Connie Chung, Bruce Lee, Kristi Yamaguchi, Tony Taguba inducted into Asian Hall of Fame

Bruce Lee, martial arts master

By Louis Chan
Reprinted from AsAm News

THE ASIAN HALL OF FAME inducted a stellar class of four new honorees this month in Seattle.

News anchor Connie Chung, martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi and General Antonio Taguba received the honor from the Robert Chinn Foundation before a crowd of several hundred.

“I’ve always considered myself Chinese - not Chinese American, as I’m not a hyphenated person,” said Chung during her induction speech.

Connie Chung

Chung became just the second women to anchor a network newscast when she co-anchored the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather in 1993. Her career in broadcast journalism spanned 30 years during which she worked with NBC, CBS, ABC and CNN as well as the CBS station in Los Angeles.

“In 1969, there were so few women in journalism, the biggest barrier was being a woman and secondary was being Chinese. It was a male dominated profession. I would think and conduct myself as a White male. Today I stand before you no longer thinking I’m a White male. I stand before you thrilled and honored to be just a Chinese girl,” she declared.

Perhaps no one is responsible for popularizing martial arts in the United States more than Bruce Lee. He not only taught Jeet Kune Do, a form of martial arts in the United States, he wowed the world with his martial artistry in five feature length films. His most famous was Enter the Dragon from Warner Brothers which was released six days after his death in 1973. His wife Linda Caldwell accepted the award on behalf of her husband.

Kristi Yamaguchi

“One of his goals was to show the world the beauty of China’s culture and martial arts,” she said. “He raised the esteem of Chinese men and women. He had passion, energy and belief in self and fulfilled his purpose. He influenced people to be confident in their goal setting, and be motivated ot take action in their lives.”

Kristi Yamaguchi won the Olympic Gold Medal for the United States in figure skating in 1992 in Albertville, France. She is also a children’s author, philanthropist and producer of her own fashion line, Tsu Ya.

“I am Asian American at my core,” said Yamaguchi. Sometimes I don’t feel Asian enough. Sometimes I didn’t feel Caucasian enough. The Asian work ethic is a connecting link between Asian groups. We are taught by parents and grandparents who enabled us to succeed. They ingrained in us not to complain, to respect mentors.”

Retired General Antonio Taguba is only the second U.S. Army General from the Philippines. He served in the military for 35 years beginning in 1972. He authored the report on abuse of prisoners in the Abu Ghraib Prison in 2004 and later in 2008 accused the Bush administration of committing war crimes.

Gen. Antonio Taguba

“Being truly successful means doing good for the community and settling a standard of community giving, said Taguba who has been an advocate for the AARP and a big proponent of mentoring young leaders. “As a Pacific Isander, I felt on top of the world for being honored. Maybe my story may have possibly had an impact on young or old. I felt honored and respected to share our story to raise future leaders.”

The induction of Chung, Yamaguchi, Lee and Taguba brings to 22 the number of people inducted into the hall since 2004.

Kristi Yamaguchi, Bruce Lee inducted into California Hall of Fame

Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi was inducted into the California Hall of Fame..

TWO ASIAN/AMERICANS were inducted into the California Hall of Fame yesterday (Oct. 28).

Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and First Lady Anne Gust Brown joined the California Museum to award the Spirit of California medal to eight Californians inducted into the California Hall of Fame this evening including Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi and superstar martial artist Bruce Lee.

“There’s a lot of open-mindedness to encourage people to dream big and to go after their dreams no matter how crazy they may be,” Yamaguchi said about California.

Yamaguchi and Lee join only three other Asian/Americans in the hall: prominent AIDS researcher Dr. David Ho, author Amy Tan and professional golfer Tiger Woods.

Besides Yamaguchi and Lee, this year's inductees, who exemplify California's spirit of innovation, are: acclaimed actor Robert Downey Jr., celebrated artist David Hockney, journalist and news anchor Lester Holt, space pioneer Ellen Ochoa, country music icon Buck Owens, legendary cartoonist Charles M. Schulz.

"California continuously reinvents itself and the people we honor have that combination of tradition, innovation and, of course, creativity," said Brown at the ceremonies held at the California Museum. 

Inductees and family members of posthumous inductees received the Spirit of California medal from the Governor and First Lady in the official state ceremony this evening at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento.

In addition to receiving the Spirit of California medal, California Hall of Fame inductees will be commemorated with an exhibit of personal artifacts highlighting their lives and achievements, which opens to the public at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at the California Museum.

This year's medal recipients join 88 Californians previously inducted into the California Hall of Fame for making remarkable achievements across a variety of California industries and areas of influence, including science, philanthropy, sports, business, entertainment, literature, technology, activism and politics.

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