The following article was submitted by Kayla Chow, winner of the 2024 Gim Hong and Sun Woo Lee Memorial Scholarship for the top college senior. She was a student at UC Riverside majoring in microbiology. Kayla is the granddaughter of Hoy Yuen and Jean Wong, and the daughter of Bruce and Fernis Chow.
Learning about the history of my Gom Benn ancestry is valuable and treasured time spent with my grandmother – my Po Po, Jean (Sausim) Wong. This is my story about her many contributions to our family and the broader Gom Benn community. By tracing her connection to Gom Benn, examining her childhood, and reflecting on her significant work within the Gom Benn Village association, I want to showcase her accomplishments.
My Po Po’s connection to Gom Benn began in the years after WWII, and after she was born in a neighboring village. Po Po would visit Gom Benn village during the New Year and other Chinese celebrations as a young girl with her maternal grandmother, who had relatives living in Gom Benn. Po Po met my Gung Gung, Hoy Yuen Wong, when he came to live with his grandmother after his parents, Tung Deen and Hop Lew Wong, emigrated from China to the United States.
Gom Benn Connection
My paternal great-great-grandfather, Sai An Wong, and great-grandfather, Tung Deen Wong, are the ancestors that connect my family to the Gom Benn association. My great-grandfather Tung Deen Wong was one of the founders of the Gom Benn Village Society association in Los Angeles. Through my grandfather, my Po Po was brought into the Gom Benn family when they married in 1962.
Growing up in her village, my Po Po experienced a childhood rich with cultural heritage. From an early age, my Po Po valued community and learning, thus her younger years were filled with giving to the public through performances, and furthering her education; something she instills in my cousins and me to this day.
Outgoing
She was a lively and extroverted girl and had no problems mingling with people in the community. When the Chinese reformist soldiers came to visit her school, a 9-year-old Jean was picked among all other students to learn and spread the Mandarin language to the villagers, due to her stellar grades and outgoing personality.
From a young age, she was comfortable speaking in public. In addition to her intelligent nature, Jean was a natural performer at heart. Her elementary school hosted annual talent shows and with her graceful movements and dancing prowess, Jean won people’s hearts and snagged first place.
Coming to America
When she was 16 years old, she married my Gung Gung in Hong Kong and shortly after, they immigrated to California in 1962. Here, she attended Belmont High School and completed her education in two and a half years.
Eventually., she gave birth to five daughters: Janis, Fernis (my mother), Yennis, Karnis, and Elenis. My Po Po was an expert multitasker, working as a self-taught seamstress along with raising her children. Ever reaching for new heights, when Po Po was 35 years old, she earned her real estate license and excelled in this field for many years. She was the recipient of multiple trophies and awards for being a top seller. My Po Po proudly showed me her favorite trophy, a President’s Club award that resembled a woman with her haircut.
Mistress of Ceremony
Po Po was always a determined worker, and dedicated herself to whatever craft she decided to pursue. Her commitment to the Gom Benn Village association was no exception.
Po Po worked with the Gom Benn association for over a decade. She was responsible for a variety of tasks, but her most notable was her role as the Mistress of Ceremonies for the annual Chinese New Year banquets.
She welcomed and entertained guests. She also helped organize and plan the banquets, which involved assembling beautiful centerpieces and hand-crafting party favors. Along with helping organize the banquets, she also assisted with planning celebratory events within the Gom Benn community, including weddings and annual picnics.
Po Po had a close connection to many of the Gom Benn elders and would help translate Gom Benn articles into Chinese for them to read.
Getting Others Involved
She devoted herself to these roles in Gom Benn for many years, until she felt that she needed to pass the baton to the next generation. When we talked, my Po Po said that she would have loved to continue being a Mistress of Ceremonies and help organize events, but she felt it was important that younger people get involved in the Gom Benn community.
She believes that it’s important for organizations like Gom Benn’s to encourage involvement. My Po Po emphasized that Gom Benn is a priceless organization for all involved, serving as a place where villagers and their descendants can connect, bridging the gap between their past and our present.
