Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
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Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung
The Legacy Walk
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
1. Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung Marker
Inscription.
Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung. The Legacy Walk.
Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung (Chinese-American Physician) (1889 - 1959), . Born in Santa Barbara, California, Dr. Chung was the first known American-born Chinese woman to become a physician. After completing her internship and residency in Chicago and Kankakee, Illinois, she established one of the first Western medical clinics in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1920s. Chung achieved fame during the 1930s and 40s for her patriotic activities on behalf of China and the United States. Known as “Mom Chung,” she “adopted” over a thousand U.S. troops – dubbed the “Fair-Haired Bastards” – who pledged their fealty for her commitment to their well-being. Renowned for her hospitality and generosity, she sent care packages to the troops and hosted weekly Sunday suppers in her modestly-sized home in San Francisco where regular soldiers mingled with the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Tennessee Williams, Helen Hayes, and Tallulah Bankhead, along with politicians, and the military’s top brass – all bound to each other through their mutual affection for Chung and their common dedication to the Allied Cause. Chung used her considerable war-time celebrity to lobby for the creation of the WAVES – the U.S. women's naval reserve – but was never given public credit for the achievement nor was she permitted to join the WAVES, due to age, race, and suspected lesbianism. Described as a serious, commanding, almost regal person, Chung nevertheless had a bawdy sense of humor. Reinventing herself at will, she routinely flouted convention by adopting both hyper-masculine and Hollywood glamour personas, while also managing to guard her privacy in spite of her intimate relationships with lesbian poetess Elsa Gidlow and entertainer Sophie Tucker. A larger-than-life personality to the end, when Margaret Chung died in 1959 her pallbearers included Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, famed conductor Andre Kostelanetz and San Francisco Mayor George Christopher. Few civilian patriots have ever again achieved the level of celebrity and influence that was accorded to Dr. Margaret Chung.,
Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung
(Chinese-American Physician)
(1889 - 1959)
Born in Santa Barbara, California, Dr. Chung was the first known American-born Chinese woman to become a physician. After completing her internship and residency in Chicago and Kankakee, Illinois, she established one of the first Western medical clinics in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1920s. Chung achieved fame during the 1930s and 40s for her patriotic activities on behalf of China and the United States. Known as “Mom Chung,” she “adopted” over a thousand U.S. troops – dubbed the “Fair-Haired Bastards” – who pledged their fealty for her commitment to their well-being. Renowned for her hospitality and generosity, she sent care packages to the troops and hosted weekly Sunday suppers in her modestly-sized home in San Francisco where regular soldiers mingled with the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Tennessee Williams, Helen Hayes, and Tallulah Bankhead, along with politicians, and the military’s top brass – all bound to each other through their mutual affection for Chung and their common dedication to the Allied Cause. Chung used her considerable war-time celebrity to lobby for the creation of the WAVES – the U.S. women's naval reserve – but was never given public credit for the achievement nor was she permitted to
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join the WAVES, due to age, race, and suspected lesbianism. Described as a serious, commanding, almost regal person, Chung nevertheless had a bawdy sense of humor. Reinventing herself at will, she routinely flouted convention by adopting both hyper-masculine and Hollywood glamour personas, while also managing to guard her privacy in spite of her intimate relationships with lesbian poetess Elsa Gidlow and entertainer Sophie Tucker. A larger-than-life personality to the end, when Margaret Chung died in 1959 her pallbearers included Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, famed conductor Andre Kostelanetz and San Francisco Mayor George Christopher. Few civilian patriots have ever again achieved the level of celebrity and influence that was accorded to Dr. Margaret Chung.
Erected 2012 by The Legacy Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Science & Medicine • Women. In addition, it is included in the The Legacy Walk series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 41° 56.652′ N, 87° 38.969′ W. Marker was in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It was in Lake View East. Marker was on North Halsted Street
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
2. Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung Marker - wide view
The marker is visible here mounted to the rainbow pylon that it shares with the marker for Babe Zaharias.
, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 3418 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America.
We have been informed that this sign or monument is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Kee Coleman (courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library), circa 1930
3. Portrait of Dr. Margaret J. Chung (marker photo source)
"Portrait of Dr. Margaret J. Chung, the first Chinese American woman physician in Southern California. She graduated from the University of Southern California and worked for the State of Illinois beginning in 1917." - Los Angeles Public Library
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 341 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on October 31, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
