Edna Mae Fong

FONG, Dr. Edna Mae

Dr. Edna Mae Fong, born November 1, 1911 in Toishan, Guangdong Province in China, passed peacefully to her rest on January 10, 2008 in Sonoma, California close to family and loved ones. Preceded in Edna Mae's passing are her brothers Edmund Fong, Dr. Evan Fong, Dr. Edward Fong, Edgar Fong, Eugene Fong and her sister Eva Chan. She will be missed by her brothers Arthur Fong and Ernest Fong and sisters Pearl Low, Dr. Elinor Tom, Evelyn Toy, and Ellen Wong.
The first nine years of Edna Mae's life were spent with her mother in Toishan separated from her merchant father who was in Northern California. Her father was able to bring his wife and then nine year old Edna Mae to the United States in 1920. Due to the immigration laws in effect at the time, Edna Mae arrived with papers identifying her as a little boy. Their first stop was Angel Island where they endured three months of grueling interrogation. She and her mother were eventually released to join her father in Sacramento where they lived in the "Chinese section" of Sacramento which had only ten other Chinese families.
Not knowing a word of English, Edna Mae entered kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary School. Because of her different looks and language she became the object of teasing and physical abuse by her fellow students. With determination, she finished her first eight grades of school in less than five years while helping her mother raise four other siblings. When Edna Mae was fifteen, her mother died of complications from the birth of her sixth child who also did not survive. After the death of Edna's mother, she missed one year of high school to stay home and take care of her three younger brothers and one younger sister. Her father soon remarried which resulted in the births of four more brothers and four more sisters. With only three years of high school, she graduated valedictorian of Sacramento High School and was awarded a $50.00 scholarship.
After a brief stint at Sacramento City College, she completed four years at the University of California at Berkeley. She was two credit hours away from a degree in psychology when her father sent her to Pacific Union College (PUC) in Angwin, California. At PUC, her father encouraged her to study Pre-Med. Despite being continuously discouraged by her academic advisors who told her women and Chinese did not belong in the medical field, Edna Mae was accepted to the College of Medical Evangelists (now known as Loma Linda University). She graduated in 1942, fifth in her class of one hundred. She interned for two years at Los Angeles County Hospital where she was the chief resident after only her first year. She went on to Los Angeles Children's Hospital. She completed her residency in Pediatrics and was again named chief resident for her last year of training.
Shortly after World War II ended Edna Mae and her husband, Jehim Wong, D.V.M., spent two years in Lansing, Michigan while Jehim completed his veterinary degree at Michigan State University.
In addition to being the first Chinese female physician in Sacramento, Dr. Edna Mae Fong was destined to become one of the first female physicians in Sacramento when she opened her medical practice in 1950. She was a Pediatrician by training but was initially unable to obtain patient referrals from other physicians due to being female. In order to build a patient base, Dr. Fong expanded her medical practice to treating families and delivering babies. As one of the few Chinese physicians in Sacramento at the time, she also had the growing population of Chinese coming to her for medical care. Her brother, Dr. Evan Fong, joined her and they practiced together until his death in 1972. She continued practicing medicine in Sacramento until 1976. After two years working for Los Angeles County as a physician, she moved to Sonoma where she worked as a staff physician for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Yountville, California, retiring in 1985.
In 1992, the Mother Lode Chapter of the American Medical Women's Association recognized Dr. Fong with an award for Outstanding Service as Pioneer Woman Family Physician. The Chinese American Council of Sacramento inducted Dr. Fong into the Chinese Pioneers Hall of Fame at the Gold Mountain celebration in 2004. Last year, Dr. Fong was featured by artist Flo Oy Wong in her "Whispers of the Past" exhibit at the 40 Acres gallery which celebrated important contributors to Chinese history in California. The oldest of twelve brothers and sisters, she loved her family dearly. In spite of all the obstacles she had to overcome, Edna Mae had an abiding faith in God. Her service to her fellow man and her family was her way of giving back what was given to her. After hearing her story, one of her children asked her how she managed to overcome. Edna Mae replied, "As the oldest of twelve children, I wanted to be a good example to all my brothers and sisters. I wanted to show them that by determination, persistence and most importantly, by the help of God, any obstacle could be overcome."
She is survived and missed by her loving children, Dr. Richard Wong (Hilda), Dr. Ronald Wong (Annie), and Rebecca Strickland (Don). She will also be missed by her adoring grandchildren and great grandchildren, Lisa Mae Johnson, Dr. Cherise Wong, Nathan Wong, Dr. Aaron Wong, Dr. Serena Chun, Jonathan Wong, Jared Wong, Caitlin Mae Johnson, and Micah Wong.
A memorial service honoring Edna Mae Fong's life will be held at 3 p.m. on January 19, 2008 at the Central Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 6045 Camellia Ave. Sacramento, CA.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Edna Mae Fong to The Council on Aging at 30 Kawana Springs Rd. Santa Rosa, CA 95404 or Hospice by the Bay at 190 W. Napa St. Sonoma, CA 95476.