Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Choy, Philip P. and Choy, Randall P.
- Abstract:
- Philip P. Choy was an author, historian, and educator who was a pioneer in the study of Chinese American history. His collection primarily consists of his research files, including notes, articles & publications, photographs, and other material.
- Extent:
- 85 Linear Feet (130 boxes and 1 oversize folder) and 6 gigabyte(s) (14 optical discs)
- Language:
- Multiple languages
- Preferred citation:
-
[identification of item], Philip P. Choy Papers (M2521). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The majority of Choy's collection consists of historical material that Choy assembled in his research. Most files involve Chinese immigration, labor, and settlement in the Western United States, with a special emphasis on San Francisco's Chinatown. There is also a great deal of material produced in the course of Choy's books and other projects, especially his book on Sacramento - including oral histories conducted by Choy himself.As a collector and patron of archives, Choy brought together both primary and secondary sources, including newspaper articles, photographs, government reports, personal archives, and ephemera of all kinds. His collection also includes many photocopies and photo reproductions, often heavily annotated. There is relatively little correspondence amongst his papers.
One subset of the collection is a group of material from Choy's uncle John Jan, which includes many photographs as well as letters and documents from his work in China in the 1940s.
Another subset was separated and organized as a separate collection - the Philip P. Choy collection of California and the West (https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13965060). This material consists of photographs and ephemera not directly related to the Chinese American experience.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Philip P. Choy (1926-2017) was a historian, author, and architect who devoted himself to documenting the history of Chinese immigration to the United States. His research, preservation and education of Chinese American history was groundbreaking. Together with Him Mark Lai, Phil taught the first Chinese American history course at San Francisco State University with material he co-authored, The History of The Chinese in California, A Syllabus. In 1969 he challenged the organizers of the Transcontinental Railroad Centennial to recognize the role of Chinese laborers. In the early 1970s, Phil hosted the PBS series Gum Saan Haak (Travelers to Gold Mountain), the first extensive documentary series about Chinese American history.
Choy was a third generation Chinese American born and raised in San Francisco Chinatown. He worked in the family butcher shop as a teenager. Choy attended San Francisco City College, served in World War II (enlisting in the Army Air Corps), and then earned a degree in architecture from University of California Berkeley. He was involved in residential and commercial design for fifty years, and as a community activist he fought for the preservation of historical landmarks, including the Angel Island Immigration Station. In 1993, he wrote the case study to nominate the site to the National Register of Historic Places. In Oroville, California, Choy designed the Temple Tapestry Hall to complement the adjacent historic Chinese temple and to house its extensive Chinese folk art collection.
Choy served as president of the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) five times, and was a consultant and advisor for many projects, exhibitions, and media presentations, including the diorama of Chinese railroad workers at the Sacramento Railroad Museum and the Chinese Pioneers exhibit at the Federal Courthouse. He is the author of San Francisco Chinatown: A Guide to Its History & Architecture (2012), Canton Footprints: Sacramento's Chinese Legacy (2007), and was co-editor of Coming Man: 19th Century American Perceptions of the Chinese (1994).
After his retirement, Choy continued to be an adjunct professor in the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University. He served on the San Francisco Landmark Advisory Board and the California State Historical Resources Commission from 2001 to 2005. He was also a recipient of the San Francisco State University President's Medal in 2005, the Silver SPUR Awards in 2009, and the Oscar Lewis Award for Western History in 2011.
Philip Choy died of cancer in 2017.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift; 2019. Accession 2019-311.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Audiovisual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy. Born-digital material is closed until processed.
- Terms of access:
-
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
- Preferred citation:
-
[identification of item], Philip P. Choy Papers (M2521). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
- Location of this collection:
-
Department of Special Collections, Green Library557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305-6004, US
- Contact:
- (650) 725-1022