[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING WEN WANG LEE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TOM McCLINTOCK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 18, 2012

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Mrs. Wen Wang 
Lee.
  Born in Taiwan in 1916 as the third daughter of a poor family in a 
society that favored male children, Mrs. Lee's prospects were dim. 
Given their meager resources, Mrs. Lee's family sought to find her an 
adoptive home and, when this proved to be impossible, neglected her and 
fed her only scraps of food. For a typical child in her situation, this 
could have been the end of a very short life, but Mrs. Lee showed early 
on that she was anything but typical. After three days of starving, her 
resilience and tenacity to cling to life could no longer be ignored and 
she was accepted back into the family.
  Mrs. Lee went to work by age six, forgoing any opportunity for 
schooling in order to help provide for her family. From this early age 
her rapidly developing character was clearly evident: she was a model 
of extraordinary perseverance, determination, and a strong will that 
would eventually lead her family to a better life.
  After her marriage, Mrs. Lee became the predominant provider for her 
family, including her eight children. Each day she would rise by three 
in the morning and walk two hours to an orchard, where she would pick 
fruit and carry it back on her shoulders to sell. On a typical day, 
having left home long before first light, she would return from work 
after dusk, and continue housework until nearly midnight. Mrs. Lee 
endured this hard life for almost two decades and received three awards 
from her village for being a model mother while providing for her 
family and raising her children.
  From 1940 to 1960 Wen Wang Lee, with no formal education of her own, 
raised eight children. In resource-scarce post-war Taiwan, even 
satisfying basic necessities was a formidable challenge, let alone 
being able to set aside money for children's tuition. However, while 
most of the children in her village were forced to begin 
apprenticeships immediately after finishing elementary school, Mrs. Lee 
insisted that her children continue their education. Even though it 
meant personal sacrifices and financial hardship, she never gave up her 
strong belief that education would enable her children to pursue a 
better future. Her efforts were not in vain, as her children have gone 
on to excel in academics in Taiwan and consequently be accepted to 
pursue graduate studies in the United States. Here, her children have 
exemplified the amazing story of American immigrants: through hard work 
and dedication--undoubtedly traits inherited from their mother--they 
have made numerous positive contributions in both academia and the 
high-tech industry.
  When Wen Wang Lee arrived in the U.S. in her late fifties to live 
with her children, her quality of life improved drastically. Even 
though she carried the burden of a hard life, she cast aside her 
worries and poured all her love into her children's families. She 
dedicated herself to ensure a better future for her grandchildren, who 
inherited her strength and perseverance and have attended some of our 
nation's most renowned universities and hold professional careers in 
science, medicine and engineering.
  Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Lee spent her entire life leading her family to 
prosperity and left behind a precious spiritual legacy: carry yourself 
upward, advocate education, and overcome challenges with determination, 
fortitude, and sincere dedication. This maxim may sound familiar to 
Americans: when President Theodore Roosevelt was asked to define the 
essence of our nation he said that ``Americanism means the virtues of 
courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity and hardihood--the virtues 
that made America.'' I have no doubt that it was individuals like Wen 
Wang Lee that President Roosevelt was describing, and I am honored to 
rise in recognition of her life and accomplishments today.

                          ____________________