Kwok Family in the Sacramento Bee 1940-1949

The decade of  1940 to 1950 was an active one for the Kwok family , for the Kai Wah  School , and the Church.   Here are some clippings from the local Sacramento Bee from this era.

My uncle Johnny gets an early recognition of his potential as an artist , his eventual career.
5/21/1940

And speaks at his Junior College Commencement ceremony at Sacramento City College .
6/7/1940

The church helps the war effort. 12/19/1941

The new Church building is dedicated 11/2/1941

The congreation hears of the horror of war first hand . 

My Uncle Johnny enters the armed forces.  He later sees combat in Europe flying in a bomber squadron. 

7/23/1943 

My Uncle Andy is called up from reserves to active duty while in Junior College.

2/26/1943 

My Uncle Andy spent the war stateside.  Toward the end of the war he was assigned to work at a hospital in Framingham, Mass.  and then after the war was assigned to the freshman medical class at Tufts Medical School . Unfortunately for family reasons my Uncle never completed medical school at that time and went on to be trained as a pharmacist .  Later in life he did complete his dream to

go back to medical school and enrolled in Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.

9/21/1945

The Church  continues to present Christmas pageants every year throughout the war years . Finally the war is over in August of 1945.  This clipping is from December 22 , 1945  There is much to be thankful for this Christmas . 

The law barring Chinese from citizenship is finally repealed and Chinese born  abroad can finally be naturalized as US Citizens. The Church becomes  the site of citizenship classes for those eager to become full Americans including my grandfather, grandmother and Fong Sik ,founder of the school.

12/5/1945

My Uncle Johnny and Auntie Katie get married 

6/11/1947 

An appreciative convert gives the church  $100 anonymously 

10/4/1947

 A multiethnic group of temporary postal workers sort the Christmas mail including my Uncle Andy 

12/24/1947.

Rev. Kwok is interviewed for a piece in the Bee about the meaning of citizenship in a democratic country . 

10/29/1948

Rev. Kwok officiates at weddings and funerals and  officiates at the funeral of Fong Sik one of the founders of the Kai Wah School and of the Chinese Church of Christ .

11/2/1948

Rev. Kwok often officiated at weddings conducted in the Christian church in the  Chinese town of Locke south of Sacramento . This town was settled by people who like Rev. Kwok were from the Chungsan region of South China . He knew many of the people in that town and would be called upon to officiate at funerals as well .In this earlier post on another blog I discuss the Christian Church in Locke. 

7/25/1949

My Mom and Dad announce their enagagement !

8/18/1949