Community Update
Remembering Laura Chin
Ginny Gong | Past National President
E
ver yone h a s t hei r ow n O C A
inspiration stor y. For me, my
inspiration was the late Laura Chin. She
served two terms in the early 1980’s as
OCA’s Executive Director. As it turned
out, aside from our commitment to OCA,
Laura and I shared much in common.
Turning back the clock to 1983,
I recall moving back to New York
from North Carolina. OCA’s National
Convention wa s ta k ing place in
Washington, DC at the time. Since I was
considering joining OCA, I decided to
drop by and see what this organization
was all about.
I recall being impressed with the
large number of Asian Americans in one
location who appeared to be focused
on a common cause. I specifically
remember watching a very elegant,
vivacious woman dressed professionally
in a suit and high heels running around
from room to room trying to ensure
things were moving as planned. She
was a woman on a mission and yet
stopped for a few minutes to speak
with me about the organization. Her
passion for what she was doing was
infectious. Her focus on getting the job
done was admirable. The subject of the
conversations captivated my interest. I
remained on site for the day observing
and gathering literature.
I came to realize that this woman
was the executive director of OCA and
her name was Laura Chin. Many have
referred to Laura as OCA’s first executive
director since she served at a time when
OCA was making great strides in its
emergence. She paved the way for the
organization to move forward and is
highly regarded and respected by those
who worked with her.
Interestingly, our active years with
OCA did not really coincide, but we were
constantly crossing each other’s paths
in many ways. By the time I was heavily
involved with OCA, she had moved on
and was then coping with her illness.
But when I needed support on a project,
Laura was always there and vice versa.
When I started working for the
Montgomery County government in
1998, Laura and I became colleagues.
She was one of the founders of the
county’s Asian American Employees
A ssoc iat ion w h ich ha d be c ome
inactive over time. She needed help
resurrecting the organization and asked
for my support. Together, we made a
commitment to serve as advisors and
the organization quickly became a
vibrant part of the county’s employee
support network.
We soon realized that our shared
common values most likely stemmed
from our Chinese laundry upbringing
and the fact that both our fathers were
World War II veterans and active leaders
of the same Kimlau Post in New York
City. Laura was always forthcoming in
educating the public about the history
of the Chinese laundry experience. I
am grateful to Laura for her review of
the first draft of my book, From Ironing
Board to Corporate Board: My Chinese
laundry experience in America. The latter
decade of her life was spent facilitating
reunions for Chinese World War II
veterans, for which I was fortunately able
to provide logistical support.
Laura lost her battle to cancer
on May 31, 2013 at the age of 67. A
memorable tribute to celebrate Laura’s
life was hosted by her loving husband,
Peter, and son, Aaron, at their beautiful
home in Bethesda, MD. I, along with so
many others, miss her candor, humor,
commitment, and camaraderie.
It i s u n for t u nat e t hat L au ra
was not able to be a part of OCA’s
4 0 t h A n n i ver s a r y c elebr at ion s .
OCA is honoring the memory of one
of its legendar y leaders w ith the
establishment of an OCA scholarship.
Donations to the Laura Chin
Scholarship Fund can be made directly
to OCA. ■
IMAGE • Spring/Summer 2014 • 15