Irvin R. Lai was 83
Irvin R. Lai, a revered Chinese American community leader in Los Angeles, died July 16 at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center from complications of pneumonia. He was 83.
Born in 1927 on a farm outside Locke, the historic Chinese settlement in the Sacramento River delta, Lai was a third-generation Chinese American who moved to Los Angeles in his teens, served in the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War, went to college on the GI Bill and eventually worked in the family's restaurant, refrigeration and construction businesses.
As an active promoter of Chinese culture, history and civil rights, Lai took on numerous leadership positions, including national president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, head of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, commissioner of the Asian American Education Commission and director of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
One of his most prominent battles was seeking justice in the 1982 beating death of Vincent Chin in Detroit who was a Chinese American killed by two white men who had mistaken him as being Japanese.
During his decades with the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, where he wore many hats including chairman of the board, Lai helped preserve and restore the oldest structure built by the Chinese in Los Angeles, an 1888 burial shrine at Evergreen Cemetery.
One of Lai's proudest accomplishments was the Chinese roast duck bill of 1982. Chinese restaurateurs were forced to toss their roast Peking ducks because the preparation involves hanging and drying the meat at room temperature for several hours, a tradition that violated health codes. When officials threatened to remove the Chinese delicacy from L.A.'s Chinese restaurants, Lai spearheaded the effort to prove them wrong. His impassioned testimony before the state Legislature helped win the health code exemption that ensured the longevity of the popular dish in America.
Lai is survived by a son, Lawrence; five daughters, Arlene Lowe, Corinne Gill, Irene Jong, Kathleen Lih and Pauline Yau; a brother, Collin; a sister, Mildred Wong; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. His wife, Jessie, died in 1984. (Source: Ching-Ching Ni, Los Angeles Times, Jul 25, 2010).