My 2021 Holiday Letter

December 2021

5 Alban Mews

New Albany, Ohio 43054
Email: roderickchu@att.net

A holiday note to my family, friends, and colleagues —

With COVID still running rampant in the U.S., I continued to spend much of this year mainly isolated at home, but got together with friends dining outdoors a bit starting in the spring. Out to southern California around Memorial Day for a few days seeing dear friend Michael Richardson (on temporary assignment there with the V.A. Hospital), and with Auntie Lisa Lu and her daughter and son-in law in Laguna Niguel. Sadly, my 50^th Cornell Johnson School Reunion joined the many other events relegated to Zoom calls. Happily, I hosted a visit by my Cornell professor and friends, Joe & Marney Thomas, on their trip through the midwest. Then 4 days in Las Vegas as a guest of Laura & Karen in their comped rooms at Aria Resort & Casino. A couple of drives to Mom’s home in Briarcliff Manor to keep going through stuff there and Thanksgiving at Laura & David’s rounded out my travels for the year.

In Briarcliff, I found more photo albums and boxes of loose photos. Those albums covered some of the major events absent from my last year’s Holiday Letter, so I’m resuming telling our family history chronologically with those events in this letter, including photos of the family friends we’re still in touch with today. After the holidays, I will be sharing links to online albums where friends can see more old photos of your family in these events. This year’s story ends with the events at the start of the millennium, from which point my annual holiday photo letters began. Thinking of all the significant events in the Chu family history that haven’t been shown in my Holiday Letters, I see there’s a lot of work ahead to complete the history. With 1000s of photos yet to go through, my hope is that I’ll resume my annual events recaps in upcoming years and include glimpses of older events as I rediscover them. 

Reviewing these photos reminds me of the many close friends my family has been privileged to have in our lives. Thank you and yours for being such special parts of our lives! My very best wishes for a joyous holiday season and a healthy and happy 2022!

Sincerely, 

Rod

My blogs:     http://rchu.wordpress.com 
                          http://www.choosygourmand.wordpress.com 

Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rodchu

March 1972: Mom & Pop’s 25th Wedding Anniversary

Laura & I threw a party at the Tarrytown Hilton Hotel celebrating Mom & Pop’s 25^th Anniversary,  where we were joined by dozens of our “aunties,” “uncles,” and other family friends. Despite his claimed “two-left feet,”  Pop took Mom to the dance floor – with her changing gowns a few times, Chinese-wedding celebration style. Guests included Min & Lily Chen, Julius Sih, Mei & Johnny Chan, I-Cheng & Jane Loh, T. P. & Lydia King, Brenda & Steve Hajnal, T. S. & Agnes Young, Rose & Jack Chow, Ella & Fred Solana.

January 1988: Israel Visit

I joined a delegation of government, business, and civic leaders hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council on a week-long visit of Israel. We met with every Israeli government leader, including Yitzhak Rabin, Teddy Kollek, Shimon Peres, and Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, interspersed with visits to major historical sites including the Old City of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Nativity, the Sea of Galilee (with St Peter’s fish), the Church of the Beatitudes (where Rev. Congressman Floyd Flake led a reading of the Sermon on the Mount), the Dead Sea (therapeutic black mud), Masada, the Western Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

1990 & 1996: More Trips to Europe

 

Mom, accompanied by Ella Solana and Laura, took her granddaughter Karen on her first trip to Europe. They endured one of the hottest summers Europe had seen – largely without air conditioning – but had a wonderful time visiting Rome, Venice, Lucerne, Paris, & London.

Mom & I enjoyed taking several cruises with our family members over the years on Holland America Line and Crystal Cruises on their 900 to 1200 passenger ships that provided a nice diversity of activities for all. This one – with just Mom & me, of the Mediterranean on the Crystal Symphony – was one of our favorites. We embarked in Barcelona, with stops in Monaco, Florence, Rome,  Catania (Sicily), Santorini, and Athens. Luxurious food, service, and shows. Having previously toured so much by air, we appreciated having our hotel travel with us!

1995-96: Special Cornell Events

 

June 1995: As a Trustee of the State University of New York, I was invited by Cornell President Frank Rhodes to be an official greeter on the visit of Lee Teng-hui, President of the Republic of China and Cornell alumnus, to deliver the annual Olin Lecture. Mom joined me for the festivities, which caused a minor international incident, with the government of the PRC protesting the visit. Happy to see Karen and her friend Gian Fabbri during our visit, go trout fishing with my Outdoor Education fly fishing instructor, and sightsee with Mom & Karen.

May 1996: Karen’s & Gian’s Cornell Graduation. Two years in advance, I booked the large suite and rooms at La Tourelle for our family to stay comfortably for the graduation weekend. I pulled rank as a SUNY Trustee to stand with Cornell’s President and Trustees to review the graduates’ procession and to march to the ceremony. We celebrated with Karen’s Tibetan spaniel Simba, and Gian’s godfather Cory.

June 1996: My Johnson MBA Class of 1971 returned to Cornell for our 25^th Reunion, as I have for every 5^th year reunion. Loyal classmates Sal Chieffo, Mike Azzara, Randy Hatch, Tom Senker, Emil Sommer, Ron Thomas, Bill McHugh, and Bill Zimmer joined me in celebrating at receptions and meals at Dean Alan Merten’s home, Prof. Joe Thomas’ wine cellar, the Wee Stinky Glen, and the nightly Reunion Beer Tents.

February-March 1997: Mom’s visit to Ambassador Loh & family in South Africa

In 1997, Mom was a guest of former neighbors I-Cheng and Jane Loh, the Republic of China’s ambassador to South Africa. She joined their children Suzette & Tony, Willie & Jean, and Philip, and grandchildren Maxine, Rachel, and Teddy, for a several-week tour of the Chinese Embassies in Cape Town and Johannesburg, visiting the Cape of Good Hope, gold & diamond mines, wild game parks, and the Sun City Resort.

March 1997: Skiing with friends in Aspen

I learned how to ski taking 2 years of lessons at night while at Cornell. It took me many years afterwards to gain some proficiency – made more difficult after I tore an ACL in a skiing accident in Zermatt – but I finally got good enough to feel “in the zone” on the slopes. One of my best ski vacations was a week at Aspen/Snowmass with Newman & Sandy Marsilius and their other friends. 

Midweek, we took a break from skiing and drove to Moab, Utah to visit Arches National Park, guided by their son, Newman IV.  Such idyllic outdoor adventures!

August 1997: Yeh-Yeh’s 100th

 

We had big Chinese banquets to celebrate Yeh-Yeh’s 80^th, 90^th, and 100^th birthdays. His 100^th was at Imperial Wok in White Plains, NY. Sadly, Pop passed away in 1994, but his & Mom’s kids (Laura & me), and grandkids (Steven & Kelly, Karen & Gian), were joined by Yeh-Yeh’s #2 son Suen Heong & Shiu Ying,  other grandchildren (David & Amy, Tony & Linda, and Mei Kuen), and great-grandchildren (Daniel, Jonathan, John, and Katherine), along with several dozen friends, including: Mona So, Sulia & David Chan; Kaity, Anita & George Tong; Min & Minson Chen, Minalie & Jackson Hsieh; T.P. & Lydia King, Brenda Hajnal; Howei, Alice, & Mei Chan; Grace & Ed Grigoleit, Stewart Neill; Margaret & Edmund Chan; John & Monica Guglielmo; Peggy & Richard Hsia; and Sandra & Fred Teng. 

September 1997 & April 2001: Two Other Unique Experiences

 

September 1997: I’ve attended about 500 performances at the Metropolitan Opera Club – most with guests – but 1997’s Opening Night was very special: President & Mrs Bill Clinton attended, for the performance of Carmen. From our Opera Club box, Mom & I had a terrific view of the Clintons in their Parterre box, with Patricia Shiah in her front-row Grand Tier seat above them. 

April 2001: The Ohio National Guard took me for a flight in an F-16 fighter jet to recognize my support as Chancellor for the state’s National Guard Scholarship Program. Attired in a flight pressure suit, I was certified for the experience, including being accelerated to 9.0 G’s: 9 times the force of gravity!

October 1997: UNIS Reunion

My chemistry teacher from the United Nations International School, John Gunnell, flew in from England and his work as a Member of the U.K. Parliament from Leeds for our UNIS Reunion. It was so good to catch up with him and schoolmates Philip Davies, Leni Furman, Felice Kane Morel, Jane & Margaret Lerner, John Ives, Shikha Dalal, and Bill Ling, 32 years after UNIS! Chinatown Hot Pot with John & son Jez.

November 1997: Mom’s Red Cross Leadership Conference

 

Mom, very active as a Director of the American Red Cross’ Westchester Chapter, was invited by ARC President Elizabeth Dole to its Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. Accompanied by Lily Liu, they stayed at the Watergate Hotel and attended briefings at ARC Headquarters,  the White House, and the Pentagon, with Texas Governor Ann Reynolds and TV personality Larry King.

December 1998: Sally Craddock’s 80th in Oxford

 

Over the decades, I hopped across the pond to celebrate many major events of the Craddock household. For this one, Sally’s daughters Sacha & Dominie invited hundreds of friends for her 80^th birthday. As ever, much food – and even more wine – was consumed over a few days to mark the occasion in her historic 16^th-century Cotswold farmhouse, St. Frideswides, in Oxfordshire.

January 1999: Acknowledging a big birthday of mine

 

Despite my practice of not recognizing birthdays – particularly my own – my Mom and godmother, Aileen Pei, insisted on having a party for my 50th at Peking Park restaurant. I was tickled that many friends gathered to celebrate with my family including Lucia Hwong, Wayne & Carole Diesel, and friends who offered overly generous remarks: Jack MacPhail, Fred Teng, Marby & Tom Senker, Bill Ling, Suzette Loh, and Michael Richardson. Thanks to Glenn & Linda Woo for the Planetary Birthday Cake by a James Beard Award-winning Pastry Chef.

December 1999: Celebrating the arrival of the New Millennium

How best to celebrate the arrival of a new millennium? By organizing and attending a private black-tie dinner-dance at the United Nations Plaza Hotel! Mom & I invited Glenn & Linda Woo as our guests as we joined 200 other friends including Aileen Pei, Patty & Penelope Tang, Thomas, Vicki, Pat & Tom Shiah, and Alex & Irene Chu in over-the-top festivities ringing in the year 2000.

Printed 2021 Letter

I fit all the above into one double-sided legal sheet to include with my Christmas cards. Since Adobe stopped supporting its InDesign app except on a monthly subscription basis, I bought Affinity Publisher at a reasonable one-time purchase cost and made the easy switch to it to lay out this year's letter. If you'd like a hard copy, I'd be happy to mail you one - just send an email with your mailing address to me at roderick.chu@att.net. 

My 2020 Holiday Letter

December 2020

5 Alban Mews
New Albany, Ohio 43054 
Email: roderick.chu@att.net

A holiday note to my family, friends, and colleagues —

With COVID-19 keeping us from traveling and gathering with family and friends since March, my usual Holiday Letter would have been a small one indeed. Most notably, it’s been an even tougher year for my family since my Mom passed away here in Ohio on July 21st, though peacefully, with me by her side. She had suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage in her sleep in my home 2 days earlier. My family gathered for a small private funeral and put Mom to rest next to Pop in our family plot in Kensico Cemetery in Vahalla, NY. I wrote an In Memoriam piece celebrating Mom’s rich and extraordinary life and shared it with those who knew her well, and also posted it on Facebook. If would like to read it, please check it out at https://roderickchu.blogspot.com.

Gathering briefly with family in Mom’s home in Briarcliff Manor, NY, I collected all the family photo albums that I could find and brought them back with me to Ohio. It struck me that since Mom’s many friends were not there for the funeral, using selected photos from those albums to tell the story of her history in America would be particularly appropriate for my Holiday Letter this year. Since my father and I have enjoyed taking photos over the years, I had tens of thousands of photos to select from. I’m glad to include photos of friends whose families are on my Xmas card list. There are gaps in the story because 1000s of loose photos are still in boxes that I haven’t been able to get through. This photo story ends abruptly in 1987 because I ran out of space and time; the rest of the story will have to wait until I produce an additional letter covering our lives since then. Still, I think there’s enough here to tell the story of Mom, Pop, and Yeh-Yeh conveying the character, values, and education we’ve needed to live the American Dream.

With the rising incidence of COVID-19, I’ve continued to shelter at home with infrequent trips out for food shopping. I decided not to drive east for our family Thanksgiving festivities and will also miss Christmas there. But we’re well connected via technology and I’m glad to report that all in our remaining family are doing reasonably well – and I just received the terrific news that my grand-nephew A.J. has gotten his first college acceptance letters!

We’re looking forward to more competent leadership of our country and the vanquishing of the virus so we can once again travel and gather safely with family and friends. Wishing you all the best with hope and confidence in a better 2021 and a nation we can all be proud of! 

Sincerely,
Rod

 

Friend me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/rodchu

My blogs: http://rchu.wordpress.com 
                  http://www.choosygourmand.wordpress.com

1920s-1950s: Our family’s beginnings in the U.S.

 

My grandfather Chun Chu 趙瑞春 (“Yeh-Yeh”) came to America in the 1920s from Fow Shek Heung 浮石鄉 in ToiShan County 台山, Guangzhou Province, China. Under the Chinese Exclusion Act, he was permitted to emigrate to America as a merchant - a partner in a Chinatown, NY store at 77 Mott St. In the 1930s, he returned to China for a visit and brought his eldest of 3 sons, Norton 趙鈺延, back to NYC with him. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School, Norton joined the U.S. Army in a segregated Chinese company, was assigned to the post-WWII occupation forces in Shanghai, and rose to the rank of Master Sergeant. After his tour of duty, he returned to NYC and was followed by a women he met in Shanghai, Frances Liang 梁 淑 儀. They married, and had a son, Roderick 趙光華. 

 

Pop attended Hunter College and received his B.S. Degree in Chemistry. He worked for Ledoux & Company as a plutonium chemist. Daughter Laura 趙慧娟 came next. Our family lived in a garden apartment in Astoria, Queens, and visited Central Park often, enjoying photos by the big cement eagles there. Pop owned a 1952 Chevrolet. Mom always dressed beautifully, and Pop was quite dapper.

 

 

Among our neighbors was Henry Calvin, who performed on Broadway in Kismet and substituted for Buffalo Bob on TV’s Howdy Doody Show. He got Laura & me into the show’s Peanut Gallery 4 times. We celebrated birthdays with Adelina Lee, Ann Damren, & others and vacationed many times at the Framingham, Mass. home of Pop’s old Army buddy “Uncle Cowboy,” and in Lake Winnipesaukee, NH.

1950s-1960s: Living in Queens

 

We enjoyed the small neighborhood feel of Astoria, where Mom & Pop entertained Johnny & Mei Chen and other fashionably dressed friends. Freedomland was NYC’s short-lived answer to Disneyland. We took road trips to visit Philadelphia and Washington, DC. We moved to the new Lefrak City development with nice swimming pools where we continued to welcome friends – Min, Lily, and Minalie Chen – and made new ones: our neighbors, the Lohs (Jane, I-Cheng, Suzette, & Willie). It was only a 1 mile stroll to the 1964-65 NY World’s Fair, which Laura & I visited many weekends during its summer opening months. Christmases with aunties and uncles were always festive.