RESOLUTION HONORING ARTHUR WONG AND DR. ELAINE CHONG WONG
WHEREAS, It is with great honor that members of this Chamber recognize the contributions, achievements and dedicated service of Arthur Wong and the late Dr. Elaine Chong Wong to Chicago's Chinatown community; and
WHEREAS, The City Council has been informed of this auspicious occasion by the Honorable Daniel Solis, Alderman of the 25th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Art Wong is the cherished son of restaurant entrepreneurs, Paki-Yuen and Eng Shee. Art grew up in Chinatown and attended Haines Elementary before attending Tilden Tech High School. Art swam in high school as well as played baseball for the Chinatown Dragons. He discovered his true passion after participating in the Chicago Park District's Rainbow Fleet where he learned how to race sailboats. After graduating high school, Art attended Ripon College where he remained highly involved with sports; and
WHEREAS, After graduating college in 1953, Art found work at the Automatic Electric Company in Chicago. During his life, he worked at Bankers Life and Casualty, and Prudential; and
WHEREAS, In his free time, Art was an avid sailor and raced competitively for sixty-five years. He won several Boat of the Year Awards, he won his boat's class in the Chicago to Mackinac Race and he was a member of the Mackinac Island Old Goats Club for sailors who have completed at least twenty-five races; and
WHEREAS, His wife, Elaine, was the adored daughter of Daisy, an entrepreneur and Henry Chong, a foreman at the Dole Cannery, and the middle of seven children. Elaine attended Indiana University majoring in Chemistry and English. She then attended Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania. She did her internship at Queens Hospital in Honolulu before completing her pediatric residency at Milwaukee Children's Hospital, her clinical psychiatry residency and teaching at the University of Minnesota Medical School and her adult psychiatry residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Elaine maintained her own private practice for sixty years and with limited practice until she was 90; and
WHEREAS, Arthur and Elaine were a beloved couple who met on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend. Their wedding ceremony was held at Thorndike Hilton Chapel at the University of Chicago with their reception at Chiam restaurant in Chinatown. Married for fifty-one years, they have two children, David and Melissa, and three grandchildren, Ailani, Calder and Nicholas; and
WHEREAS, In 1986, Art joined the Board of Directors ofthe Chinese American Service League and worked on both the Finance and Audit Committees. In 1988, he became the Chairman of the
Board and served for ten years, becoming the longest-serving Board Chairman in agency history; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of CASL's new office building and the Senior Housing building, secured a $1,000,000 gift from the State of Illinois and donated titanium "dragon scales" that are placed outside of the office building. He was a visionary and progressive thinker whose leadership helped grow the organization into what it is today; and
WHEREAS, Elaine was a volunteer consultant for thirty years at CASL in the Children's Development Center, where she spent time mentoring teachers and helping them understand their students so that they could provide the best possible service. Elaine also reviewed individual children's case files and made sure that each child received loving and positive care that improved their lives; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Elaine Wong passed away on September 2, 2016, at age 91. Her loss was not only felt by her family, but by the community she devotedly served. She will be deeply missed by those who had the pleasure of knowing her; and
WHEREAS, Every year, the Chinese American Service League recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contribution to CASL by awarding the Lifetime Achievement Award. The honoree(s) must have exhibited exceptional leadership and provided inspiration to others and have made a lasting contribution to CASL, the people CASL serves and the Chinatown community. Art and Elaine's tireless commitment, altruism, and decades of visionary leadership was recognized at CASL's 40th Anniversary Gala on May 10, 2018; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, gathered here this twenty-fifth day of July, 2018, do hereby honor and express our deepest and sincerest gratitude to Art and Dr. Elaine Wong for their tremendous contribution to Chicago's Chinatown and the Chinese-American community.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be prepared for Art Wong and his family as a token of our appreciation and recognition.
DANIEL SOLIS Alderman, 25lh Ward