anthropology where she is curator.


Todd appears on CBC Radio's “North by Northwest”: Chan Legacy Project

I visited radio host Sheryl MacKay in her North By Northwest
studio early on Sunday morning.  Upon my arrival, Sheryl greeted
me, and I was amazed to see that she was the only person on the
floor.  No production assistants.  Nobody.  Sheryl does
it all.  She is an amazing woman.

“You brought Show-and-tell!” she exclaimed when
she saw the large package I was carrying.  I had brought archival
pictures of my family history, as I was being interviewed out my
upcoming presentation for the January 22 A Taste of History Fair,
organized by the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC.  This event will be held from 10am to 4:30pm and will be at the Vancouver Museum on Chestnut Street.

 

My Great Great Grandfather
Rev. Chan Yu Tan and Mrs. Chan Yu Tan (seated), second from the right
is my Great Grandmother Kate Chan Lee(standing). On the far right
is her husband Ernest Lee, my Great Grandfather.

I opened up the package and spread the poster cards out
along the floors and walls of the CBC radio studio, explaining which
one was my  Great great grandfather, the Rev. Chan Yu
Tan. His elder brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai had arrived in 1888 at
the request of the Methodist Church of Canada to help found the Chinese
Methodist Church in Vancouver.  My great great
grandfather had followed his brother from Hong Kong to Canada in
1896, their two missionary sisters Phoebe and Naomi came later.

Here was a picture of Grand uncle Luke
who became an actor in Hollywood.  Here was my mother's cousin
Rhonda Larrabee who became First Nations Chief of the Qayqayt (New
Westminster) Band with her grand children who are now only 1/8
Chinese.  Here is my grandmother's cousin Carol who married the
cousin of just former Washington State Governor Gary Locke.  Here
is my grandmother's eldest brother who married the aunt of Canada's
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.  Not all descendents of Rev.
Chan Yu Tan – but related through marriages to the family.

We had a great chat – it was warm, just like
Sheryl's voice – warm, velvety and reassuring.  Perfect for Sunday
morning radio.  The time passed quickly, and before the show
ended, Sheryl asked me to put on my other hat and tell the radio
audience about Gung Haggis Fat Choy events – the poetry reading with
Fred Wah, and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner on January 30th.  I
shall try to make a transcription of the show in the days to come.

Rev. Chan Legacy Project: Rev. Chan Yu Tan Family Highlights

 

The Rev. Chan Legacy Project documents 7 generations of Chinese Canadian history.

The Rev. Chan Yu Tan family and descendants were featured in the museum show “Three Early Chinese Canadian Pioneer Families“, created by the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives.

 

Rev. Yu-Tan Chan and Mrs. Chan seated.  His daughter, my great-grandmother Kate Lee and her husband Ernest Lee (standing 2nd and 1st on the right.) New Westminster, BC, circa 1920

Rev. Chan Yu Tan Family Tree is 7 generations long, 14 pages long and includes over 370 names.

The Rev. Chan Legacy Project recognizes the importance of Canada’s early Chinese missionary pioneers and the way the Chan family descendants reflect the integration and assimilation into Canadian culture despite the challenges of extreme racial prejudice and discrimination. Legacy projects to share the Rev. Chan story with fellow Canadians include photographic archives, historical artifacts and stories have been
collected. A Family tree was created. Family Reunions were organized in 1999 and 2000, and are planned again for 2007. A website is underway.

This project began as a Family Reunion, and drew on several existing family tree attempts.  The 1999 Family Reunion included members from the Missionary Chan sister
who moved to Chicago.  The 2000 Reunion included many Rev. Chan Sing Kai descendants from Oregon and California.

The founding committee members are: Todd Wong co-chair; Gary Lee co-chair, Verna (Mar) Tak archivist and treasurer, Betty (Mar) Wong, Rhonda (Lee) Larrabee, Alvin Lee,
Sylvia (Mar) Chang, Gail Young.  Special advisors were Daniel Lee,
Gerald Chan, Mabel (Lee) Mar and Betty (Toy) Lee.

 

Chan Family first arrives in Canada in 1888.

 

Rev. Chan Sing Kai left Hong Kong in 1888, invited by the Methodist Church to serve as a missionary for the Chinese in British Columbia. He became the first Chinese minister ordained in Canada. In 1902 he went to minister in Oregon and then later in California.

His younger brother Rev. Chan Yu Tan followed him to Canada in 1896. Rev. Chan Yu Tan served with many churches in BC including the Chinese Methodist Church, and United Churches in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo and New Westminster. Two
sisters were also missionaries in Canada and the United States.

 

Family descendants make contributions to Canada – doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief!  All in the family now…

The history of the Rev. Chan Yu Tan family very much reflects the integration of Chinese Canadian history in Canada. Inter-racial marriages first took place in the 1920’s with son Luke and grand son Henry. Today the 7th generation is only one-quarter Chinese.

Luke Chan
was the preacher’s son who went to Hollywood to become an actor and appeared in movies with Katherine Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, such as Marco Polo and The Good Earth.  He starred in The Mysterious Mr. Wong, with Bela Lugosi, as well as  Samurai, Secrets of Wu Sin and Charlie Chan and the Chinese Cat.

Daniel, Howard and Leonard Lee + cousin Victor Wong are the grandsons  who fought for Canada during World War II. Daniel Lee has been a tireless volunteer and leader for the Veterans of Pacific Unit 280. He is past-president and has received Awards of Appreciation, Service, and Merit – the only Chinese-Canadian to receive all three. He also helps to organize Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Victory Square Cenotaph in Vancouver.

Rhonda Larrabee is the great-grand-daughter who became an Indian Chief. She single-handedly rebuilt the Qayqayt (New Westminster) First Nations Band. She is the subject of award winning National Film Board documentary “A Tribe Of One.” which one best documentary at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco in 2005.

Janice Wong, daughter of Dennis Wong, son of Rose Chan became an internationally recognized visual artist www.janicewongstudio.com wtih shows in Europe, New York and across Canada. In 2005, she wrote a book titled Chow From China to Canada: Memories of Food and Family. It is a hybrid book of her father’s recipes from his Chinese restaurants in Prince Albert, Sasketchewan, and family stories of her ancestors in Canada. The book is well received and Janice does media interviews across Canada.

Joni Mar, daughter of Victor Mar, grandson of Kate Chan. This great-great- grand-daughter, Joni Mar is now an international leadership trainer, executive coach, and faculty member of the Coaches Training Institute.  In 2005, Joni Mar published her first book, The Inspired Business Approach. Joni Mar began her illustrious career as the the first Chinese Canadian daily television news jounrnalist in Western Canada.  While working for CBC Television News, Joni was awarded the top North American news story of the year in 1989.  She launched her own business and went on to win National awards as an interior designer and a nomination by the Bank of Montreal for Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year

Todd Wong, great-great-grand-son is a community organizer, co-organizer of the campaign to save the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa and create the Joy Kogawa House Society as a Writer-in-Residence program, community activist for Chinese Head Tax Redress, and director for the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop in Vancouver.  He is well known as “Toddish McWong” –  the creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong’s Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner.  In 2004, CBC TV created a musical variety performance special inspired by Todd’s dinner and was also titled “Gung Haggis Fat Choy,” receiving 2 Leo Award nominations.  Todd was awarded Simon Fraser University’s 1993 Terry Fox Gold Medal for his efforts to create racial harmony and triumph over adversity in surviving cancer. In 2008, he was awarded the BC Community Achievement Award  for his community work, including efforts in the dragon boat race community.

 

Todd Wong on CBC Radio Sunday Morning 8:10am-8:30pm: Chinese Canadian history and Rev. Chan Legacy Project

I will be a guest of Sheryl MacKay for CBC Radio One's North by Northwest on 
January 16, Sunday morning between 8am and 8:30am.


The show will be talking about the upcoming Chinese Canadian Historical Society of
BC workshop at the Vancouver Museum on January 22. There will be many groups
participating including Head Tax Redress, Asian Heritage Month, etc.
And Gung Haggis Fat Choy! I will mention how my family history has helped influence
me in creating Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New
Year Dinner.

The Reverend Chan Legacy Project is the 7 generational history of my mother's family.
Rev. Chan Yu Tan, my great great grandfather arrived in Canada in 1896, following the
footsteps of his elder brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai. Both came as Methodist Lay
Preachers from the Wesleyan Mission in Hong Kong. Both helped to develop the
Chinese Methodist Church in Vancouver, which later became the Chinese United
Church.

The lives of the the Rev. Chan Yu Tan descendents are integrated deeply into the fabric
of Chinese Canadian History, and also tell the story of a Chinese family integrating into
Canadian culture. With each generation, there were marriages to non-Chinese. With
each generation there was a steadier integration into North American society.

Luke Chan, son of Rev. Chan Yu Tan moved to Hollywood and became an actor.
He starred in movies such as The Mysterious Mr. Wong, The Secret of Wu Sin, and
Samauri. He also acted in movies with Katherine Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Ava Gardner,
Clark Gable and Bela Lugosi.

Great Grandaughter Rhonda Larrabee became a First Nations Chief of the Qayquayt
Indian Band.

Great Great Granddaughter Joni Mar became a Miss Canada finalist and a CBC TV
newsreporter's One of the first Asian-Canadian television reporters in Western Canada.

My Great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan was part of “Three Early Chinese Canadian Pioneer Familes” exhibit


My Great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan was part of “Three Early Chinese Canadian Pioneer Familes” exhibit

My Great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan came to Canada in 1896, following his elder brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai from Hong Kong.  They were graduates of the Wesleyan Mission.  My family has now been in Canada for 7 generations – all in Vancouver BC.  I am part of the 5th generation of the Chan family descendants.

Rev. Yu-Tan Chan and Mrs. Chan seated.  His daughter ,my great great grandmother Kate Lee and her Husband Ernest Lee (standing 2nd from right and 1st right.)

New Westminister, British Columbia, circa 1920Courtesy of the Dora Yip Collection

In 2002, The Chan family was part of a history project for the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum and Archives in Vancouver BC, titled “Three Pioneer Chinese Families.”  Here is a link to the original Vancouver Sun article by John Mackie.

Rev Chan Yu Tan and Rev Chan Sing Kai were pioneer missionaries to Canada, arriving in 1896 and 1990. They and their sisters Naomi and Phoebe (also known as Ng Ku or “The Bible Lady”) also helped to build the Chinese Methodist Church in Vancouver, that later became the Chinese United Church. These early churches were the first organizations to teach Chinese immigrants language lessons in English.

One of Rev. Chan Yu Tan's sons, Luke Chan, went to Hollywood and acted in films, where he starred in several movies, including The Secrets of Wu Sin, The Mysterious Mr. Wong and Singapore.

Grandsons Victor Wong, and brothers Daniel, Leonard and Howard all served in the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II. Daniel has received awards for Appreciation, Service and Merit, for his work with Pacific Unit 280 veterans.

Great-granddaughter Rhonda Larrabee was the subject of the National Film Board documentary Tribe of One, as she singlehandedly revived the Qayqayt (New Westminster) First Nations Band of her mother's heritage.

Great-great- granddaughter Joni Mar was a Miss Canada runner-up and was one of the first Asian-Canadian television news reporters when she worked for CBC TV.

I just thought I would share this with you, as I ready materials for the 2005 Research Fair, organized by the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C., January 22, 2005, 10:30am to 4:00pm at Vancouver Museum.

Here's another link with a picture of Rev. Yu-Tan Chan on a page titled Coming to Gum San.