The News Clippings were written by Jan Wong who was a neighbor of ours when we lived at 47 Mott St. Double click on the text; they should get larger in order to read them. This was the True Light Newsletter years ago. Jan described our basketball teams, provided the individual scores, and activities taking place at True Light. I’ve not seen this before. It was fun to relive our lives then.
Jan was active at True Light. His younger brother, Mingie (later known as Dr. Michael Wong, a Yale graduate and Pediatrician) , was one of my Wedding Ushers. We were close childhood friends. Jan was a Catcher for the Adult Softball Team; he taught me how to be a Catcher for the Mohawk Softball Team. I caught for Walter Chin.
The gym at True Light is the scene where most of our basketball games were held. During the peak of the basketball season dances were held following each night game. I am not sure what happened to all the banners that once hung on the wall in the gym. The gym, apparently, was converted into a huge classroom for Chinese lessons.
Photo — Playing against the Bengals. Shows me grabbing up a rebound along with Gene Chu. I wore knee pads through all those years. A later photo showed Donald Seetoo and Newton Chin. They called me by my Chinese names back in those days, viz., Yee Gan.
Newton Chin describes meeting Gilbert and I in Chicago. Don’t remember meeting him there. I am sure we did, cause, back in those days, we took advantage of every opportunity to see our old NY Chinatown friend in the midwest. I remember going to the University of Wisconsin in Madison with Gilbert to see Francis Moy and Mary Huie; and. going to Purdue University to see Lillian (June Gong’s sister)! We didn’t have a car then, and for the life of me, I cannot remember how we got to Madison or Purdue! By bus? Hitch hike? I don’t remember.
I have photos of the Annual Yu Pin Basketball Tournament held in Philadelphia. We had an All Star Team that entered this tournament. It included Stanley Chin, Ernie Mar, Timothy Tsang, Dorrie, and several of the older players. I was Senior at Brooklyn Tech at the time and was drafted to play with the older men. . Our Coach, Lung Chin, owner of the Sugar Bowl on Pell Street, thought this was the best team he had ever coached in Chinatown.
A word about the Mohawk basketball team. Most of the members on this team were the Boy Scouts of Troop 150. At the time I was well over six feet, and the Coaches at True Light got me to play with the Clowns to take advantage of my height. I regretted this move. It separated me from my friends in the Scouts.
James.
April, 2014
