[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN HONOR OF JUDGE DELBERT EARL WONG MAY 17, 1920-MARCH 10, 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2006

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a loving 
family man and eminent jurist who worked tirelessly to protect the 
rights of ordinary Americans throughout our country, Judge Delbert Earl 
Wong, who passed away Friday, March 10, 2006.
  Delbert Wong rose from humble means, and it was this experience that 
led him to dedicate his considerable talents to serving the public. 
Born May 17, 1920, in Hanford, CA, to a Chinese-American mother and 
Chinese immigrant father, Delbert encountered great adversity and 
discrimination early in his life. His mother, born in Weaverville, CA, 
lost her American citizenship for the simple act of marrying Delbert's 
father in 1919. Unable to own land and forced to apply for citizenship 
due to the Chinese Exclusion Act, his parents' experiences would 
embolden Delbert and instill in him a commitment to justice and 
equality.
  Raised in Bakersfield, CA, Delbert attended Bakersfield College where 
he received an associate of arts degree. After transferring to the 
University of California at Berkeley, he graduated with a bachelor's 
degree and also met his future wife, Dolores Wing. Upon graduating from 
U.C. Berkeley, Delbert heeded the call to serve his country and 
enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II, serving as a 
navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Completing 30 missions over 
Europe, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  In 1945 following the end of the war, Delbert enrolled in Stanford 
Law School, breaking barriers of discrimination as the school's only 
student of color. After being admitted to the State Bar of California 
in 1948, Judge Wong began his career working for the Office of the 
Legislative Counsel in Sacramento. He later transferred to the Office 
of the Legislative Counsel in Los Angeles, where he was one of two 
Chinese-American lawyers in all of Southern California. In 1951 he 
joined the Office of the California State Attorney General. There, he 
served as the first Chinese-American deputy attorney general under then 
Attorney General Pat Brown. When Pat Brown was elected governor, he 
appointed Delbert to the bench in 1959, making him the first Chinese-
American judge in the United States.
  Delbert Wong became a judge because of his deep commitment to 
justice, equality, and civil rights; ideas that he fought for 
throughout his entire life. He served on the bench during the 
tumultuous decades of the 1960s and 1970s when these issues dominated 
public debate with the social upheaval surrounding both the Vietnam war 
and the civil rights movement. Hearing cases involving free speech and 
assembly, employment discrimination, and school desegregation, Judge 
Wong was at the forefront of some of the most important court decisions 
of that era.
  Judge Wong's professional achievements were extraordinary, as was his 
love for family and community. Together, Dolores and Delbert raised 
four children: Kent, Shelley, Duane and Marshall. Though Judge Wong 
retired from the bench in 1982 after 23 years of service, his role in 
public service continued as a private arbitrator and community leader, 
roles he would hold until the end of his life. He was appointed by Los 
Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley to a panel that authored the city of Los 
Angeles's first ethics code, and also led an investigation into charges 
of racial discrimination in employment at the Los Angeles International 
Airport Police Bureau. Delbert was a key supporter of the Asian-Pacific 
American Legal Center and the Chinatown Service Center. He is fondly 
remembered by his family for making breakfast for his children each 
morning and serving as a Boy Scout leader. Judge Wong overcame great 
odds to serve his country, opening doors for countless others; but even 
more importantly, he did so while maintaining a sincere commitment to 
loving and supporting his family.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with immense sorrow, yet great admiration and 
appreciation that I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting 
Judge Delbert Earl Wong, a devoted husband, father, public servant and 
community leader. May his passionate dedication to opening doors for 
others and service to this country be remembered and give birth to the 
next generation of champions for justice.

                          ____________________