A 1911 award presented to a grammar school student graduating from San Francisco's Oriental Public Grammar School (renamed Commodore Stockton, and then Gordon J. Lau School, by participating advocacy of C.A.C.A.) begins a lifetime relationship with C.A.C.A. Inspired to become a lawyer while seeing the need as an Immigration interpreter, Y.C. Hong (1898-1977) in 1924 becomes the first person of Chinese descent to take California's State Bar exam -- two years ahead of the ...

... school's schedule -- and would be admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Serving as LA Lodge President, Grand President, and, for nearly a quarter of a century, chair of the Chinese Times board, Y.C. Hong worked with Walter U. Lum and other members to win allowances for Chinese wives of U.S. citizens to be able to join their husbands, and, when redevelopment dislocated Los Angeles' historic Chinatown, was instrumental in establishing the New Chinatown site.