notable asian americans
duke kahanamoku
The "Duke", as Kahanamoku would be called, had been named not for Hawaiian royalty, but after his father who had been christened "Duke" following the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to Hawaii in 1869. He was born on August 24, 1890 in Honolulu. Throughout his youth, Duke strove to refine his water skills. Swimming, surfing and canoeing were his passion. Duke’s dedication payed off as the Five-time Olympic medalist in swimming, an actor, lawman, early beach volleyball player and businessman credited with starting a sport of surfing. Duke made an impact on residents of his hometown of Honolulu Hawaii and the rest of the world. Born in Honolulu in 1890, Kahanamoku struck gold by setting a world record in the 100-meter free-style and earned a silver medal in the 200-meter relay. He won two more golds at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, silver at the 1924 Paris Olympics, and a bronze at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Kahanamoku's swimming and surfing talents caught the attention of Hollywood, and over the course of nine years, he appeared in nearly 30 movies. Kahanamoku went on to serve as sheriff for the City and County of Honolulu for 26 years. Duke died in 1968 at the age of 77 however many will always remember him.
dalip singh saund
Born in Chhajulwadi, Punjab, India, to a Sikh family, he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Punjab in 1919. He immigrated to the United States originally to study agriculture at the University of California Berkeley. While at the University he obtained a master’s degree and PhB both in mathematics. He thereafter remained in the United States and became a successful farmer. Dalip Singh Saund was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served the 29th District of California from January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1963. He was the first Asian American/Indian American elected as a voting member of the United States Congress. Born in India in 1899, Saund came to the United States in 1920 to study at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a doctorate degree in mathematics. Despite being highly educated, Saund discovered that his career options were limited due to anti-immigrant feelings in the U.S. As a result, he worked in farming for the next 20 years. At the same time, Saund began fighting discriminatory laws against Indians. In 1949, he and other Indians finally earned the right to become U.S. citizens. In 1956, Saund left the fields of California for the halls of Congress.
hazel ying lee
Lee was born in Portland, Oregon. Her father was a merchant. Her mother devoted her energy to raising 8 children and helping with the family business. Lee swam, played handball, loved to play cards and in her teenage years, learned how to drive. Following graduation from high school in 1929, Lee found a job as an elevator operator at Liebas Department Store in downtown Portland. This was one of the few jobs that a Chinese American woman could hold during this time period. Hazel Ying Lee has the distinction of being one of America's first female pilots, and one of the first Chinese-American female military pilots. She was born in Portland, Oregon to a Chinese immigrant family and took her first flight in 1932 at age 19. She earned her pilots license the same year, and like Katherine Cheung, she became one of only 1% of licensed American pilots who were female. She then went to China to fight for the Chinese Air Force upon invasion by Japan, but was declined due to her sex. She moved to Canton and worked for the next few years as a buyer for Chinese war materials. In 1944, Lee was invited to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, an American group created by famed aviator Jacqueline Cochran. After over three decades of campaigning, the women of the WASP were finally granted full military status in 1977.
yo yo ma
One of the world's great musicians, Yo-Yo Ma began studying the cello at the age of four. As a toddler, he and his parents moved from Paris, France, to New York. At age nine, Ma made his musical debut at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City. Since graduating from the Julliard School and Harvard University, Ma has played as a soloist with orchestras around the world. Along the way, he has recorded 50 albums and collected more than a dozen Grammy Awards. He is also dedicated to bringing music into the lives of young people through education programs and family concerts. Mr. Ma serves as a UN Messenger of Peace and as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities. He has performed for eight American presidents, most recently at the invitation of President Obama on the occasion of the 56th Inaugural Ceremony. Mr. Ma and his wife have two children. Mr. Ma plays two instruments cello and a Stradivarius at the age of 57.
maya lin
Maya Lin was born in Athens, Ohio. Her parents immigrated to the United States from China in 1949 and settled in Ohio in 1958, one year before Maya Lin was born. Maya Lin came into play in 1981. Lin studied at Yale University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981 and Master of Architecture degree in 1986. She has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Yale University, Harvard University, Williams College, and Smith College. Just 21-years-old and still an architectural student at Yale University, Lin won a contest to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Her design beat out more than 1,400 entries. The Memorial's 594-foot granite wall features the names of the more than 58,000 U.S. soldiers who died during the Vietnam War. Each year, four million people visit the wall to pay their respects to these war heroes. Less than a decade later, Lin designed another famous structure the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. The monument outlines the major events of the Civil Rights Movement. Today, Lin's designs can be found in several American cities and continue to inspire the entire nation.
jerry yang
Yang was
born in Taipei, Taiwan on November 6, 1968, and moved to San Jose, California
at the age of ten with his mother and younger brother. Jerry Lang moved to the
states despite his mother being an English teacher, he only knew one English word
(shoe) on his arrival. Becoming fluent in the language in three years, he was
then placed into an Advanced
Placement English
class. Yang is married to Akiko Yamazaki, a Japenesse woman who was raised in Costa Rico. Yamazaki graduated from Stanford
University with a degree in industrial engineering and is a director with the
Wildlife Conservation Network. The couple met at Stanford University in the
Kyoto overseas program in 1992.Yang is currently on the Board of Directors of
the Asian Pacific Fund, and Cisco, and is also on the Stanford University Board of
Trustees.In April of 1994 he created a web site called, “Jerry and Dave’s guide
to the world wide web” who was later named Yahoo! In 1999 he was named one of
the top 100 inventers under the age of 35 by MIT technology review. As of
January 17, 2012 when Yang resigned from Yahoo!'s board, the company's market
capitalization was $20 billionToday Jerry is no longer with Yahoo! However he is
thankful for all the opportunities the company provided.