Chang (Sau Yee) and Dorothy Kam Mew Chock Papers, 1921-2006

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Summary

Title:
Sau Yee Chang and Dorothy Kam Mew Chock papers
Dates:
1921-2006
Creators:
Chang, Sau Yee and Chock, Dorothy Kam Mew
Abstract:
Contains the personal papers of Sau Yee Chang and Dorothy Kam Mew Chock.
Extent:
1 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English and Chinese.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sau Yee Chang and Dorothy Kam Mew Chock papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the personal and professional papers of Sau Yee Chang along with a small portion of personal materials relating to his wife Dorothy Kam Mew Chock. The materials relating to Chang include biographical information such as an unpublished autobiography, resume, articles, and obituaries as well as images of his dental practice and family in Kauaʻi. The documents about Dorothy Kam Mew Chock include a 1921 University of Hawaiʻi yearbook, 75th anniversary reminiscences of the Kauaʻi High and Intermediate School Class of 1919, biographical information about her father Chock Chin, and copies of 1905 immigration records to get Hawaiian birth certificates for Dorothy and her siblings. Also included is a CD containing copies of files from the National Archives relating to Chock Chin and a wedding photograph.

Biographical / historical:

Born in 1896 in Hanapēpē , Kaua'i, Hawaiʻi, Sau Yee Chang graduated from Northwestern University Dental School in 1918. He served as a private in the United States Army during World War I. After the war, Dr. Alfred Waterhouse influenced Chang to return to Kaua'i, where he opened a dental practice in Kappʻa. He was later appointed resident government dentist of the island of Kauaʻi and established a dental office in Lihue. In 1947, he was elected president of Hawaiʻi Territorial Dental Society, and, in 1955, he was one of the first Hawaiian-born individuals elected as Fellows of the American College of Dentists. He also became the first Chinese American and first Hawaiian-born vice president of the American Dental Association in 1961. Chang was also an active participant in local and state politics. In 1922, he ran as a Republican for the Kauaʻi County Board of Supervisors. Although he lost that race, he successfully ran again in 1932 and served two terms. During the 1940s, he was chairman of the Kauaʻi Republican County Committee and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1960.

Dorothy Kam Mew Chock was born in 1897 in Hanalei, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi to Chock Chin and Hee Shee. She was part of the first graduating class of Kauaʻi High and attended the University of Hawaiʻi and Knox College. She taught elementary school in Lihue, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi for over twenty-five years.

Sau Yee Chang married Dorothy Kam Mew Chock in 1921, and they had four children. Chock and Chang died in 1990.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Thomas Gail Auyong, October 2024.
Processing information:

Processed at time of accessioning by Kahlee Leingang.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Kahlee Leingang
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-04-18 14:52:34 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

NOT AVAILABLE: Born-digital items: 1 CD in Box 1 (27). Not available for paging until reformatted. Please contact Reader Services for more information

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sau Yee Chang and Dorothy Kam Mew Chock papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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