Wayne Hung Wong & Kim Suey Yee Wong Endowed Library Fund

Wayne Hung Wong arrived in Wichita in 1936 at the age of 13. At the time, U.S. laws prevented Chinese immigrants from entering the country legally, forcing many to enter illegally by carrying false papers identifying them as sons of Americans, ‘paper sons.’

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corp and was assigned to the all Chinese-American 987th Signal Operations Company (Special), which served as liaison between American and Chinese Troops. On June 1, 1944, the company left for the China-Burma-India theatre.

Once in the field, the 987th gradually assumed operation of the two U.S. Army headquarters in Southern Yunnan and becoming sole manager and operator of the communication system for the entire region. Additionally, the company furnished services for Recon Patrol that penetrated deep into Japanese occupied Indo-China.

Mr. Wong was awarded the Bronze Star, the Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal, the China War Memorial Ribbon, the WW II Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. Due to his outstanding military service record, he earned his U.S. citizenship in 1964 through the federal government’s amnesty program.

He and his wife, Kim Suey Yee Wong, founded Wong Enterprises Inc., which owns and manages several restaurant and retail businesses.

In 2006, Mr. Wong released his book, American Paper Son, chronicling three decades of his life in America. He created the WSU library fund which supports the acquisition of books and other materials relating to Asian-American history and culture, a testimony to Mr. Wong’s commitment to community.