2007

From left to right: Edward, Maritza, Jamie, Nancy, Jared and Ulysses

<BGSOUND SRC="Audio/waltze.mid">

Edward   I was born in New York City, New York, but left the United States at the age of one. I spent most of my formative years (see Parents Page) in Southeast Asia traveling with my parents who were in show business.  My education was rather limited. In my early years I was too young to be left alone in a boarding school while my parents were traveling and when I was old enough World War II (WWII) broke out and all the schools were closed.  Not until after WWII when I was a teenager did I start my formal education.  Like my father before me I tried to catch up with my schooling.  I had 3 years of boarding school at Malayan Seminary in Singapore before returning to the United States in 1951.

In the Military   I was drafted into the military service in 1952 as I was about to start my junior class in high school.  I had military basic training at Fort Ord, California where I attended interpreting classes. I also had special training as a medic at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. In Korea I was stationed  with a medical unit near Panmunjom where the POW (Prisoners of War) camps were located.   I served as an interpreter treating Chinese POWs during the Korean War.  When the Korean War ended in 1953, I was honorably discharged the following year as a corporal. 

After the Korean War   Because I did not graduate from high school, I took advantage of many correspondence courses to improve myself while in the Army. After discharge, I continued my education with the help of the GI Bill.  I managed to pass the G.E.D. (General Education Development) test to enable me to attend City College of San Francisco. From City College of San Francisco, I continued my education at the University of California in Berkeley  graduating in 1959 with a BA degree.  In 1960 I began my career with the U.S. Naval Air Rework Facility in Alameda, California, until I retired in 1990 as a Technical Manual Editor.  After retirement I spend my time pursuing my hobbies (My Interest Web Page) and donating my services as a volunteer at the Alameda Mastick Senior Center.

Nancy aka Fong Ling    Born in Guangzhou, China, Nancy spent most of her formative years in Hong Kong under the care of her grandmother, along with her younger brother and sister.  Their father passed away when they were very young.  Their mother had to work to support herself. Nancy attended Chinese school and worked after school.  She worked at a jewelry store and later at a photo studio. At the jewelry store, her boss gave her the nickname, Nancy.  Her legal name  is Fong Ling which is also her Chinese name.

Nancy came to the United States as an immigrant from Hong Kong in 1959 with her brother, uncle and aunt. They arrived first in Provo, Utah where another aunt lived. Unable to find jobs in Provo, Nancy, her uncle and aunt came to San Francisco.  Her brother stayed in Provo where he was able to find a machinist job.  One day while looking for a job at an employment agency in San Francisco Chinatown, Nancy met a buddy of mine, who arranged for us to meet at another friend’s house.

Edward and Nancy   We seemed to click the moment we met.  She seemed to like my bad jokes and I like her smiles.  I am not quite sure if she was smiling at my bad jokes or was it just natural for her to smile. We dated over a year before we got married on November 11, 1961.  We have been married for over 45 years.  I am still telling my bad jokes and she is still smiling.

Three Generations of the Wong Family  Nancy and I are the grandparents.  We call our family the Favorite Family.  Our only son is our favorite son, as are our daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter are our favorites. Our son Ulysses was born in San Francisco and raised in Alameda.  He attended Alameda High School and the University of California at Davis, graduating in 1985. He is presently employed at Logitech as the vice president of Worldwide OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) Sales. Our daughter-in-law Maritza  is from from Los Angeles, California and also graduated from the University of California at Davis. She is a pharmacist  for Eclipsys designing and configuring hospital pharmacy systems using the latest technology in hospital software.  Our grandson, Jared is 13 years old and our granddaughter, Jamie, is 11 years old. Our grandchildren have very busy schedules. Besides going to school, they also take piano lessons, train at a swim club and compete in swim meets, play basketball, baseball and run track.

Edward’s Roots   I am unable to trace my roots on my mother’s side but  am able to trace the roots of my paternal grandfather who came to the United States in 1870.  My grandfather was among the early Chinese who came to search for gold in the Black Hills of Deadwood, South Dakota. Later, he became a prominent frontier merchant in Deadwood.  You can read about my grandparents on my Grandparents Web Page   My father was a magician who traveled and performed extensively throughout Southeast Asia from 1936-1953. He escaped from the Japanese occupation of Malaysia  during World War II by hiding in the jungle with his family and was able to keep his identity as an American citizen secret..  To check out the fascinating lives of my parents, go to the Parents Web Page.  

This page was last updated on 04/16/07 .