[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14483-14484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MR. IRVIN R. LAI

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JUDY CHU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 28, 2010

  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great loss to our 
community, Mr. Irvin Lai, who passed away on July 16, 2010, at the age 
of 83. My heart goes out to his son, Laurence; his daughters Arlene 
Lowe, Corinne Gill, Irene Jong, Kathleen Lih and Pauline Yau; his 
brother Collin and sister Mildred Wong; his 12 grandchildren and three 
great-grandchildren; and the rest of his family and friends.
  Irvin was an extraordinary citizen, a role model for community 
activism and a powerful advocate for the Chinese American community. 
His selfless and just nature was cultivated in childhood during the 
Great Depression by his mother, Effie Lai, an unpaid social worker who 
helped Chinese immigrant women navigate the U.S. social welfare system. 
It was his mother's work, and his education in a segregated 
``Oriental'' school, that taught him the importance of joining together 
and helping his community.

[[Page 14484]]

  Lai first served his country as a teenage volunteer in the U.S. Coast 
Guard Merchant Marines during World War II, where he achieved rank of 
Chief Steward during his 2 years of service. In 1950 he was drafted 
into the Korean War, where he served for 2 years in the 4th Infantry 
Division, 42nd Field Artillery in Germany.
  But it was upon his return from the war that Mr. Lai's civil rights 
activism really took off, when he joined the Los Angeles Lodge of the 
Chinese American Citizens Alliance in 1957. He worked his way up to 
national Grand President of the Alliance by 1985, and along the way he 
fought hard for equal political and economic rights for all Chinese 
Americans.
  Irvin is probably best known for saving the Peking duck in America, 
when he led the charge to change a law that required Chinese 
restauranteurs to throw away large quantities of Chinese roast duck and 
dim sum, or receive costly citations. As a direct result of testimony 
from Mr. Lai before the State Legislature, a roast duck exemption was 
added to the health code.
  Mr. Lai also stepped forward to help arrange the proper reinterment 
of Chinese remains unearthed during construction of the Gold Line 
Eastside Extension, and the preservation of artifacts found at the 
site.
  I urge all my House colleagues to join me in honoring our community 
hero, Mr. Irvin for his remarkable service and contributions to our 
country.

                          ____________________