Description
Ella Yee Quan was an educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as an active community leader in numerous
educational, civic, and cultural groups. In 1975, she helped found the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC),
where she would later serve as president. This collection includes Quan's personal records, including class photographs from
her time teaching at Castelar Elementary School; artifacts belonging to her herbalist grandfather, Yee Wah Yee; immigration
records for Quan's relatives dating back to the early twentieth century; and publications as well as other documents pertaining
to Santa Barbara Chinatown, where Quan was originally from.
Background
Ella Yee Quan was born in Santa Barbara, California in 1926. She initially worked as a nurse's aide and as a typist before
entering the field of education in the late 1950s. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Education as well as an
Elementary and Adult Teaching Credential from California State University, Los Angeles. She also received a Secondary and
an Administrative Credential from Mount St. Mary's College and a Bilingual Cross Cultural Credential from the University of
Southern California. From 1964 until her retirement in 1989, Quan worked as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal
in several schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District, including Castelar Elementary School in Chinatown. She
also developed bilingual teaching materials for non-English speaking students of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and
Samoan descent. In addition to her illustrious educational career, Quan was involved in several community organizations, including
the Chinese Drum and Bugle Corps, Chinese Language School, Services for Asian American Youth, and Asian American Educators
Association. She was also a founder of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, where she would serve as president.
Quan passed away in 2014, after which her materials were donated to CHSSC.