[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MS. FLORENCE FANG

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2014

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
contributions of my dear friend, Ms. Florence Fang, as she celebrates 
her 80th birthday and a lifetime of serving her community.
  In her historic trip to China, First Lady Michelle Obama highlighted 
the work of the 100,000 Strong Foundation, a non-profit organization 
dedicated to strengthening US-China relations by sending American 
students of all economic and social backgrounds to study abroad in 
China as exchange students. By emphasizing foreign exchange education, 
programs like the 100,000 Strong Foundation are training young 
Americans to become global leaders in a new world where countries and 
economies are increasingly connected.
  It comes as no surprise that the founders of the 100,000 Strong 
Foundation include leaders from the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon 
Valley, notably the energetic and passionate Florence Fang. Ms. Fang is 
known internationally for her civic work, especially on building 
positive relationships with China, and in helping to develop our 
nation's future leaders.
  Ms. Florence Fang was born in China and educated in Taiwan. In 1960, 
she immigrated to America, and was later adopted by the United States 
as an American citizen.
  Ms. Fang and her husband, John T.C. Fang, had three sons who were 
born and raised in San Francisco: James, a graduate of Hastings Law 
School and currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area 
Rapid Transit system; Teddy, an Ethnic Studies graduate from UC 
Berkeley who was publisher of the Independent and SF Examiner 
newspapers; and Douglas, who received his Ph.D. in computer science 
from the University of Southern California and passed away in 2003.
  In 1991, when the White House held a National Leadership Conference 
to discuss America giving China ``Most Favored Nation'' status, Ms. 
Fang was the only delegate invited to stand on the dais beside former 
U.S. President George H.W. Bush in the White House ceremony.
  At the May 29, 1992 Asian/Pacific American Heritage Presidential 
Dinner, Ms. Fang shared the same stage with President George H.W. Bush, 
where she delivered a speech about her life in America, titled ``An 
Asian American Story''.
  In 2006, she donated the priceless San Francisco Examiner newspaper 
archives to the UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library, where she delivered a 
speech and drew applause from UC Berkeley's Chancellor and professors. 
It is one of her most prized moments.
  Also in 2006, she donated $3 million to help build UC Berkeley's East 
Asian Library. And in 2008, she donated a building to Peking University 
for the School of Chinese as a Second Language Department to teach the 
whole world Chinese language and culture.
  In January 2013, together with the Ford Foundation, she became a co-
founder of the 100,000 Strong Foundation, which was born out of U.S. 
President Obama's initiative in 2008 when he visited China's then-
president Hu Jintao, to send 100,000 American students to study in 
China.
  On March 22, 2014, Ms. Fang accompanied First Lady Michelle Obama 
when she spoke to students in Peking University on the First Lady's 
trip to China.
  On April 4, 2014, over 100 organizations will join together to host 
Ms. Fang's 80th birthday celebration. They also arranged to have two 
Kepler celestial bodies or stars named after Ms. Fang as recorded with 
the Space Telescope Science Institute.
  Ms. Fang has held many local and national positions. She was 
appointed as National Small Business Commissioner by former U.S. 
President George H.W. Bush, Stature for Women Commissioner by 
California Governor, and San Francisco Film Commissioner by former 
Mayor Willie Brown Jr. Currently, she holds the titles of: Honorary 
Trustee of Peking University, Honorary Professor of Wuhan University, 
Founder and Board Member of the 100K Strong Foundation, and Chairwoman 
of the Florence Fang Family Foundation.
  As a result of her own life experiences, Ms. Fang has particularly 
focused her life on education and American and Chinese cultural 
exchange.
  When she first immigrated to the United States in 1960, Ms. Fang did 
not speak any English and had never had a chance to study in an 
American school. Then, in the early 1970s, her husband suddenly became 
very ill and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Ms. Fang was 
forced to make a living for her family, and she had to single handedly 
run her husband's printing shop business. It was during these years 
that she learned much of her English from reading invoices coming into 
the business.
  Today she has achieved her American dream, and it is articulated by 
what former U.S. President George H.W. Bush wrote in his 1999 preface 
for Ms. Fang's unpublished biography:

       America is a tale of immigrants who came to this land to 
     build a nation and better their own lives.
       The Florence Fang story is yet another chapter on the 
     American experience. Her pursuit and fulfillment of the 
     American dream serves as a reminder that America is truly the 
     land of opportunity.

                          ____________________