[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 141 (Monday, October 3, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            JOHN YEHALL CHIN

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, like many modest men, who say 
little about themselves but do a great deal for their fellowman, John 
Yehall Chin seldom if ever made headlines, but he will reside always in 
the hearts of all who knew him.
  Born in Canton, China in 1908, he came to San Francisco in 1924 and 
instantly devoted himself to public service in the community at large 
and for the Catholic Church he loved.
  From the outset, he was active in the Chinese-American Citizens 
Alliance and, in what became a life long association, for him, with St. 
Mary's Language School. Becoming a teacher in 1931, he became principal 
in 1956, a post he held until his untimely death this past July.
  One of his lasting contributions was the organization in 1940 of the 
St. Mary's Girls Drum Corps, whose colorful uniforms and thunderous 
rhythms have highlighted parades from San Francisco to inaugural 
ceremonies in Washington, DC.
  He was active in many organizations--Planning and Development Board 
for Little Sisters of the Poor Senior Citizens Center, Community Board 
of St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center, Chinese for Affirmative 
Action, Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Chinese Newcomers Service Center 
and many others. Four times he served as president of the Chinese Six 
Companies, made up of major family associations in San Francisco's 
Chinatown.
  In 1964, then Mayor John F. Shelley appointed John Yehall Chin to the 
newly organized Human Rights Commission, and he was reappointed four 
years later by then Mayor Joseph L. Alioto.
  In 1972, he was elected to the Board of Governors of the San 
Francisco Community College District, the first Chinese American to win 
a citywide election. He was re-elected in 1976.
  A trained accountant, he also had a successful business career and 
was vice president and manager of the Chinatown Branch of the Bank of 
the Orient.
  For his many activities in the Catholic Church, he received many 
honors and was knighted by Pope John Paul II in 1981.
  His only prolonged absence from San Francisco came during World War 
II when he served as a translator for the Army and an instructor for 
the Chinese Air Force.
  For 47 years, he was married to Sybil Lum Chin, and he is survived by 
a son. Terrence, a lawyer in New York.
  A modest man, yet a person of remarkable achievement whose legacy of 
service and selflessness shall never be forgotten.

                          ____________________