00:00:00.050 - 00:00:13.600

Something about me- Maybe you can see what else you need. This one- Oh thank you very much. Oh yeah we did not have this at all. I see.

00:00:14.440 - 00:00:28.230

Well, thank you so much for- can I keep this? Sure, yeah. Ok, thank you. So, I think I will need your family members’ names. Your wife…Juana,

00:00:32.120 - 00:00:45.720

Jennifer, and Julia. I see, ok. Ok. Yeah, this is not at all the other person. Okay. Yeah, it so happens I have another one- I’m gonna make a recomend- you can interview him

00:00:45.990 - 00:00:55.730

too. Ah Gordon Gee. Yes. Ok. Is Gordon Gee the father of Molly Gee? Yeah. Wonderful.

00:00:56.330 - 00:01:08.360

Ok, this is great. This is very good information to have. And uh- You read Chinese? Yes. I am Taiwanese. I was born in Taiwan, so I came here.

00:01:08.890 - 00:01:23.410

Well you, I’m sure you’ve heard of Chinese Entity of Chinese Culture? [Speaks in Chinese] Oh okay. Yeah, I was the one that started. Oh, oh my goodness.

00:01:23.860 - 00:01:33.810

Is it still here? The Chinese Cultural Center? And it’s still here? Oh, yeah it’s over 40 years old. Wow, that’s great. We have about 400 students.

00:01:34.790 - 00:01:42.160

Oh is this a weekend school? Weekend school. I see. It’s not a Chinese language school? Yeah. It is. It is.

00:01:43.110 - 00:01:55.610

But we also teach English for students. You know? Oh wow thank you so much, thank you. This is great. So the questions I have, I

00:02:00.340 - 00:02:18.760

don’t know if, would you- well maybe can start by telling me how you are related to the Gee family here? Are you? Well, ok, actually all the Gee family, they are from two areas.

00:02:19.200 - 00:02:34.920

We are from the same ancestors, but we are from two areas. One is in Taishan (2:20) and one is in Kai-ping Kan. Harry and I, we are Kai Ping

00:02:34.920 - 00:02:52.460

Kan. [inaudible] Everyone in our village. We were in a big village. We are over 300 houses.

00:02:53.710 - 00:03:04.180

Everyone’s a Gee? Yeah, everyone is a Gee. I see. And did you know Harry in China, in Kai Ping? Yeah. You knew him? Yeah, he’s just a baby.

00:03:05.930 - 00:03:20.120

[Oh okay.] Because of his father, that’s why he’s in Houston. But that’s another story. So Harry Gee Sr. brought you to Houston?

00:03:20.470 - 00:03:30.480

No, not really. Ok the story is this. In 1940 I came over here, we lived in San Francisco.

00:03:31.100 - 00:03:43.390

With my father- My father was already here. In Houston? No, not in Houston. In Mississippi. [Mississippi?] Okay. In 1940, he went back to Hong Kong

00:03:43.390 - 00:04:03.760

and brought me back here and then we past Houston to Mississippi. When we were in Mississippi, they do not let the Chinese go to school with the white people at that time. Harry Gee Sr.

00:04:03.760 - 00:04:16.240

knows about that, that I cannot go to school, so he advised my father that I stay here and go to school in Houston. So anyway, I went Mississippi for about two months

00:04:17.970 - 00:04:32.450

and then I came in the spring in 1940. So in the autumn, I came to Houston and stayed with Harry Sr. and go to school here.

00:04:33.040 - 00:04:44.160

[I see.] At that time, Harry still in China and his mother still in China. And when you came to Houston, did your parents stay in Mississippi to work? No, only my father.

00:04:44.160 - 00:05:00.990

Only the men. Nobody’s wives here- [The wives are in China?] wives in China. So you stayed- lived with Harry Sr. at his house and you went to school? Well, we didn’t really have a

00:05:02.840 - 00:05:20.830

house. [inaudible] Next to a restaurant called Chinese Village. And the back of the restaurant, there was an independent building. Bottom is a storeroom and the top is a

00:05:21.560 - 00:05:36.240

living quarters. So we just all stayed in the living quarters. Not really a house. The Chinese Village is not the drive-in restaurant- that’s the drive in? It’s the drive-in.

00:05:36.240 - 00:05:52.520

Also have dining room too. Put a nice sign at the top. Because I have a- I went to the library downtown and I found a Dunn and Bradstreet credit report.

00:05:53.000 - 00:06:06.780

In 1952, one of the China Clipper restaurant had an annual estimated sales of $500,000. So that’s huge for Chinese restaurants. So I think Harry Gee Sr.

00:06:06.780 - 00:06:27.120

did very well. His restaurants were big operations, not small restaurants. Yeah. At that time, nobody takes pictures. We don’t have any pictures. So I cannot- think- if you can tell me if

00:06:27.120 - 00:06:42.810

I have this right. I have Harry Sr., I have him at China Clipper, the Main Café. These are the businesses that the different Gee family members had. So these are grocery stores that Won Tu Chu and CY Chu had, and then

00:06:42.880 - 00:06:57.270

Harry Sr had China Clipper, Main Café. And Chinese Village. Chinese Village. China Star. Then Polyasian- no that’s Albert Gee- so

00:06:57.790 - 00:07:13.090

this is about right. Albert Gee is – Yeah, Albert Gee is further down, yeah I have Albert Gee here, so Gee’s Kitchen is Albert Gee’s. Later, yeah.

00:07:14.860 - 00:07:30.810

But [Thing How] is the main one, everyone knows [Thing How] is on South Main. But I’d like to find out information on how big they are. How much money did they take to invest

00:07:30.810 - 00:07:43.980

and how much money did they make? Anywhere we can find out that information? You have to ask Albert’s wife [Whose wife?] Albert’s wife, Jane. I make a list for

00:07:45.250 - 00:07:58.090

you to read. Oh wow. Gordon Gee [indistinct]. Jane Gee. Raymond Gee. Oh thank you. Edward Chen, yes I

00:07:58.090 - 00:08:07.790

know Edward, he helps us. And Rogene. Yes, I was going to visit with her. Thank you, this is wonderful. Is Gordon still alive? Yeah.

00:08:08.150 - 00:08:22.610

Ok. Did- CY Chu’s daughter died, right? I’m making a family- It could be, yeah.

00:08:23.030 - 00:08:37.760

She died very young. Oh yeah, he had two daughters. I think one of them died. I didn’t keep up with but it could have-

00:08:39.820 - 00:08:55.410

Well it’s hard to tell. The business In weekday, I was with

00:08:55.470 - 00:09:13.600

Albert. In weekday, we made about 300-400 dollars. In the weekday. But Friday, over

00:09:13.950 - 00:09:29.290

500. Saturday and Sunday is over 500. On average. On average. So then, how many people did he have, how much was the overhead, how much did the

00:09:29.290 - 00:09:45.720

waiters get paid? The waiters didn’t have to get paid, only depend on tip. The waiters get about $15. And that is before tip?

00:09:46.810 - 00:09:56.330

Before tip. And you could eat there? Yeah. And the cook gets more? And the cook gets $300/month?

00:09:57.680 - 00:10:12.270

About. And then, Fin Wen Chin told me that as a cashier, you get $2 an hour, $1-2 an hour. And then you work for 2-3 hour shifts.

00:10:17.700 - 00:10:32.050

Is that right? I don’t think you get $2 an hour. Not even as a cashier? No way. Wow. Because cashiers probably get paid more than waiters.

00:10:32.330 - 00:10:48.460

Yeah. They really don’t get much. [inaudible]. Right now I really don’t know. You should ask Gordon. I don’t remember.

00:10:50.500 - 00:11:06.900

So what high school did you go to when you came to Houston? Well, I went to Sam Houston High School in downtown. Now it’s no more there. And then, did you work in Harry’s restaurant when you went to high school?

00:11:08.080 - 00:11:19.600

No, I worked with Albert. Ok I see. And after high school, where did you go to college? UT Austin. And you majored in engineering?

00:11:19.600 - 00:11:39.430

Yeah. I see. What kind of engineering? Civil. It’s written on your- So you worked at the Texas Highway Department during the highly discriminatory 1950’s, 60’s.

00:11:39.750 - 00:11:54.620

So it was very difficult to be hired. Well, yes but see I have advantage because I went to the service, so they let me in. Because you’re a veteran?

00:11:54.700 - 00:12:09.950

Yeah veteran. Did you serve in World War II? Yeah. And did you go to Europe? No. Wait a minute. [Veterans affairs.]

00:12:11.900 - 00:12:35.920

I have my service somewhere here… What did I do with it? I gave it to you. This one? [indistinct] Dismissed [indistinct] Gordon Chu- Gee and then

00:12:36.010 - 00:14:28.890

the Chinese school history and then So I give you a copy of this. Thank you, thank you so much.

00:14:28.890 - 00:14:50.800

Oh, this is when you were in the Navy? Yeah. Oh wow. So from UT, you went into the Navy?

00:14:51.990 - 00:15:07.790

No, after. So after UT, you went to the Navy. No, no, no. I mean after the Navy, I go to UT. Oh, I see. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have money to go. Oh I see. I use the GI Bill, everything free.

00:15:10.730 - 00:15:41.540

In the Navy, was there any discrimination? Oh yeah. Do you see anything about my haircut? Oh, oh wow. A barber

00:15:41.540 - 00:16:05.740

shop, oh. So how did you deal with- so when your superior went to the barber

00:16:06.010 - 00:16:24.610

shop, he had to cut your hair right? Was there further discrimination after that? Not really, no. This is the only experience I really encountered. And so with the GI Bill, you graduated

00:16:25.310 - 00:16:45.120

UT and you were hired by Browning [inaudible]. Later. My first job was with the highway. So because you were a veteran, you were favored in the hiring process over the civilians?

00:16:48.200 - 00:16:58.380

Yeah. So this was in Houston? Texas Highway Department job? This was what they call resident office. They take care of a certain area.

00:17:03.180 - 00:17:20.320

And so you met your wife and married. How did you meet your wife? It’s a long story. When I was in the Navy- Before I was

00:17:20.360 - 00:17:37.170

in the Navy, I was a US merchant marine in Long Island, New York. Over there I met, when all the Chinese young men

00:17:37.530 - 00:17:52.040

became good friends. So when we have day off, we go to New York City Chinatown. And in Chinatown, we have no place to go. So we met what that man happened

00:17:52.550 - 00:18:05.790

to be my wife’s cousin. So he took me to my wife’s uncle’s. He’s a Chinese herb doctor.

00:18:06.440 - 00:18:24.130

So we went by his office and they liked me. So when my wife came over after high school, she went to a Catholic college. So her uncle

00:18:24.610 - 00:18:34.810

introduced me. I see. And you were still a merchant marine? No, at the time, I was off. You were already off?

00:18:35.840 - 00:18:45.340

Oh wow, that’s great. So you did not meet your wife until your friend’s uncle introduced her. No. She came over in 1949 I think.

00:18:45.680 - 00:18:58.090

To Houston? New York City. From China? Yeah, China. Oh okay. That’s wonderful. And how long before you got married how long did you know each

00:18:58.090 - 00:19:15.360

other? Oh, about four, five years before we get married. She went to college in Michigan. In Michigan? I see. And then after the marine,

00:19:16.800 - 00:19:31.430

you came back to Houston, to live, or? No, after I come- Not really. I been travel all over the United States. After I get discharged from the

00:19:31.430 - 00:19:49.810

US Navy, I came by [inaudible] Houston. My grandfather was here. After I came back and get my discharge, and stay just for a couple months to relax, then I

00:19:49.810 - 00:20:00.420

went to San Francisco. And go to school there. What year was that? That was ’46, ’47.

00:20:01.700 - 00:20:20.100

I think And what school did you go to in San Francisco? Oh, that was a preparatory school. Okay. And from there, where did you go after preparatory school in San

00:20:20.130 - 00:20:29.840

Francisco? I came back to Houston. Went to UT. AK: I see. And what year did you graduate from UT? ’52. AK: ‘ 52 okay.

00:20:29.840 - 00:20:43.020

So from then- And you did not work in the restaurant or grocery store ever since then, you’ve been on the engineering track. Yeah. AK: And so you mentioned your grandfather was

00:20:43.020 - 00:20:59.310

here, were your parents still in Mississippi? No. my father at that time- this is really- my father, at that time,

00:21:01.200 - 00:21:19.320

went to the war too, you see. He was in the US Army in Germany. When I came back here, my father already discharged from the army. He

00:21:19.320 - 00:21:39.210

went back to China and on the way back, he passed by Albuquerque, New Mexico and we have some relatives there that have the grocery store business. So at that time, they asked my father to stay there to

00:21:39.250 - 00:21:51.640

run the store over there. So your father went to Albuquerque, your grandfather was in Houston. [In Houston yeah.] And this would be after the war?

00:21:51.850 - 00:22:05.690

Yeah, after the war. So 1945? After 1945? In 1949, my grandfather went back to China, stay in village.

00:22:06.080 - 00:22:22.670

[Oh I see.] He never come back. I see. When he was here, was he working? Yeah. He not really

00:22:31.960 - 00:22:46.140

working. At that time, all the Chinese men, just single men. So he stayed with a lot of old men and

00:22:51.340 - 00:23:06.170

I don’t know how he make a living actually. I think they have some gambling houses here, he just fooled around at the gambling house, how he make a living, I really don’t know.

00:23:07.870 - 00:23:22.860

Meanwhile, your mother was still in China? Yeah. My mother didn’t came until 1951. And then she went to Albuquerque to be with your father? Yeah. And by then you were not married, you were married already in

00:23:22.860 - 00:23:35.920

1951? No, not yet. I got married until 1953. I see. And once you got married, you settled down in Houston? Yeah. And how many children? 3 daughters. I think I have three names here.

00:23:37.080 - 00:23:48.230

Juana, Jennifer, and Julia. Ok. And have you always lived in Houston, have you moved elsewhere? No, not ever since getting married.

00:23:50.070 - 00:24:04.920

So in terms of, you’re from the same village as Harry Gee, from Kai Ping. But you’re not really related by blood, or are you? Well, we can count back how many generations [Oh

00:24:05.960 - 00:24:22.910

yes.], we have the poem, to follow the- The poem here? So do you think you can remember where you and Harry

00:24:25.440 - 00:24:39.200

have common relatives? Common relatives? About 6, 7 generations back. I see. And then we have a common

00:24:39.540 - 00:24:54.390

[inaudible]. But then you know in China, they have family ten family temple. Right, right. Have you gone back to China?

00:24:55.130 - 00:25:07.320

Yeah. Have you gone back to Kai Ping too? Yeah. In fact, you see in the picture here, in 1945, I went back to my native- the village and bring

00:25:07.320 - 00:25:20.580

this picture back. This is my great grandparents and this their parents. Your wife’s parents? No, mine. Oh, your great-grandparents?

00:25:20.800 - 00:25:34.870

Yeah. And then, your parents? No, my great- their parents, their parents. Oh. So they have pictures of- These are paintings. Yeah they have pictures.

00:25:35.760 - 00:25:53.110

So while you’re here, are you very involved with the CACA or with the Chinese Baptist Church? Not the Chinese Baptist Church. I was with CACA, but no

00:25:56.950 - 00:26:13.170

more. I was vice president for the CACA and then treasurer for a number of years. Later on, I was involved with the Chinese school. With the Chinese school? Yeah.

00:26:13.450 - 00:26:28.150

When did the Chinese school start? 1975, I think. And were you teaching there, or did you have- No, no. Did you hire teachers to teach there?

00:26:28.150 - 00:26:44.030

Yeah, we hired teachers. In that year, I was president of the Chinese association. [In Chinese] so I proposed, we have everything but the Chinese school.

00:26:44.300 - 00:26:51.910

We ought to start a Chinese school. And then I was the first Principal. I see, I see.

00:26:52.300 - 00:27:07.710

It seems you had a professor from Rice University who came to attend. Allen Matusow, he’s a professor we know. And what year would this, this is 1990… I think we started in ’75.

00:27:08.080 - 00:27:27.570

Ok, ok. Wow. So you were the president of the Chinese Cultural Association or- No, the school we called “The Institute of Chinese Culture,” [In Chinese].

00:27:29.180 - 00:27:45.160

Chinese culture, I see. And does it teach children every age? Oh yeah. And is it Cantonese or Mandarin? Mandarin. We started with Cantonese, but later Mandarin.

00:27:45.160 - 00:27:58.240

Did your children- did daughters attend the school? Yeah (laughs). But they don’t remember. But it’s important. And it’s only on weekends, on Saturday and Sunday.

00:28:00.530 - 00:28:18.640

And where is the campus? You know where the Taiwan, what do they call it- west office? Westchase? West Park?

00:28:22.410 - 00:28:36.470

Anyways, the same street as the Chinese [Taiwanese] Taiwanese- Oh, the Taiwanese cultural, they have a cultural center as well? Oh I see. Yeah. Further down. Okay. And how many teachers did you have when you started?

00:28:37.700 - 00:28:50.560

We have about 4-5 teachers at that time. Yeah, I see you started with $200. And you have many many people to come and support it. Yeah, our campus.

00:28:50.920 - 00:29:05.890

We have a big campus. We have some pretty valued property there. I see. I think it says 18 years, you were at Rice. You borrowed a classroom at Rice for 18 years?

00:29:06.710 - 00:29:19.340

Yeah, we used that classroom. I forget what building, it’s been so long. Humanities? We have the whole building, and we didn’t even know it. Oh wow, that’s nice.

00:29:19.800 - 00:29:35.900

I know Dr. Matusow, he’s very, very nice. Yeah. That’s wonderful- was it very time-consuming to run the school? Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

00:29:36.330 - 00:29:49.540

Yeah Is it difficult to persuade parents to bring their children to attend Chinese classes? Yeah, at that time. Was that the first school to start? The first school. We had the first Chinese school in Houston.

00:29:49.960 - 00:30:06.640

Wow because Now you have Evergreen and so many others. Yeah, so many. And what textbooks did you use for the class? At that time, we used textbooks from Taiwan. They supplied the textbooks.

00:30:07.680 - 00:30:26.070

We get it all free. I see. I think Taiwan- I think the overseas, overseas Chinese section that they do supply books to the people. Yeah that’s righ So have you gone to Taiwan, have you

00:30:26.070 - 00:30:42.220

been to Taiwan? Yeah, they invite me over there one year. I see. That’s great. Come here, let me show you what they sent me. Oh [reads Chinese out

00:30:45.760 - 00:31:58.400

loud] Oh this is from Taiwan. [This is from Taiwan.] [Chinese]

00:32:05.490 - 00:32:23.100

this is from 1993 the plaque that they gave you, right? [inaudible] So on you’re- so as you’ve watched the Houston community grow, do you participate in the Gee family activities?

00:32:23.670 - 00:32:32.650

Yeah, I guess so. I guess I did. Yeah, I was the president one year. But this was long ago.

00:32:33.280 - 00:32:54.320

I see. And then how big is the Gee family, do you think? I think you have it in the book. Don’t you have a book? I have the Gee Association, I don’t know if they have a- how

00:32:54.320 - 00:33:04.340

many people they have. I don’t know either. Yeah this is- This is the book. So it’s pretty comprehensive right. Of all the people? And uh so-

00:33:06.990 - 00:33:58.340

No, that’s not it. Oh that’s not it. This is the [inaudible] This is the latest one. I see, Gee Family Directory.

00:34:05.320 - 00:34:16.580

Oh I see. Wai Li is not a Gee is he? His wife is. Oh, his wife is? But

00:34:21.420 - 00:34:34.500

she’s not a Gee from Houston right? No, she’s just in there. We put all the Gee’s that we know, put it in there. I see. Do you think the Gee family is a better

00:34:35.290 - 00:34:49.810

organized family, because I asked Harry if the Gee family is bigger than all the other Chinese families here? We are better organized, but not bigger. Do you know who is the bigger family?

00:34:50.540 - 00:35:09.310

We used to think Lee is bigger. I’m not sure now. Yeah, the 3rd generation and the 4th generation changes. I have Russell, Renoir, Raymond, and Edward

00:35:09.310 - 00:35:23.980

Gee in the same family. Because the reason why I say that is online, you can create a family tree. There’s a website called ancestry.com.

00:35:24.720 - 00:35:49.320

And last night I was putting some family- the family of [speaks in Chinese] and a lot of records came up, very surprisingly. I put in this person [speaks in Chinese]

00:35:53.080 - 00:36:11.810

and when I typed that in, the website provided me with the record, when he left and was deported to San Francisco to Hong Kong, and there was a ship ledger with his name on it. Oh really? Yeah, so ancestry.com is not difficult

00:36:12.580 - 00:36:23.880

to use. And actually if I can go to your computer, [Okay.] I can show you know how to do it. I can show you what I did. If I can log on to the internet I can show

00:36:25.300 - 00:36:49.360

you how to- [inaudible] It’s very impressive because all of the records you have [indistinct]

00:38:13.770 - 00:38:23.970

It’s very scary but [indistinct] I guess- I’m sorry I’m taking longer than that’s okay. [indistinct] So when did you retire from work?

00:38:28.180 - 00:38:42.710

The year, the month I reached 65, I quit. I don’t know what year it was. But now I’m 88. You’re 88, you look very young!

00:38:43.950 - 00:39:02.610

Thank you. The month I reached 65, ok, I have Social Security; I have medical care, that’s enough. And what do you do every day after you retired? Well we’ve been travel a lot and

00:39:03.990 - 00:39:14.610

fooling with the stock market. Oh. How do you keep so healthy? Do you exercise or do tai chi, or? Well I walk a lot.

00:39:16.180 - 00:39:35.140

Every day? No, every other day, I walk an hour. On average This is a very nice neighborhood. That’s great So do you know if there are other businesses besides

00:39:36.420 - 00:39:49.190

the ones that I- so this is the list of supermarket, grocery store, restaurants. Are there any other business that you think that the Gee’s have that I did not put in there?

00:39:49.350 - 00:40:01.760

I really don’t know. That’s why I give you Gordon- he was a big salesman at one time and supplied all the meat to the Chinese grocers.

00:40:01.930 - 00:40:13.620

Oh, he would know. He would know. Also I gave Raymond Gee… Can I borrow this and make a copy and return this to you? Yeah yeah. Okay okay thank

00:40:14.650 - 00:40:27.400

you. So far, the story of the Gee family seems to be that Won Tu Chu and CY Chu came- they welcomed many many people from the Gee villages to come and help.

00:40:27.560 - 00:40:44.880

Yeah, what they do when the Gees came, you have no way to get a loan somewhere and they will- Lend you the money? No, they will not lend the money. They will go sign for you.

00:40:45.010 - 00:40:54.770

And then Harry Sr. is also another Gee family member who is very generous. But they’re not related. [Not related.] Harry is not related.

00:40:56.670 - 00:41:09.260

So CY, Won Tu- Albert, Gordon, Wallace, and Harry are related? Yeah. Like you are. But then CY Chu and Won Tu Chu are not related? No, they are from Tai San. We are from Kai Ping. I see.

00:41:10.080 - 00:41:23.090

Okay. Okay. Then the Gee Family Association began with Harry Sr., or was it Won Tu, CY who began The Gee Family Association?

00:41:31.610 - 00:43:02.160

Uh… Let me see. I have a lot of [indistinct] articles [ruffling papers]

00:43:02.300 - 00:43:23.470

I try to [indistinct] This the big US Gee family. That’s the year we entered

00:43:31.900 - 00:43:57.550

here. Did the US Gee Association inspire the Houston family members to create their family association? Yeah. [ruffling papers] [indistinct] ‘76

00:43:57.730 - 00:44:16.490

This is ’76. I think about the early 70’s. The Gee Family Association? Yeah. Before we get together, but we didn’t have organization,

00:44:18.390 - 00:44:33.220

we just get together. But after that, we form an organization. How much relationship is there between the National Gee Association and the Houston one? Not really much. Not really much?

00:44:33.610 - 00:44:45.520

Is there any membership fee that pay them? No, no membership fee. Are there membership fees for the Houston members to join the Gee Family Association? No. We didn’t.

00:44:46.960 - 00:44:59.540

But we just donate whatever. Yeah, because I think you donate scholarships, right? Money to give away for scholarships? Yeah. That’s really

00:44:59.690 - 00:45:15.590

good. May I borrow this as well because I did not know, I vaguely read about the National Gee Association but it would be interesting to know the relationship between the two. Are there still people who go nationally from Houston to the US every year

00:45:15.590 - 00:45:31.070

or? No. Except when they have what they call convention. There’s no set date for it. [No set date?]

00:45:32.880 - 00:45:44.550

Last time was 4, 5 years ago. Oh ok. And have you attended the national convention? Yeah, I went to two. The last two.

00:45:49.020 - 00:46:05.900

So somehow the Taiwan government [speaks in Chinese] is involved in this or no? No. You have people from Taiwan [speaks in Chinese] come and make a speech, or send a congratulatory message and secretary from the president’s

00:46:06.560 - 00:46:20.500

office also sent a congratulatory message. So I guess the Taiwan’s overseas Chinese office must be in some connection communication with the Gee Family Association.

00:46:20.770 - 00:46:34.730

Yeah. I wonder if it’s still the case now. Well, yeah. Not just the Gees, but they all try to get connections. But then what about the mainland Chinese office?

00:46:35.190 - 00:46:50.930

Wouldn’t they also try to get connections? No, first of all, this is what they call traditional organization. They got no connection with the mainland government. Oh, are they still politically anti-communist?

00:46:51.400 - 00:47:05.480

No, not anymore? No, not anymore, but there’s nothing formal. Yeah, that’s true. Nothing formal. See, my father was a diplomat for Taiwan.

00:47:05.770 - 00:47:18.510

[Oh.] So when I was growing up, I lived in embassies overseas and my father was posted to Australia and he just took me to all the big cities in Australia and he met with overseas Chinese.

00:47:18.680 - 00:47:33.040

That was his job, to meet with them. And so yeah, I’m very familiar with all the government officials in Taiwan, and what they would do, and what the diplomats have to do, yeah. So, this is very interesting.

00:47:36.220 - 00:47:45.620

And I think- the third- so your children would be considered the second generation or the third. Your daughters are the second generation, right? I really don’t know. Because you came from China.

00:47:46.260 - 00:47:56.580

Then you’re the first generation. And your daughters are the second generation, and then their children are the third generation. But then my grandfather was here, so I really don’t

00:47:57.370 - 00:48:13.260

know. Your grandfather was born here? No. He came before you did? Yeah. I think my grandfather come and they have a lot of Chinese [inaudible]. In the 1890’s? 18 something’s, yeah.

00:48:13.470 - 00:48:26.170

To do railroad? Railroad or whatever. My grandfather get a citizenship, was in 1990 San Francisco. In 1990 San Francisco had a big earthquake.

00:48:26.260 - 00:48:35.000

Yes. And a lot of papers destroyed. So they can claim citizenship. Yeah. He can claim to be a citizen [inaudible] That he was born in the United States. I see.

00:48:36.190 - 00:48:49.270

Then did he go back to marry? Yeah. And your grandmother did not come? No. And then, so your father was born in China and then he came when he was, how old was he when he

00:48:49.410 - 00:48:56.590

came? I think, 15. No 16. No, no, no, no. I meant 18. Because he married before.

00:48:58.670 - 00:49:11.850

Yeah I didn’t see my father until I was 7 years old. When he came? No, when he went back. Oh. Ok. 6 or 7. So your father came because his father was in the United States.

00:49:12.000 - 00:49:21.610

His son came. And then he went back to marry. No, he married before. Oh, he married in the United States? No, in China. In China, and then he came here?

00:49:21.980 - 00:49:32.670

Yeah. And then he went back? And that’s when you saw him, when you were 7. Yeah. Oh and then you came because your father was here. Yeah. And then you came to Houston because Harry Sr.

00:49:32.880 - 00:49:43.160

told you to come to attend school. Yeah. When Martha Wong is also from [Mississippi.] She’s from Georgia. Oh, she from Mississippi? Well I don’t, from the Deep South.

00:49:43.160 - 00:49:58.050

Yeah, and she also came here because she could not go to school with the white people in Mississippi. That’s amazing. Well, from the way, I’m just beginning to study the Gee family, but it seems

00:49:58.050 - 00:50:13.170

like, if the first generation came from very hardworking, maybe they start restaurants or grocery stores. The second generation or third generation, they’re all professionals. Yeah, nobody stayed in grocery or

00:50:13.170 - 00:50:23.010

restaurant. All gone. All went into professional service. That’s very impressive. That’s a model immigration story, model minority.

00:50:28.320 - 00:50:40.430

Ok, well thank you so much. If I can borrow this one and I’ll return these to you. Ok. If you have any questions, let me know. Do you think if I call, Gordon he would just talk to me?

00:50:40.430 - 00:50:48.560

Or should I ask Harry Gee to make an introduction? Yeah, ask Harry first. Ok, that would be good. And I have his telephone number.

00:50:48.920 - 00:50:50.050

Ok, thank you so much.