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Title: Renée Lym Robertson collection
Date (inclusive): 1890-2014
Collection Number: 2015C52
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In English and Chinese
Physical Description:
10 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1oversize folder, 1 motion picture film reel
(6.1 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Writings, correspondence, photocopies of government documents, printed matter, photographs, and audiovisual material relating
to the early history of aviation in China and to American involvement with Chinese aviation prior to World War II. Includes
biographical data on the early Chinese American aviator Arthur F. Lym (Lin Fuyuan, Arthur Fook Yuen Lyn), father of Renée
Lym Robertson, and on others involved in the early history of Chinese aviation, as well as information relating to the Civil
Air Transport and China National Aviation Corporation.
source:
Robertson, Renée Lym
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2015.
[Identification of item], Renée Lym Robertson collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Renée Lym Robertson (Lum May Yook, Lin Mai Yue) was born in Shanghai, China, in 1928. She first came to the United States
in 1939, immigrating through Angel Island, and returned to China after World War II in 1945. Robertson permanently moved back
to the United States in 1982.
Robertson was actively involved in the aviation community all of her life and helped form the Guangdong Aviation Association
in the 1980s, where she served as Vice-President. She was instrumental in providing resources for various Chinese aviation
exhibits in Hong Kong, Seattle, San Diego, and San Francisco. Robertson passed away in 2015.
| 1890 December 27 | Born, San Francisco, California |
| 1906 | After the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, moved to Oakland with sister and brother-in-law, Wong Yow |
| 1911 | Managed the Chinatown newspaper Chinese World (Sai Gai Yat Po) |
| 1913 | Took flying lessons in San Diego with Glenn Curtiss |
| Received aviation license number 245 from the Aero Club of America | |
| 1914 | Offered army commission by Chinese President Yuan Shi-kai and sailed to China |
| Returned to United States to purchase Curtiss aircraft for the Chinese government | |
| 1916 | Organized Canton Air Force with childhood friend Tom Gunn |
| 1920 | Lead first ever aerial bombing raid on the city of Canton, targeting Kwangsi invaders |
| 1925 December | Married San Francisco native Sarah Chuck Siu Lau in Shanghai |
| 1916 | Launched aerial assault on Hainan Island, recapturing the area for Guangdong |
| 1928 | Appointed Colonel-in-Charge of the National Aviation Bureau; established aerial photography section |
| 1929 | Headed the National Aviation Maintenance Service Division and the National Technical Aviation Division |
| 1932 | Appointed Chief-of-Staff of the Canton Air Force |
| 1937 | Appointed chief of Shaoguan aircraft factory as Japan invaded China |
| 1943-1945 | Coordinated the transport of strategic war materials into China via the Burma road and "the Hump" |
| 1962 | Died of heart failure in Hong Kong at age 72, buried in Oakland's Mountain View Cemetery |
| 1940 | Traveled to the United States and South America, fundraising on behalf of the Chinese government to purchase airplanes for the war and raising more than five million dollars |
| 1938 | Moved Shaoguan aircraft factory and staff to the safety of China's interior |
Source: Patti Gully, Arthur Lym Research Materials, Renée Lym Robertson collection, Box 3, Folders 2-3, Hoover Institution
Library & Archives
Scope and Content of Collection
The Renee Lym Robertson collection is a diverse assortment of papers, printed matter, clippings, photographs, and audiovisual
materials. It includes biographical and family records and research, as well as in-depth research relating to Robertson's
father, Arthur Lym (Arthur Fook Yuen Lyn, Lin Fuyuan, Art Lin, Lim Fook Yin). Lym was an aviation pioneer in the United States
and China, and a founder of the Canton Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese war.
The
Arthur Lym Research Materials series contains information and research about Lym's career as an aviator starting in 1911. Materials include biographical
information, clippings, printed matter, and photographs of Lym dating from 1911 to the 1950s. These materials are from Lym,
as well as source research material provided by Robertson. Additional research materials were provided by Patti Gully, Ernest
Gann, and Malcolm Rosholt, who had been researching and writing on Chinese aviation and/or Lym.
The
Aviation Research Materials series focuses on Chinese and American pilots who flew for the China National Air Corporation (C.N.A.C.) and Civil Air Transport
(C.A.T.) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, respectively. Materials include association bulletins, printed
matter, and letters. This series also includes information pertaining to the Guangdong Aviation Association, which was formed
by former aviators, local government officials, and friends and family of the Chinese aviation community, including Robertson.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945
Aeronautics -- China
Chinese Americans
Robertson, Renée Lym
Lym, Arthur F., 1890-1962