Passages Connie “Jade Snow” Wong Ong, ’42, 1922–2006 “Our precious time on earth is brief. Even though your everyday hours must often be consumed in details of routine . . . your restless minds will move you constantly toward your larger visions.” —Jade Snow Wong, 1976, upon receiving an honorary doctorate from Mills College
IRENE POON
Pursuing larger visions, achieving greater goals, and trailblazing innovative paths were a way of life for Jade Snow Wong. Not one to conform to the numerous limiting expectations of someone of her race, gender, and economic standing, Jade Snow Wong made knocking down barriers appear effortless. She paved the way for her generation and countless generations to follow by her example of disciplined and balanced living. Jade Snow Wong, also known as Connie Wong Ong, ’42, passed away on March 16, 2006, in San Francisco. Connie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Mills in 1942 and was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Mills in 1976. Her close friend and Mills classmate, Katherine Zelinsky Westheimer, ’42, recalls, “Everything Connie did was with great grace and nobility. It is hard to lose great people.” Jade Snow Wong’s acclaimed book, Fifth Chinese Daughter, published in 1950, chronicles her early life growing up in San Francisco in a traditional Chinese family. It also documents her time and experiences at Mills College and her pursuit of a college education without financial support from her parents. Jade Snow first attended junior college and then transferred to Mills at the urging of none other than Dr. Aurelia Henry Reinhardt. Her second memoir, No Chinese Stranger, published in 1975, revisits childhood memories as well as her experiences as an adult. Fifth Chinese Daughter has been translated into many languages and has remained in print since its initial publication. It was during her time at Mills that Connie reluctantly took an art class entitled Tools and Materials and fell in love with ceramic arts. Although she intended to practice social work in San Francisco’s Chinese community, opportunity married passion, and Connie began to forge a career as a ceramic artist. As a struggling potter working in the storefront of a Grant Avenue merchant, she met another artist, Woodrow Ong. They were married in 1950; their wedding was the first ever to be held at Reinhardt Alumnae House. Together they continued their artistic pursuits, started a family, opened a travel agency, and traveled extensively in Asia, exchanging cultural, artistic, and educational ideals. A skillful and gifted ceramist, Jade Snow Wong’s pottery and enamelware have been showcased throughout the country and around the world. In 1947 her enamel work was featured in 100 Objects of Fine Design, an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1952 she had a one-woman show at the Chicago Art Institute. The International Ceramic Museum in Faenza, Italy, the Detroit Institute of the Arts, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Oakland Museum of California are just a few of the museums that house her work in their permanent collections. As she matured, her recognition in the art world grew. In 2002, a retrospective exhibit at the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center celebrated more than 50 years of craftsmanship. As accomplished, educated, well-traveled, and experienced as she was, Connie always prioritized her role as a wife and mother. As she accepted her honorary doctorate in 1976, she stated unapologetically during her address to Mills graduates, “My marriage, my two sons and two daughters, have first priority over my career.” She stressed that educated women should seek balance and revel in all rights, privileges, and opportunities afforded to them. Connie’s contributions to Mills include active roles in the design and implementation of key buildings on campus. In 1945, at the age of 24, she was given the task of getting the new alumnae headquarters built. She secured donations, hired an architect, and purchased furniture for the completed building. Today Reinhardt Alumnae House still serves as the timeless and classic center of all Mills alumnae activities. Connie was also key in the construction of the Life Science Building. Connie “Jade Snow” Wong Ong’s many contributions to the Chinese community, San Francisco commerce, the literary and art worlds, and Mills College will never be forgotten. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Woodrow “Woody” Ong, and is survived by her sons, Mark and Lance, daughters, Tyi Ong Mar, ’79, and Ellora Ong Chan, ’81, and four grandchildren. —Erinn Noel House
Rachel Moyer, daughter of Susan Jones Moyer, ’87, by Susan Jones Moyer, ’87 Melissa Murray, ’06, daughter of Christine and Ronald Murray, by Christine and Ronald Murray Maria Peinado, ’99, for her May wedding, by Sara Stewart, ’99 Ms. Candace Pelissero, ’68 and Mr. Brian Larsen, Palo Alto Area Mills College Club House Tour Homeowners, by the Palo Alto Area Mills College Club Dr. Paul Richards of Mills College, by the Palo Alto Area Mills College Club Julie “Jewels” Rubenstein, ’06, daughter of Lisa and Laurence Rubenstein, by Lisa and Laurence Rubenstein Cristine “Cris” Russell, ’71, by Michelle Balovich, ’03 Ms. Susan Skaer, Palo Alto Area Mills College Club House Tour Homeowner, by the Palo Alto Area Mills College Club Miya Sneed, ’06, daughter of Vida and Stephen Sneed, by Vida and Stephen Sneed Kathleen “Kat” Stavis, ’06, daughter of Martha and Paul Stavis, by Martha and Paul Stavis Ayla Steadman, ’06, daughter of David Steadman, by Sara McClure, ’81, and David Steadman, and Lee Redman Barbara Steinbauer, mother of Sanda Steinbauer, ’96, by Sanda Steinbauer, ’96 Sharon Tatai, ’80, by the Mills College Club of New York Christina and Joseph Torkildson, my parents, by Jennifer Torkildson, ’06 Jorie Bolton Townsley, ’69, by Melody Fujimori, ’69 Alison Uscilka, ’06, daughter of Jennifer Elwell and John Uscilka, by Jennifer Elwell and John Uscilka John Vollmer, by Richard Grossart Sarah Wallis, ’06, daughter of Cathy and Richard Wallis, by Cathy and Richard Wallis Summer 2006 M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY
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