Ruby Chow

June 6, 1920 – June 4, 2008

Ruby Gum Seung Mar Chow was born on June 6th, 1920 in Seattle, Washington. She died just two days short of her 88th birthday. The eldest daughter in a family of 10 children, Ruby quickly learned to care deeply for family, dropping out of Franklin High School during the depression to go to work to support her younger siblings. Hearing of job opportunities in New York, she moved across the country to become a waitress. It was there she met her future husband and best friend of nearly 70 years, Ping Chow.

They soon opened Seattle's historic Ruby Chow's restaurant, a magnet for Seattle's elite, visiting dignitaries and elected officials. It became her base for changing ideas and demystifying Chinese culture and cuisine to the general public, smoothing the way for healthier community relations in Seattle and later, the success of Asian political candidates.

While running a restaurant and raising a family, she founded the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team and Dragon team in 1952. In 1974 she worked with Seattle's schools to establish bilingual education at Asa Mercer Junior High School. When her friend, city councilman, Wing Luke, died in a plane crash, she helped create the museum that bears his name.

She ran for King County Council in 1973 becoming the first Asian American elected to that post. Her career in public service continued as she rallied around those looking to be heard. She was a strong and meaningful voice for many. In honor of her work on behalf of King County, Ruby Chow Park was created in 1990. Recently, King County named the 8th floor of the new Chinook Building after her.

Her legacy continues through the lives of her husband Ping and her children, Edward, a Pres. Clinton appointee to veterans affairs, Shelton, a retired public school teacher, Cheryl, Seattle School Board president, Brien, a businessman and volunteer youth coach and Mark, an elected judge. She is also survived by four daughter-in-laws, Margaret, Jeannie, Marcia, and Carol, 6 grandsons, 3 granddaughters, 3 great-grand sons, brother William Sing Mar, sister Mary Mar Pang and kid brother Roy Sing Mar.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, PO Box 28832, Seattle, 98118

Memorial Services will be held on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at noon at Town Hall, 8th and Seneca streets, in Seattle.

Timeline: Ping and Ruby Chow

1876 14 year old Jim Sing Mar Ruby's father runs away from home Canton, China for the California gold fields, but ends up working for the railroads

1894-1898 Jim Sing Mar takes up residence in Fairfield, Oregon

1910s Birth of Ping Chow Chow Shiu Ping in Canton, China; now in Seattle, Jim Sing Mar becomes a dock foreman and Chinese labor contractor, marries Jaw Gee Wong

1920s Birth of Ruby Seung Gum Mar on San Juan Dock on Seattle's waterfront; Jim Sing Mar co-founds Hop Sing tong; young Ping becomes a Cantonese opera apprentice

1930s Jim Sing Mar dies; Ping Chow, stranded in New York, meets Ruby Mar; he enlists in the US Army

1940s Jaw Gee Wong Mar dies; Ping is honorably discharged from the army and receives US citizenship; he and Ruby marry; move to Seattle with sons Edward and Shelton; birth of daughter Cheryl, start Ruby Chow's restaurant; start public relations campaign to demystify Chinese culture and cuisine

1950s Ping and Ruby start Ruby Chow's Frozen Chinese Foods; organize Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, Seattle Chinatown Dragon Team; aid Cantonese opera refugees in Hong Kong, help March of Dimes, Seattle P-I Christmas Fund for Needy Children, and the Blood Bank; birth of sons Brien and Mark; Ruby volunteers as interpreter to first Chinese refugee in Seattle; opens Chinese New Year celebrations to the public; Ping stars on two local TV cooking shows Katherine Wise and Bea Donovan with Ruby as interpreter; stars on own weekly show on KSTW; meet General and Madame Chiang Kai-shek; hold benefit for office space for Cathay Post #186 of the American Legion; Ruby receives Matrix Table award

1960s rallies community support for Wing Luke's City Council candidacy; backs other Asian candidates; work with other community leaders to hang 119 red Chinese lanterns across King Street in Chinatown, build public bulletin board for community notices, Ping and Ruby donate meals to volunteers and food for fund raisers for Wing Luke Memorial Museum; support Asian political candidates; written up in The Christian Science Monitor; Ping helps immigrant opera friends start restaurants in Chinatown; they take in Bruce Lee

1970s Ruby wins a seat on the King County Council; sponsors first airport noise abatement study, stops location of a federal prison near Chinatown International District; adds bus shelters to low income and elderly neighborhoods; earmarks county funds for health and social services; moves Asian health clinic to Chinatown; obtains federal funding for first low income housing in Chinatown and Japantown; persuades City Council to build a tennis center in Seattle's Southend; becomes first woman elected president of the Chong Wa Benevolent Association worldwide; persuades Seattle schools superintendent to start a bilingual program for immigrant children; has health manual translated into Chinese; persuades courts to hire language interpreters; prevails on Harborview to start a language bank; both retire from restaurant business; leads campaign to retain Chinatown and Japantown names in the public consciousness; works with police to defuse Chinese gang problems; written up in 1st edition of state history text The Washington Story; initiates Kaohsiung-King County sister county relationship; arranges for Cantonese opera stars to perform in Seattle's Opera House; recipient of Music and Arts Foundation Outstanding Contribution award

1980s grateful constituents dedicate Ruby Chow Park; opposes major cuts to Seattle schools bilingual budget; Chows continue volunteer work and continue support of Asian and other candidates for public office; enacts luxury tax on pleasure boats; earmarks funds for new jail; retires from King County Council after three terms; Ping continues performing in local Cantonese operas; featured in Pacific Magazine, in Washingtonians, in Some Outstanding Women and in A Centennial Celebration of Washington Women, Vol. II; Ruby organizes evidence and testimony resulting in Seattle Chinatown Historic District listing on the National Register of Historic Places

1990s stops second attempt to site a federal prison in the immigration building; helps block city attempt to ring core Seattle Chinatown Historic District streets with angled, metered parking; advises on Chinatown concerns; advises immigrant/refugee groups on a successful class action suit against Seattle schools' bilingual education policies; initiates Kaohsiung-Seattle sister city relationship; written up in Newsweek

2000s helps prevent Seattle schools superintendent from moving the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center into a building deemed unfit for education; works on the building of two traditional Chinese gates for Seattle Chinatown Historic District; negotiates 6thth set of drill team uniforms, new cultural dance costumes and purchase of new dragon; featured in 'Political Trailblazers' in "277 People Who Shaped Seattle" in Seattle Metropolitan magazine; appears in online encyclopedia HistoryLink; featured on radio KUOW episode 'Desegregation Through Food' for "Washington State History Through Food" series; receives Organization of Chinese Americans Lifetime Achievement award; featured in Seattle Downtown Nordstrom exhibit "Local Women of Distinction;" featured on KIRO Eyewitness Profiles: "Legacy of Ruby"