Remarks given by Dr KC Fu at the dedication ceremony of the Sy Mah memorial statue, Olander Park, Sylvania OH, September 13, 2002

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Ladies and Gentlemen:

My name is K. C. Fu. On behalf of the Chinese Association of Greater Toledo, I would like to say a few words about the connections between Sy Mah and our Association. Sy joined our Association in the 1970s; he was a long time member. The first memorable event comes into my mind is that I asked Sy to write down his Chinese name for our Directory some 20 years ago. As you know, Sy was born in Canada to a Chinese immigrant family. English was his native language. The standard Chinese language, Mandarin, was as foreign to him as French or Russian, yet he wrote down his quite complicated Chinese name without hesitation. It was based on his writing recorded in the 1983 Chinese Association Directory; the plaque of his name in the front of the statue was created.

The second event I recall is that of Sy as our Program Director. The Chinese Association often had outdoor activities including Summer Outings, Picnics and Camping Trips. He organized us to play group games such as Tug of War, Passing the Ball, Musical Chair, et cetera. But his most favorite game was, of course, the long distance running. As you probably know the goal of the Chinese Association is serving the Toledo Community. But the nature of the Association has been and is a social club. Whenever the members gathered, they liked to talk, not run. So it became a challenge to Sy Mah, how to make these talkers become runners. His method was using his own money to buy ribbons and T-shirts to award the ones who ran through the course, no matter if you ran fast or slow. Because of his encouragement, most of us completed the course and felt proud to receive a ribbon pinned on us by Sy Mah.

Today I respectfully view Sy Mah’s statue; it does capture his likeness. More important is that the statue has captured and immortalized not only his spirit in long distance running, but also his spirit in serving the people. The Association has been very proud to have had such a great man as our member and as one of our leaders. He used his unique way to illustrate and to elevate the goal of the Chinese Association. Thank you.