In the Field: Photo Blog by Richard Wong

Photography field reports by Richard Wong. Richard’s work has been published in magazines, books, advertising, and offers fine art prints of his work. Images may be licensed as rights-managed stock photos by contacting Richard directly at Richard@rwongphoto.com or (626) 422-6151. California stock photography, fine art prints, photo blog: www.rwongphoto.com

Time to Say Goodbye

Posted on | August 14, 2011 | Comments Off

Herbert, Aunt Sau and Uncle Kwock at Sears Tower, Chicago, Illinois

Herbert, Aunt Sau and Uncle Kwock at Sears Tower, Chicago, Illinois - August 2001

I’ve been in a reflective mood for the past several days as I helped create a multimedia slide show for Uncle Kwock’s funeral which took place yesterday at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. I probably should have shared these thoughts with the family yesterday but it didn’t become clear to me what to write until after going through the services.

My uncle was about twenty years older than the rest of my aunts and uncles so he came from a different generation than from the one I was raised with. Though he was my dad’s brother, he had some similarities with my grandfather on my mom’s side; given that they were raised in China without running water and came to this country with nothing but worked incredibly hard for many years (It was said that he worked 14 hour days, 7 days a week for 40 years) to raise their family to make sure the kids had a better life than the one they came from. People that were born in the U.S. rarely develop the same work ethic as what my uncle and grandfather had because they didn’t have the same hardships growing up. Uncle Kwock was also a chef in the US Navy during the Korean War prior to starting his businesses.

What I want to remember him by though is not how much he worked but his desire to see the world. That was the thing I had in common with him so I enjoyed listening to the stories he told of his travels in the Navy, then later Panama Canal and China. I had the pleasure of traveling with him on one occasion. It was exactly ten years ago to this date when he, my Aunt Sau, Cousins Herbert & Daniel and I drove out to Iowa together. Daniel was about to start medical school at the University of Iowa so the rest of us went on to explore St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago and Omaha together after helping him move in. It was an amazing experience. That trip basically set me on my path to eventually become a travel photographer. I take photos because I want to see the world just like Uncle Kwock did.

Category: Chicago, Illinois
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