Honorees: Biographies
Fred H. Lau, Chief of Police of San Francisco
Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr, appointed Fred Lau Chief of the San Francisco Police Department on January 10th, 1996. He remains one of the highest-ranking Police Officers of Chinese-American ancestry in a large metropolitan Police Department in the United States.
Fred has received numerous Department awards for bravery and outstanding criminal investigations. His career spans the Patrol Force, Community Relations Unit, teaching Criminal Law at the Police Academy, Sergeant and Lieutenant of Patrol, Commanding Officer of Department Specialists, Night Supervising Captain, Captain of the Tactical Company, Commander of Patrol, Deputy Chief of the Field Operations and Administration Bureaus, and the Chief of Inspectors in charge of Criminal Investigations.
Fred is an alumus of Garfield Elementary School, Francisco Junior High School, Gailelo High School, City College of San Francisco, and San Francisco State University. He was appointed as an adjunct Professor at San Francisco State University, with the Asian Studies Department, in 1991.
Iris Chang, Critically Acclaimed Author
Iris is the author of Thread of the Silkworm and The Rape of Nanking: the Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. A journalism graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana, she worked as a reporter for-the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune before winning a graduate fellowship to the writing seminars program at Johns Hopkins University.
The Thread of the Silkworm (Basic Books/HarperCollins, December, 1995) narrates the true story of Dr. Tsien Hsue-shen: how the US government falsely accused a brilliant Chinese rocket scientist of membership in the Communist Party, subjected him to five years of harassment and virtual house arrest and then deported him to China, only to watch him become the father of the red Chinese missile program.
The critically acclaimed The Rape of Nanking (Basic Books, December 1997) describes one of the greatest atrocities of world history: the slaughter, rape and torture of more than 300,000 Chinese civilians by Japanese soldiers in the capital of China. A New York Times bestseller, The Rape of Nanking has been excerpted by Newsweek magazine and featured by Nightline, Good Morning America, Jim Lehrer Newshour, Booknotes, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and numerous other media.
Iris is the recipient of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Program on Peace and International Cooperation award and major grants from the National Science Foundation, the Pacific Cultural Foundation, and the Harry Truman Library.
Joan Chen, Actress and Director
Joan Chen was born in Shanghai, China. She was selected for the Actors’ Training Program by the Shanghai Film Studio in 1975. The audience first saw her in the movie “YOUTH” directed by the famous veteran director Xie Jin. Her second film, “LITTLE FLOWER” won her the Best Actress Award in China in 1980.
Chen left China for America in 1981 to study filmmaking, and graduated with honors from California State University, Northridge. She began her US acting career in 1985, where her credits include “TAIPAN”, Academy Award winning “THE LAST EMPEROR”, “TURTLE BEACH”, “GOLDEN GATE”, and “HEAVEN AND EARTH”. Chen also starred in the highly regarded David Lynch series “TWIN PEAKS”. In 1993, she returned to her hometown of Shanghai and starred in Stanley Kwan’s “RED ROSE, WHITE ROSE”, which later won her the Best Actress award in Taiwan, and the Film Critics Award in Hong Kong. The critically acclaimed film, “XIU XIU: THE SENT DOWN GIRL”, was Chen’s directorial debut and was released in May 1999 by Stratosphere Entertainment. This film has received numerous awards and Chen most recently has been honored by the National Board of Review with an award for “International Freedom of Expression”. Chen’s most recent effort behind the camera was in the Lakeshore/MGM production of “AUTUMN IN NEW YORK” starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder, which was released in August 2000.
Joan alone shares the distinction of being the first and only Asian female director in Hollywood. Her influence to the Asian community reaches far beyond the movie screen. She is honored here tonight with hopes her many achievements will continue to inspire the next generation of youth on a local and worldwide stage.
Walter
Wong, Business Leader
Jaidin Consulting Group
Mr. Walter Wong received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. He is the founder and managing partner of Jaidin Consulting Group, LLC, which specializes in planning and permit consulting in the Bay Area. Mr. Wong is also the founder and president of W. Wong Construction.
Despite his busy schedule, Mr. Wong participates or contributes to numerous charitable organizations. These organizations include the Chinatown Community Children’s Center, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Building Owners & Managers Association, Family Support Services of the Bay Area, California Pacific Medical Foundation, Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, and Long Kung Tin Yee Associates.
Mr. Walter and Diana Wong have three children: Rex, Waliana, and Washington.
Lucinda Katz, Founder of Chinatown Community Children's Center
Dr. Katz began her career with the National Teacher Corp working with low-income schools in San Francisco and became the first Chinese bilingual bicultural teacher in 1968. That experience led her to work on the landmark decision “Lau vs. Nichols” bringing bilingual education to our nation’s schools. She founded the first bilingual/bicultural daycare center in San Francisco and helped open CASL’s day care center in Chicago’s Chinatown.
Currently, she is Director of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools working with students ages nursery through 12th grades. Previously, she worked as professor and lecturer at Erikson Institute, the University of Illinois, and the University of Chicago where she completed work in mathematics teaching and learning, curriculum development, and cultural studies.
Dr. Katz is President Elect of the Independent Schools of Central States, Vice President of the National Association of Independent Schools, and the Klingenstein Advisory Committee at Columbia Teachers College. She served on the boards of Prevent Child Abuse, was President of the Chicago Association for the Education of Young Children, and served on CASL’s Board of Directors. From 1995-2000, Lucinda co-chaired CASL’s Capital Campaign.
Lucinda Lee Katz has been a keynote/panelist speaker for many organizations; a television guest of Oprah, Brokaw, and Donahue; a Klingenstein Fellow for Schools Heads; and recognized as one of the most influential women in Chicago. Dr. Katz worked on three films addressing student development and curriculum: There’s Math in Deviled Eggs, Respecting Diversity in the Classroom, and a PBS special, Boys Will Be Men.
Heather
Fong, Deputy Chief of Field Operations
San Francisco Police Department
Heather was born and raised in San Francisco. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University. She served as a Police Activities League Cadet and Civil Service Police Cadet prior to entering the Department. She was sworn in as a Police Officer in 1977, and worked up through the ranks of Inspector, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Commander, to her current rank of Deputy Chief. During her career, she has been assigned to patrol, served as an Academy Training Officer and Instructor, Child Abuse Investigator, Youth Program Coordinator, Drug Education Instructor, Grant Writer, Strategic Planner, and District Station Watch Commander and Captain.
Heather was assigned to the Special Operations Division in August 1998 when she was promoted to Commander. There, she had responsibility for the Traffic, Tactical, and Muni Transit Companies. Since June 2000, when she was promoted to Deputy Chief, she has been assigned to the Field Operations Bureau, and oversees the uniformed patrol personnel of the San Francisco Police Department.
Heather also serves on the Board of several non-profit organizations and on the Membership Committee of the San Francisco Police Credit Union.
Michael
M. Honda, Congressman
U. S. House of Representatives – Silicon Valley, CA
Mike Honda was born in California, but spent his early childhood with his family in an internment camp for Japanese Americans in Amache, Colorado during World War II. In 1965, Mike entered the Peace Corps and moved to El Salvador for two years, where he built schools and health clinics in rural communities. Mike returned from El Salvador with a passion for teaching and community outreach, and earned a degree in Biological Sciences and a BA in Spanish at San Jose State University, and later a Masters in Education. For twenty years, Mike served as a science teacher and principal in the San Jose Public School system.
In 1971, Mike Honda was appointed by then- Mayor Norm Mineta to the San Jose City Planning Commission. In 1981, he was elected to the San Jose Unified School Board. In 1990, Mike became the first and only Asian Pacific American to serve on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Mike was elected to the California Assembly in 1996 and was re-elected in 1998. As an Assemblymember, Mike worked with Governor Gray Davis to draft landmark education reforms - including smaller class size and increases in teachers’ benefits. As Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, Mike worked to pass sensible gun safety legislation to keep guns out of the hands of juveniles and voted to ban assault weapons. Mike was awarded “High-Tech Legislator of the Year” by the American Electronics Association for his strong advocacy for the high-tech economy. He fought for legislation to augment the research and development tax credit and worked to eliminate taxes on graduate school tuition paid by employers.
In 2000, Mike was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Mike serves on the House Budget Committee, the House Committee on Science, including its subcommittee on Research, and on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, including its subcommittees on Aviation, Highways & Transit, and Water Resources & Environment.
As a member of the prestigious Budget Committee, Mike is dedicated to passing a responsible budget that pays down our national debt, while protecting top priorities such as Social Security, Medicare, and public education. As a member of the influential Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Mike is working hard to make sure the Silicon Valley gets its fair share of federal transportation funding to make the daily commute safer and more efficient for the residents of our fast-growing region.
As a Congressman for Silicon Valley, Mike is taking a leading role in bringing Democrats and Republicans together to better understand technology issues. In this vein, Mike has formed a bi-partisan Wireless Task Force to enable Congress to better understand and support innovative technologies for next generation wireless deployment.
Mike has been selected by his Democratic colleagues to serve as the Regional
Whip for Northern California, Hawaii, American Samoa and Guam. As Regional
Whip, Mike works with the Democratic Leadership by communicating legislative
priorities and strategies to members within his region. Mike also serves as
Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and continues
to be a strong voice for the cause of social justice, tolerance and civil rights.
Lillian K. Sing, Judge of San Francisco Superior Court
Lillian Sing is currently serving as a Judge on the San Francisco Superior Court after being elected to that position in 1996. Prior to that, she was appointed to the San Francisco Municipal Court by Gov. Jerry Brown in 1981, and served as Presiding Judge over the court from 1988- 1989. Lillian has broken through barriers not only for Asian Americans, but also for women. She was the first Asian American woman elected to the San Francisco Community College District, the first Asian American woman appointed to the SF Civil Service Commission, and the first Asian American woman judge in Northern California. Lillian has also served as the SF Human Rights Commissioner. Lillian was instrumental in starting a parent education program at SF Community College to help improve parenting skills for parents of pre- school aged children. Lillian was also a founding member of the Wah Mei School, a Chinese American Bilingual Preschool. Lillian made her mark as the unifying force behind the city' s drug court, in its formative years in the early 1990s. Active in many causes important to Chinese Americans, she was a founding member of Chinese for Affirmative Action, an organization dedicated to promoting civil rights of Chinese- Americans. She was also a founding member of the Chinese American Elected Officers Association, the California Asian American Judges Association, and the Asian American Bar Association. She has also served as the Associate Director of the SF Chinese Newcomers Service Center.
HONORS AND AWARDS
2002 — “Women Who Could Be President” Honoree, SF League
of Women Voters
1999 — Profile of Excellence Award, American Broadcast Communications
1995 — Living Treasure of the Asian Pacific Community, Asian Pacific
Democratic Club
1995 — “Women of Highest Achievement” Honoree, Jordan
Vineyard and Winery
1993 — Outstanding Jurist Award, SF Women Lawyers Alliance
1993 — Alumni Seal Award, Occidental College
1991 — Certificate of Recognition Award, Asian Pacific Heritage Month
1989 — Presiding Judge Award, Lawyers’ Club of SF
1989 — Trial Judge of the Year Award, Trial Lawyers Association SF
1982 — “First Asian American Woman Judge in Northern California” Honoree,
Asian American Bar Association
1982 — Women Making History Award, Congresswoman Barbara Boxer
1982 — Outstanding Contribution Award, SF Commission on the Status
of Women