Legacy from a Great Generation 

by Cecilia (Cece) Chow St.Martin 

By now my father was in his late forties and looking for means to support
his family for the first time in America.  My Dad was never one to back
down from a challenge and he did what he had to do to support his family.
He set an example of mind over matter, creativity, sheer determination,
and simply hard work. I never believed that there was anything he could
not do. As a consequence, we never knew fear or had any misgivings. He
sold imported items under a corporation that he founded, ETT, in 1961. He
sold mutual funds in 1963. Not having a formal business education was not
a deterrent and Dad was fairly successful. Both of my parents became U.S.
citizens. Finally, my father decided that he needed a stable income and a
means to save for the future through social security. He opened a
restaurant in Suitland, MD called the China Seas. He hated it. It was
unlike anything that he was prepared for and the work was not
intellectually challenging or interesting for him. However, he knew that
he had to make it work as the family depended on him. I sensed that we
were going through some rough times but I don't think I ever appreciated
how difficult it must have been for him and what a sacrifice it was for
him to leave a career that he really loved.It wasn't until years later
when I had children of my own that I realized the depth of love and the
sacrifices my parents had made. 

During the time Dad ran the restaurant, he told me that he developed a new
appreciation of real American people. His daily work with his employees
and customers opened up a view of Americans very different from the ones
that he associated with from his diplomatic career and from his other
endeavors. These folks, mostly blue collared workers, struggled each day
to make ends meet and to care for their families. They might not have
attained much of a formal education but they were good people, which was
the important thing. They won his respect and I know that he helped many
of them whom he came to know and love. 

My father always told me that the only way to succeed in America was to
get an education and to work hard, much harder than everyone else. He told
me that, as a woman, I could be lucky, marry wealthy, and never have to
work. However, he wanted me to know that I should be prepared to be
independent and self-supporting as a contingency plan. It was very
important for him to make sure that I would have the means to stand on my
own two feet. That was his gift and lesson to me. He was one of the most
forward thinking people of his generation and I was lucky to be the
recipient.  

I remember that both of my parents faithfully attended my school's Parents
and Teachers Association meetings from elementary school onward. Dad knew
that I was not the least bit brilliant but, with hard work, I would make
it. He said that most people were not considered to be brilliant but, with
an education and hard work, one could make a successful life here. 
Meanwhile, a college education was expected and it must have been hard for
him to figure out how to finance it.  I could have gone to a local school,
which would have been more economical, but my father thought that  if  I
went away to school, I would learn to be more independent. They also knew
that education would open doors for opportunities, that might have meant
physical separation, but their willingness to teach me independence
stemmed solely from their love and what would be best for me. As a result,
I did go away to college, backed by financial scholarships, grant-in-aid
programs, and personal loans.  Later, independence became a reality when
other opportunities and marriage did take me to other states and away from
my parents' community. 

Following Dad's retirement, he wrote articles, worked for the Chinese
community, and supported Chinese American Forum (CAF), this magazine,
since its beginning. He was a good friend of the past President, Dr. S.
Yen Lee.  Dad passed away in 1993 and Mom passed away this August. I miss
them both dearly every day.  I have been blessed: my mother taught me how
to live and my father taught me how to dream.  Both showed me the meaning
of love and the value of family and friends. For all that they taught me
and gave me, I am forever grateful. Now that I am the older generation, I
have tried to pass the values that I inherited to my own children. Without
a shadow of doubt, I know that my parents would be proud of their
grandsons. The past provides a foundation upon which a subsequent story
unfolds. The story now continues as it has been proudly passed from my
parents, members of the greatest generation. 

Cecilia (Cece) Chow  St.Martin is now living in Illinois with her husband,
Edward. She is in pharmaceutical research with Abbott Laboratories and Ed
is with Argonne National Laboratories as a senior scientist. Their eldest
son, Michel, is a manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and their younger son,
Daniel, is completing his MBA degree at Dartmouth. This article is
dedicated in memory of Cece's mother and father and to her special aunties
and uncles in the Washington, D.C. area.   (Part 3 of 3, completed)