WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 6, 2012) — Gordon Hirabayashi died on Jan. 2, 2012. He was 93 years old and living in Edmonton, Alberta.

Asian Americans remember the contribution to civil rights from a young Japanese American man who made an unpopular decision at the time — even among many in his own community — in refusing to be interned against his will in WWII. His example today has serves as an alarm bell every time a disenfranchised community faces the threat of mob rule.

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AAP staff report

A pillar of the India Minnesotan community will be laid to rest this Sat., Dec. 17, in Burnsville, Minn. Daniel Arayil Kunjummen passed away Dec. 10 from a lengthy illness at the age of 84.

Kunjummen’s life of fearless journeys began at Kerala, India, where he was born a citizen of the Raj in the British Empire on April 14, 1927. Decades later as an immigrant he would arrive on American soil with just seven dollars in his pocket, where education, faith and hard work would lead him to become the Controller of the City of Minneapolis, a missionary and a cornerstone for a family and community.

The son of Idikula and Elizabeth (Aleyamma) Kunjummen, Daniel was one of nine children in a prominent family of Kerala’s Syrian Christian community. These are descendants of Middle Eastern Jews that converted to Christianity and migrated east to India after the Roman Diaspora in the first century A.D. He took great pride in his Jewish heritage and cultivated amongst his family a deep appreciation for its ancient traditions.

In 1946, Kunjummen married Sara Abraham, the eldest daughter of Cheruvallethu Mathunni Abraham (Avarachan Upadeshi) and Mariamma Abraham. Both Kunjummen’s father-in-law, a respected businessman who gave up his holdings to become a revered evangelist, and his father were founders of the Christian Evangelical movement then awakening in India among the previously Eastern Orthodox Christian community.

Daniel and Sara Kunjummen raised six children together on two continents, LucyJoy Kunjummen Paulose, Lizy Daniel Johns, Babu Daniel Kunjummen, Professor Raju Daniel Kunjummen, Jessy Kunjummen Thomas, and Dr. B. Daniel Kunjummen. As the patriarch of a family that grew to 47 people by 2011, Kunjummen saw four generations of his family thrive in the United States, including his six children, their six spouses, 15 grandchildren, six grandchildren-in-law, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Kunjummen placed a premium on close family bonds and demonstrated a lifelong commitment to his relations near and far. While he was still a newlywed, both of Kunjummen’s parents died, leaving him to care for three younger brothers and his infirm elder brother. He raised his siblings on the family plantation, supported them through college and arranged their weddings.

Kunjummen earned his bachelor’s degree in commerce from Kerala University. He trained as an accountant and advanced to become the Chief Accounting Officer for the Kerala Electricity Board.

Overseeing far-flung state projects, Kunjummen worked long hours and lived during the week on sites across the state. He came home each weekend to the family plantation in Pathanapuram. His children recall their “Papa” as Hemingwayesque, in not only his appellation, but also in his physique and charisma. His infectious joie de vivre filled the Kunjummen house with laughter when Papa came home each weekend, bearing gifts of fresh flowers and books.

Journey to the United States

Kunjummen immigrated to the United States and arrived in Minnesota in 1968 as a student at Central Bible Seminary. He worked multiple jobs to support his family and finance his education at the seminary, from which he ultimately obtained a master’s degree in religious education and became an ordained Baptist minister.

Kunjummen remained active in his local evangelical church while working in the secular world. A deeply devout man, he instilled the importance of faith in his children and grandchildren through traditional daily family prayer, scripture reading and singing. A frequently requested favorite hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” by Martin Luther was among his favorites during family devotionals.

Through the 1960’s and 1970’s, Kunjummen eventually brought his wife and six children to Minnesota and the family bought a home in Bloomington, where they lived for the next 40 years. He would eventually sponsor his brothers, nephews, nieces and other family members.

Many of the sponsored relatives would live with the Kunjummens in Bloomington while transitioning to life in America. Today more than 100 of the Kunjummen family reside in Minnesota. Many more relations live in cities across the United States.

Deeply patriotic, Kunjummen became a U.S. citizen in the 1970’s, and proudly voted in elections thereafter. As an early member of the relatively young Indian-American community in Minnesota, he guided other immigrants through the process of assimilation. With compassion and generosity, he assisted with everything from finding new jobs to financing homes.

Mr. Kurian Cherucheril, retired head of the Science Department at Cretin-Derham Hall, and a founder of the Minnesota Malayalee Association, was a lifelong friend of Kunjummen.

“I considered him first, a man of faith who raised his family with the fear of the Lord,” Cherucheril said. “Moreover, he believed in the pursuit of excellence. He always wanted the best for his children. He received that blessing from the Lord, and he stood for his convictions all his life.”

In the 1970’s, Kunjummen became a licensed CPA and went to work as an accountant for the City of Minneapolis. His leadership, excellence and integrity earned the respect of his colleagues and he retired in 1994 as the City Controller, one of the highest-ranking civil servants in the City.

Refusing to go quietly into retirement, Kunjummen founded an organization to help support charitable works in India. He visited frequently to help train these evangelists and today the organization supports over 50 missionaries and their families.

Born on a plantation, Kunjummen loved to raise flowers, fruits, and vegetables all his life. He maintained extensive gardens at his Bloomington home from which he gave produce and plants to his family, friends and people in need.

A brilliant man who loved great literature, Kunjummen regularly regaled his family and friends with long passages he recited from memory of Shakespeare, Tennyson, and Kipling. He amassed a personal library of nearly 1,000 books to nourish his intellectually inquisitive mind. He wrote extensively on a variety of subjects, from current events to theology.

A dynamic speaker, Kunjummen enjoyed lively debates on virtually any topic. He occasionally employed the Socratic method in conversing with his children and grandchildren as a way to challenge them to think independently.

A loving but strict father, Kunjummen insisted that his children excel. All six of his children went on to become educated professionals, including a CEO, a doctor, a professor and three corporate executives.

In his later years Kunjummen suffered and fought cancer, Lewy Body’s, and pulmonary attacks. He fought back as doctors predicted imminent decline. After suffering an aortic aneurysm in 2011, which is typically fatal, he rebounded once again until he passed.

Visitation will be held at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel, 2300 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, 10 a.m. at Berean Baptist Church, 309 East County Road 42, Burnsville.

Born under the British flag, he grew to adulthood under the Indian flag, and served and died under the American flag. He leaves a legacy of abiding faith, ceaseless care for his family and community, and committed service to his beloved country. Perhaps Tennyson’s closing lines from Ulysses best capture Kunjummen’s quintessentially American journey.

Excerpt from the conclusion of Ulysses, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Come, my friends,

‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, until I die.

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew

Though much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Barry K. Thongvanh (1950 – 2011)

AAP staff report

Pastor Barry K. Thongvanh, 60, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died June 7, 2011 in Storm Lake. He was a founding member of the Central Asian Pacific Islander Commission and Iowa Commission on Asian Pacific Affairs.

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(From right) Etsu Mineta Masaoka with brother Norman Mineta (APAICS Founder) and his wife Deni Mineta

Washington D.C. (June 3, 2011) – Jim Park, the chair of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies and Gloria Chan, the president and CEO, issued the following statements today on the passing of Etsu Mineta Masaoka:

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Edwin Kwoh, businessman and community leader

LOS ANGELES (May 31, 2011) – Edwin Kwoh, a self-made businessman with a long history of involvement and service to the community of Los Angeles, passed away on Monday, May 30. He was 95.

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Dr. Baruch Blumberg in a photo before death last week, from left, Meredith Bergin Bailey, Asian Liver Center, Dr. Stuart Fong, Chinese Hospital, the late Dr. Baruch Blumberg, Dr. Joseph Woo, Chinese Hospital, Ted Fang, AsianWeek Foundation & SF Hep B Free, Janet Zola, SF Department of Public Health & SF Hep B Free, and John Fisher, Brown and Toland Physicians Group at the Hep B Free Coast to Coast Gala on Sept. 16, 2010. (Photo by Frank Jang)

SAN FRANCISCO (U.S. ASIAN WIRE – April 11, 2011) – San Francisco’s Asian and Pacific Islander community is saddened by the passing of Nobel Laureate Dr. Baruch Blumberg who discovered the hepatitis B virus – the biggest health discrepancy facing the API community.

Blumberg received the 1976 Nobel Prize in medicine for his discovery of the hepatitis B virus, and the development of the first vaccine to fight hepatitis B. His research has had a major impact on worldwide public health and has saved millions of lives globally. He died of a heart attack at the age of 85 on April 5.

This past September, Blumberg was honored by the Chinese Hospital and San Francisco’s Hep B community during the Hep B Free Coast to Coast Awards Gala, for his distinguished achievement in medical science. The night’s event was presented by SF Hep B Free and Chinese Hospital, and produced by the AsianWeek Foundation.

“Dr. Blumberg has made one of the largest impacts on world health by discovering the Hep B virus and subsequently the hepatitis B vaccine,” said Dr. Joseph Woo, former Chief of Staff of Chinese Hospital. “We are thankful for the opportunity to have met and honored him with the Chinese Hospital’s 37th Annual Award. Without his extraordinary discovery, we would not be able to continue our work and efforts to educate the community on the silent dangers of Hep B.”

“The Asian and Pacific Islander community is forever indebted to our Hep B Hero Dr. Baruch Blumberg,” said Ted Fang, AsianWeek Foundation and co-founder of SF Hep B Free. “He discovered the largest health issue facing the Asian community today and he will be missed.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 43,000 new Hepatitis B cases in United States each year, with the greatest incidence among adults between ages 19-49 years old. Hepatitis B is one of the leading health disparities between Asians and non-Hispanic whites.

Among the Asian population the predominant mode of transmission is from infected mother to child during the birthing process. Hepatitis B can also be spread through unprotected sex and shared needles. There is a safe and effective vaccine to protect against infection from Hepatitis B.

San Francisco Hep B Free is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between city government, private healthcare community organizations and businesses. The campaign’s goal is to make San Francisco Hepatitis B-free by creating public and healthcare provider awareness about the importance of testing and vaccinating Asian and Pacific Islanders for Hepatitis B. It also promotes routine Hepatitis B screenings and vaccinations within the primary care medical community; and facilitates access to treatment for chronically infected individuals.

The SF Hep B Free Steering Committee is made up of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University and the Asian Week Foundation. For more information visit online at www.sfhepbfree.org.

By TOM LAVENTURE
AAP staff writer

ST. PAUL (January 12, 2010) – General Vang Pao passed away in a Clovis, California hospital on January 6, 2011. He was 81 years old and was reportedly battling pneumonia. The news has shocked a nation of Hmong, the former veterans who served with him in the War in Southeast Asia, a generation of American Hmong who have come to know him as an advocate in a new country and for the wellbeing of Hmong back in Laos and Thailand. These same people support the General two years ago when he was accused of organizing a military coup in Laos. The charges were dropped.

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Sam Honda, vice president (left), with Edwin (Bud) Nakasone, president, representing the Japanese American Veterans of Minnesota at the Military Intelligence Service recognition program held at Normandale Japanese Garden in Bloomington on Sept. 12, 2004. (JACL contributed photo)

Contributed article

The Japanese American community lost a revered leader, organizer, and champion of human and civil rights.  Osamu Honda, 83, known informally as Sam, passed away of colon cancer on November 24, 2010.

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Washington, D.C. (November 29, 2010) – Oregon U.S. Congressman David Wu (D-1st) lost his father, Keh Chang Wu, on Saturday, November 27, 2010 after he passed away from natural causes. He was 87 years old. Keh Chang Wu leaves his wife, Hwei Lan Wu, and three children: Karen, Alice, and David. His oldest daughter, Ing Chou, passed away in 2005. Mr. Wu also leaves two grandchildren, Matthew and Sarah.

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(June 24, 2010) – Hsiao, Feng (Fred Shaw), a community icon and co-founder of Shaw-Lundquist Associates, and one of the eldest Chinese Americans in Minnesota, passed away at his Richfield home the morning of June 21, 2010. He was 91. Hsiao is survived by his wife Jennie, three sons, Howell and Nina Shaw; Hoyt and Zhen Zhen Luo Hsiao; Holden and Yu Wen) Hsiao; and three grandchildren, David, Julian and Isabel.

Hsiao had reportedly made a recent trip to his home village in China, and had celebrated a wonderful Father’s Day with his family on June 20. He went to sleep and never woke up.

Visitation will be held Monday, June 28, 2010, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Washburn McReavy Edina Chapel, 5000 West 50th Street & Hwy 100 in Edina. The Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 5:00 p.m. following a 4:00 p.m. visitation at Christ Presbyterian Church, 6901 Normandale Road, Edina. A Reception will follow the Service.

The internment will be held Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 10:00 a.m. beginning at Washburn McReavy Edina Chapel, with a procession to Lakewood Cemetery, 3600 Hennepin Avenue South, Minneapolis.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the University of Minnesota Foundation – Jennie and Fred Hsiao Scholarship Fund #5633, in care of the University of Minnesota Foundation, McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak Street SE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55455-2010. Call 612-624-3333 or 800-775-2187 for information.

The Fred Hsiao story

By Howell Shaw

Beginnings

Fred Feng Hsiao was born in Xian, China, on May 19, 1919, into a highly respected family. His father was the mayor of the city and was a visionary businessman dealing in cotton, grains, and finance.

Fred’s nickname was “Chang-Chang” meaning “open heart.” He was the fourth of eleven children and enjoyed playing soccer after working in his family’s fields. His father taught him to be disciplined, to study hard, to work hard and to be kind and generous to others. He became a Christian through the efforts of missionaries that visited his hometown and kept his faith for the rest of his life.

Proving himself to be an exceptional student, he attended National Wuhan University in Hubei Province and in 1944 graduated at the top of his class. By coincidence, the testing center for the Chinese National Examinations was in the same city, and Fred’s father advised him to sit for the exam. He did well and was given the opportunity to attend the university of his choice in the United States.

Coming to America

Fred Hsiao in the 1950s.

With the support of his father, Fred began his journey to America in the winter of 1944. Due to the Japanese occupation of the China coast, he was forced to take a flight over the Himalayan Mountains to India. There he boarded a U.S. Navy transport that brought him to the west coast of the United States. He then took a train cross-country to Boston, Massachusetts. Fred finally arrived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in January of 1945.

When not studying, he could be found swimming in the indoor pool and enjoying apple pie at the school cafeteria. He graduated from MIT with a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering in 1946.

Coming to Minnesota

With the intention of solving the torrential Yellow River flooding in his homeland, and on the advice of his father to stay in America during the Communist revolution, Fred decided to pursue his Ph.D. in Hydraulic Engineering. In 1947, he continued his studies under Dr. Strub, the world-famous professor of hydraulics, with a lab based at the University of Minnesota.

There Fred met Orville Madsen while attending church, and in 1949, Madsen offered him a position at his construction company as a part-time estimator working out of his basement. Fred proved himself to be very good at his trade, and in 1951 became a full-time employee. He was soon promoted to Chief Estimator, Vice President, and in 1954, became a member of the Board of Directors.

Fred was responsible for growing Orville E. Madsen & Sons from a home-based business to one of the most respected contractors in the metropolitan area. He was a founder of the Chinese Christian Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, and was a founding elder of the Twin Cities Chinese Christian Church. He was also an avid sports fan and faithfully cheered on his beloved Gophers, Twins, Vikings and Timberwolves.

Marriage and Family

Encouraged by one of his classmates, Fred began corresponding with Jennie Ho, an attractive undergraduate student at National Taiwan University in 1956. A romance blossomed, and in April 1958, Fred drove to San Francisco to bring Jennie back to Minneapolis.

They were married two months later on June 7, 1958 and moved into a small house in Richfield. When Jennie became pregnant, Fred bought a three-bedroom house in a new development in Fridley, and the couple moved in during the winter of 1960.

On May 19, 1961, their first child, Howell, was born. On February 24, 1965, their second child, Hoyt, was born.

The family would survive the tornado of 1965 that completely leveled their home. In 1970, they moved to West Bloomington, and on February 6, 1976, their third child, Holden, was born.

In 1988, Fred moved his family to Edina to take advantage of the highly ranked public school system. After all his children grew up, he and Jennie downsized to a comfortable condo back in Richfield, near where they began.

Fred truly loved his adopted home state, and was proud to be a Minnesotan. He always took the opportunity to express his appreciation for the climate that kept him healthy and the people that accepted and embraced him as an outsider. He always felt that he was treated equitably.

Shaw-Lundquist

In June 2005 the Metropolitan Economic Development Association inducted Shaw-Lundquist Associates into the MEDA Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. Present were Fred Hsiao and his spouse Jennie Hsiao (fourth and fifth from right in front row) their family and staff, and family friend Kaimay Yuen Terry, center. (2005 AAP archive photo by Tom LaVenture)

When Orville E. Madsen and Sons moved to Wisconsin in 1974, Fred and his good friend and co-worker Lyle Lundquist decided to stay in Minneapolis. Together they founded Shaw-Lundquist Associates, Inc.

Shaw-Lundquist opened in the same Madsen office in the downtown Minneapolis Sexton Building when they moved out on June 30, 1974. They retained the receptionist and even the same office furniture.

Fred’s reputation for integrity and honesty preceded him, and he received a contractor’s bonding immediately and hit the ground running. With Fred in the office and Lyle in the field, the company successfully completed project after project, and Shaw-Lundquist quickly earned the respect of the local construction industry.

In 1984, Lyle retired and Fred took sole control of the company. In the same year, the company moved its base of operations to a leased space in Eagan and celebrated their award as the Minority Supplier of the Year. In 1987, Hoyt joined Shaw-Lundquist and began modernizing operations.

Ten years later, Shaw-Lundquist built and occupied its very own facility on West Service Road.

Holden joined the company in 1999. And finally, Howell, his eldest son, joined the company in 2005.

Under Fred’s leadership, the company grew to annual revenues of over $80,000,000 and was recognized as the largest certified minority contractor in the Midwest. It was also the largest certified Asian-owned contractor in the nation.

Fred was inducted into the National Association of Minority Contractor’s Hall of Fame in 2004 and was the inaugural inductee into the Metropolitan Economic Development Association’s Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Associated General Contractors of Minnesota also honored Fred at age 90 with its prestigious 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award on October 2009, just as Fred became Chairman and his son Hoyt took over as President.

Fred’s construction legacy includes such well-known projects as the Minnesota Veterans Home, the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Home Depot in Richfield, the Brookdale Regional Center and Library, the Como Park Visitor and Education Center, the University of Minnesota Ridder Ice Hockey Arena and Baseline Tennis Center, the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport A & C Concourse, and the Minnesota Department of Health/Agriculture Laboratory.

Community

Fred and Jenny Hsiao lead the first Phalen Lake Dragon Festival Parade with Chinese kites in July 2003 with State Rep. Cy Thao.

One of the most important lessons Fred learned from his father was to be generous and give back to his community.

Fred and Jennie Hsiao devoted much of their time and financial resources to the Chinese American Association of Minnesota and the Chinese Senior Citizens Society. He was a founding member of the Chinese American Business Association of Minnesota and served as President.

In 2008, Fred received the Contribution to Chinese Community Award from the Chinese Heritage Foundation. In that same year, Fred and Jennie were major contributors to the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota to support the instruction of the Chinese language in Elementary to High Schools across the state.

Fred was a founding member of the National Association of Minority Contractors – Upper Midwest Chapter and served as Vice President and Treasurer. He was widely known for his availability to Minority Contractors for business advice and encouragement.

Legacy

Fred highly valued education and wished to help others in their pursuit of knowledge. To that end, he and Jennie created the “Jennie and Fred Hsiao Scholarship Fund” through the University of Minnesota Foundation at the China Center in 2001.

The scholarship is awarded to U of M students traveling to China for their studies. Over forty students have benefited from this scholarship to date.

In 2006, Fred and Jennie established the “Jennie and Fred Hsiao Fellowship Fund” through the University of Minnesota Foundation at the China Center to support Chinese national students in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or Architecture to attend the U of M.