Bill Yee
Bill Yee is an Alhambra High School retired history teacher. His parents were immigrants from Southern China. A native San Franciscan who relocated to Southern California but still a loyal Giants and 49ers fan. He was fortunate to marry into a large and extend JA family. One of his hobbies in retirement was to write a newspaper column.
Updated February 2020
Stories from This Author
Another Willard Scott Moment
May 12, 2023 • Bill Yee
I remember as a kid talking to one of the customers of our laundry about World War I. He was an older gentleman, so he must have been in his early or late 60s. He talked about living in America during the First World War. He recalled the sacrifices people had to make on the homefront, such as “Meatless Mondays.” He was really a time capsule of another generation. The Nisei generation is disappearing. Their stories have lessons for all …
Child Labor and Generational Business
March 29, 2023 • Bill Yee
Early Asian immigrants who came to the U.S. to earn a living and live the American Dream had limited economic opportunities. Certain occupations or businesses were the only path open to immigrants. In the case of my Chinese parents, they owned a laundry. In the pecking order of Chinese economic success in the ’50s, owning a laundry was the lowest followed by owning a corner grocery store and, finally, if you reached the top, owning a restaurant. Also, a common …
Ramblings from the Son of a Paper Son: Linda Fujioka
Nov. 4, 2020 • Bill Yee
In these uncertain times when there are a global pandemic, nationwide protests, brutal hurricanes back east and fires on the West Coast, and even an earthquake, we have to remember that our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents lived through times even more difficult. That generation, “The Greatest Generation,” lived through the Great Depression, World War II and internment, the anxiety of thermonuclear war, the Cold War, the turbulent ’60s and now 2020! So, here’s another story of a Nisei from …
Uncle Hiro: Gaman, Enduring in Adversity
Feb. 13, 2020 • Bill Yee
Recently the last of the Nisei generation in the Morimizu clan passed away at 95. Kei Morimizu was the younger brother of Hiro. His passing was the catalyst for this story. It was at this time I had the opportunity to chat with two of Hiro’s children, Danny and Dale. (They are my wife’s cousins and, therefore, her Uncle Hiro). During our visit some of the unique family history came to light. I had never heard or may have forgotten …
