About Faith C. Ai
and
George Hu Wong
About Faith C. Ai
(1915-1997)
Faith C. Ai
Faith, who attended Hawaii’s public schools and the University of Hawaii, had a long and distinguished career as a teacher, administrator, and community volunteer. She made significant contributions to public education in Hawaii through her work as an elementary school teacher in Special Education; as the Vice-Principal at two Oahu elementary schools; and from 1964 until her retirement in 1980, as the Principal of Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Honolulu. “Lincoln Elementary" developed a reputation for having outstanding teachers; offering enriching extracurricular activities; and attending to the individual needs of each child.
Faith had a straightforward manner, a sense of humor, and an appreciation for creativity. She traveled extensively and considered travel to be the best type of “continuing education.” Upon her retirement, she became an enthusiastic and tireless volunteer in the community to which, with gratitude, she wanted to “give back.”
It was at the Hawaii Education Association (HEA) that Faith especially enjoyed volunteer activities and served as a member of the HEA Board. There she developed a warm friendship with its then Executive Director, Carol Yoneshige, whose abilities, work ethic, and generous nature she appreciated. In 1997, the year Faith passed away, it was thanks to Carol’s efforts that Cynthia Ai and Dr. Ronald Embry (Faith’s daughter and son-in-law) were able to establish and award the first scholarships which were for the benefit of undergraduate students majoring in Education. Subsequently, larger scholarships were added to provide for education majors who are about to spend a semester as “student teachers.” Between 1997 and 2011, 45 scholarships in Faith’s memory were awarded through the HEA.
In 2012, Cynthia and Ron established an endowment at the East-West Center in Honolulu (Cynthia‘s alma mater) to support fellowships for graduate students from the United States, Asia, and the Pacific. Since its inception, and as of 2024, 70 scholarships “in honor of Faith C. Ai” have been awarded at the East–West Center. This constitutes a second type of award created in memory of Faith.
Thanks to the generosity of George Hu Wong of San Francisco, a third type of scholarship was created. The Faith C. Ai Memorial Scholarship Fund, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation, was established for the benefit of undergraduates majoring in Education; for graduate students in any major so long they intend to teach; and for active in-service certified teachers who are pursuing graduated degrees. Since its inception in 2013, 116 scholarships of this type have been awarded.
Finally, due to the invaluable assistance of Ms. Laurie Togami, Executive Director of HEA, a fourth type of scholarship has been created. The “HEA Carol Yoneshige Scholarship” has been established at the HEA to honor Carol’s dedication to the HEA, its goals, and her friendship with Faith C. Ai.
Since 1997, and as of 2024, a total of 232 current and future teachers from around the world have received scholarships in memory of Faith C. Ai. The recipients of four (4) different types of awards come from the United States, Asia, the Pacific, and South America. During their careers as educators, they touch the lives of thousands of students. Should some of them be inspired to become teachers themselves, we will be achieving our goal of “helping teachers attain excellence as educators.”
About George Hu Wong
1921-2011
George Hu Wong
George was born in China in 1921, and at the age of nine, he and his father immigrated to San Francisco, California. Despite poverty and other hardships, George’s intelligence, work-ethic, and excellence in mathematics and sciences were recognized by his teachers; he graduated from a high school in San Francisco renown for those subjects. George’s interests were varied and even included becoming the editor of the school yearbook.
After high school, George was drafted into the United States Army. As a soldier in World War II, he served as an interpreter in China, India, and the United States. He received an honorable discharge, and then George enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley where the “G.I. Bill” provided financial help with his tuition. He also had several part-time jobs in San Francisco’s Chinatown to support himself and his father.
One of his jobs was at “Dresswell,” a popular men’s clothing store on Grant Avenue. The owner of the store was Andrew Sue, the husband of Fatih C. Ai’s best friend, Mary Sue.
Thus, Faith and George met and eventually became life-long friends. George also became “Uncle George” to Faith’s daughter, Cynthia, whom he babysat when Faith took advanced education classes during several summers in San Francisco.
George became a Certified Public Accountant and, in that capacity, was the first CPA of Asian descent to be employed by an international oil company. He specialized in audits and was given major assignments abroad which took him to many European countries. Along the way, George developed an appreciation for French and Italian cuisines, wines, and opera. He was also fond of smooth cognacs and aromatic cigars.
During the ensuing six (6) decades, George and Cynthia maintained a close relationship which came to include Cynthia’s husband, Dr. Ronald Embry, an Interventional Radiologist who took care of George for over three (3) decades. George expressed his wish to honor Faith’s memory with an additional scholarship for teachers. Thanks to his generosity, the Faith C. Ai Memorial Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, was established for the benefit of undergraduate students majoring in Education; graduate students in any major so long as they intend to teach; and active in-service certified teaches pursuing graduated degrees. Since it’s inception in 2013, and as of 2024, 116 of this type of scholarship have been awarded.
Despite experiencing a cerebral aneurysm at the age of 52, which resulted in the paralysis of his left side, George continued to work and enjoyed a happy and productive life. Ron and Cynthia cared for George throughout the years and were with him when he passed away peacfully at the age of 90.