SEVENTH ANNUAL ASIAN HERITAGE AWARDS TO HONOR SAN DIEGO LEGEND TOM HOM
By asianpoliticalforum
Tom Hom, one of San Diego’s most influential Asian Americans, will be honored as this year’s Special Recognition Honoree at the Seventh Annual Asian Heritage Awards on Saturday, July 10, aboard the USS Midway in downtown San Diego.
Hom’s mark on San Diego is everywhere, from the Chinese Historical Museum, to the Gaslamp Quarter and Petco Park. But his most important mark has been on community service as the first Asian elected to the San Diego City Council and the first Asian from San Diego to serve in the California Assembly. Elected official, Realtor and active in his beloved Chinese Community Church, Tom Hom has been an inspiration to many in San Diego for more than a generation.
In addition, the Awards will honor achievement in 14 categories ranging from education to community service. Other categories include art and literature, business enterprise, cultural preservation, entrepreneurship, government, health and medicine, humanitarian outreach, innovation and technology, legal affairs, media, military and performing arts. The July 10 event will also highlight entertainment representative of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese cultures.
Nominees are selected by the community and their names placed on an email ballot that is uploaded to the websites www.asiamediainc.com and www.asianheritageawards.com. Last year, more than 46,000 votes were cast. Special Recognition Honorees in the past have included Ret. Major General Antonio Taguba and State Senator Leland Yee.
Hom ran for San Diego City Council in 1963 and won. Four years later, he was reelected with 87 percent of the vote in what was then a citywide election. To this day, it remains the largest plurality in the city’s history and paved the way for other minorities to run for government offices in San Diego. Elected to the California Assembly in 1968, he increased the number of APIs in the state legislature to three.
The USS Midway is the appropriate venue for this event because of its historical connection to Asia. The carrier began its service off the coast of Japan at the close of World War II and served during the Korean War, as well as Vietnam.
Unforgettable live performances will enhance this gala event attended by movers and shakers in San Diego and Southern California’s Asian community as well as top government officials. For more information, please visit our websites at www.AsiaMediaInc.com and www.AsianHeritageAwards.com , or email editorial@AsiaMediainc.com.
The Asian Heritage Society is dedicated to developing the next generation of Asian American leaders through workshops, its mentorship and pilot projects linking U.S. schools with schools in Asia and in preserving the cultural legacy of San Diego and Southern California’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities through events such as the Asian Heritage Awards.
ASIAN HERITAGE AWARDS Organized By ASIAN HERITAGE SOCIETY A Non-Profit Corporation Corporate No: C2587514 and ASIA, The Journal of Culture & Commerce
Asian Heritage Society 5857 Mission Gorge Road, Suite B San Diego, California 92120 619.521.8008
President: Rosalynn Carmen , Secretary Dr. Binh Tran
Board Members: Buu-Van Rasih, Legacy Chair: Areeluck Parnsoonthorn, Leadership Chair: Gloria Tierney Scholarship Chair:Dr. Otto Lee, Leonard Novarro
Honorary Board Member:Congresswoman Susan Davis
Asian Heritage Awards Honorary Chair: Ron Roberts, San Diego County Supervisor
Last night the House of China won an award from the public's vote in the Asia, Journal of Culture and Commerce Asian Heritage Award program.
The award validates our 74 year history of preserving, promoting and presenting Chinese culture and friendship.
In the mid 1930's and into the 1960's we often stood alone in protecting the rights of Chinese Americans and strived to ensure justice.
As we are on the eve of our 75th birthday n 2010, the House of China will advance Chinese culture and friendship.
July 31,2009
Dear Len and Roz,
Again, thank you very much for hosting Debbie and I during our short stay in San Diego on 24-26 July. The Asian Heritage Society dinner and awards event was truly spectacular! I am deeply grateful to you both for honoring me with a special recognition.
We are very impressed with your civic involvement in the San Diego community. Your leadership in Asia Media and Asian Heritage Society is indicative of your active concerns in having Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders being more assimilated and recognized in the greater San Diego community and beyond. Well done!
Debbie and I truly enjoyed our new association. We wish you and your family the very best. Let's stay in touch please.
Very Sincery
Tony & Debbie
Anthnio M Taguba
Major General, US Army (Retired)
P.S. An awesome weekend with great people like you! Please give our best to your mom and children and grand kids!
Aloha!
Dearest Len & Roz,
Thank you thank you thank you ....
Michael and I had a marvelous time...
You did it again!!!
Next year, I want you both on stage, as award recipients ...
Again, Thanks and have a peaceful Sunday,
Gwen Coronado
www.fengshuisandiego.com
Thanks to you, Len and Roz, and the entire behind-the-scenes team for all of your hard work. I know you worked tirelessly to pull the event together
and it was a lovely evening.
It is always a pleasure and honor to be involved in the Asian Heritage Awards Ceremony!
Kind regards,
Marcella
San Diego, CA – The Asian Business Association, San Diego, received the Business Enterprise Award at the Sixth Annual Asian Heritage Awards. ABA provides a strong voice on business, cultural and political issues of interest to San Diego’s Asian and Pacific Islander community. Over 500 attended this event on Saturday, which was held on the USS Midway. State Senator Leland Yee and San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts served as co-chairs of the event.
Len and Rose,
You did an amazing job hosting the event. It’s my great honor to be one of the awardees. Thanks for putting this event together, and of course in the future I will try my best to contribute to The Asian Heritage Society.
I understand both of you must have worked extremely hard over the last months, so please relax and take some time to yourselves. You deserve it!
All the best
Maria
Dear Asia Media Friends,
It was a superb gala event last Saturday. I heard many elogious comments, especially from Dr. Johnson who sat near our table. Thank you to Len and Rosalyn for the well-planned program from start to end. As I walked up the stairs on the ship, the statement of "Legacy & Legends" caught my eyes right away. Later, I saw the words on the front cover of the program also.
I was glad to see everyone, especially the members with whom we planned to have a monthly friendly get-together after the first meeting in Spring. Now that I have the personal statements from all the nominees, I can find many common interests among our group.
Binh Tran
Presenter of the Health and Medicine Category
Len: You and Rosalynn must be very proud! What a wonderful event you put on Saturday night. Lisa and I really enjoyed being there. I'm sorry you
didn't have a chance to meet my wife of nearly 50 years!
Bob Tarlton
Dear Len and Roselyn,
CONGRATULATIONS on your fantastic Asian Heritage banquet. Mary and I really enjoyed the event and we are so proud of you for what you have accomplished, and hope that you are having a well deserved time off. .
I must thank you again for the Asia Heritage Award
you bestowed on me in 2007. As the only Asian consular representative in San Diego among 25+ consulates and honorary consulates representated here (though Korea, China and Japan have their honorary consuls in Tijuana), I hope to continue to promote your Asian Heritage and Asia publication
efforts.
What you ae doing with the Asian Heritage is tremendous. I believe that in trying to educate future Global Citizens, it is important to give paradigms,
heroes and heroines they can look up to and emulate. I would therefore like to use your Asian Heritage in my Keynote Address as an example of how such
paradigms can be created. your awards to transcend national boundaries in Asia and honor all worthy people regardless of their nationalities creates a
marvelous bonding. I hope, will open the door for
Asia to cotinue to be a part of this event in future.
Let me know if you are interested and if i have your permission to use your work as an example.
Regards,
Michael S. Inoue, Ph.D.
Honorary Consul General of Japan in San Diego
