Ping Tom (April 15, 1935 – July 7, 1995) (Chinese: 譚繼平; pinyin: Tán Jìpíng) was an American businessman and civic leader in Chicago. Ping Tom Memorial Park is dedicated to him.
Early life and education
Tom was the youngest of eight children. His mother, Lillian Goo, married Tom Y. Chan after her sister, Mary Goo, Tom Y. Chan's first wife, died from influenza. Mary Goo had two children: Florence and Grace. Lillian had six children: Priscilla, Helene, Eunice, Mary, Tom (Chung) and Ping.
In an article Tom wrote for the ParkerWeekly in 1988, he stated that his experience at Parker shaped and influenced his life in two ways. First, Parker's atmosphere of encouragement helped him build self-confidence. Second, Parker's diversity taught him to develop "mutual respect and caring for those of a different race, ethnicity and religion." In fact, he noted that he had not known a Jew until he attended Parker.[1]
Chinese Trading Co. & Chinese Noodle Co. new building opening on July 12, 1965
Chinese Trading Company (est. 1911): food import company
Vice president, 1966–72; President, 1972–95
Chinese Noodle Company (est. 1911): maker of egg noodles and won ton and egg roll skins
Vice president, 1958–66; President, 1972–95
Lekel Chop Suey Pail Company: maker of take out food pails
President, 1980–95
Mah Chena Corporation: frozen food and appetizers
President, 1980–95
Griesbaum Meat Company: tripe processing company
President, 1980–95
Chinese Trading Company and Chinese Noodle Company were founded by Tom Y. Chan. The other companies were acquired by the Tom family later.
After his older brother, Chung, died of a heart attack in 1980, Tom became president of all of the above companies. His sisters, Helene, Eunice, and Mary also worked for the family business, as did his nephews, Jan Wong (Eunice's son) and Chip Tom (Chung's son).
Member, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
Member, U.S. Federal Judicial Nominations Committee
Director, Asian American Institute
Founding president (1983), Chinatown Chamber of Commerce
Chairman, Chinatown Parking Corporation
Past president and director, Chinese American Civic Council
Member, Advisory Board of the Chinese American Service League
Tom was a leader not only in the Chinese community but in the broader Asian American community. His beaming smile and calm demeanor endeared him to people of all backgrounds. Friends say that he had a natural ability to resolve differences among people. He was one of the thirteen original founders of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago, an organization that annually brings together diverse Asian communities, including Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Cambodian, among others.
Outside of family and the family businesses, Tom's greatest achievement was his work on Chinatown Square, a $100 million plus residential and commercial expansion of Chinatown on 32 acres (130,000 m2) of land purchased from the Santa Fe Railroad. As president of the Chinese American Development Corporation, founded in 1984, he unfortunately did not have the chance to see the bustling development that it has become. It was his desire to expand Chinatown so that there would be more room for his fellow Chinese to live and work. He was recently recognized as one of Chicago magazine's top 40 Chicago pioneers for his efforts.[2]
Personal life
Ping and Valerie
Ping Tom married Valerie Ching (b. September 15, 1934) of Honolulu, Hawaii on October 11, 1958. They met in Chicago while Tom was attending law school at Northwestern University and Valerie attended the Gregg Court Reporting School, which was then associated with Northwestern. They had two children: Darryl Tom (b. March 13, 1970) and Curtis Tom (b. August 13, 1972). Tom was the uncle of American actress Lauren Tom.
Death and legacy
Bust of Ping Tom
Following his sudden death in 1995 due to pancreatic cancer, Tom's wish that a park be built for Chinatown residents came true on October 2, 1999, when the Chicago Park District dedicated the 12-acre (49,000 m2) Ping Tom Memorial Park next to the Chinatown Square in his name. In 2005, a bust of Tom was installed in the park to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death.
The Asian American Coalition of Chicago has since named its highest award, the Pan Asian American Award, in his honor.
References
^Tom, Ping, Parker's student newspaper, The Weekly, November 16, 1988.
^Johnson, Geoffrey. "Top 40 Chicago Pioneers: Visionaries from 1970 to 2010." Chicago. Date: Dec. 2010. [1]
