Betty Jean had 88 years of friendships in Oregon and beyond. She passed away Monday, Dec 19th peacefully.  She lived a life of community service. She will be greatly missed by her many friends in the Alliance family and will be remembered for her generosity, intelligence, and tenacious spirit.

Betty, a mentor to many in the Portland community, was recently interviewed by Alex Chiu for his Portland Community Portraits, an artist in residence project for the Portland Chinatown Museum. In which he wrote,

"She let me know that her proudest accomplishment was working with Safeway to develop Chinese Delis. She helped to set up these Delis. These delis helped to employ Chinese restaurant workers who could receive benefits from the business corporation.  

She credits her good relationship with the Chinese Community to her father, who established a good relationship with the community early on. Her father helped non-English speakers in this country.  She encourages the Chinese community to speak out and participate in the voting process.
 

“We’ve been raised to always be quiet and not make a fuss. 
That needs to change. 
We need to use our voice and be heard.”"

Similar to what Alex learned from the interview, Betty Jean made her mark of speaking up for the Chinese community in many ways including being a founding board member of the Lan Su Chinese Garden and led the efforts in presenting a plague to the City of Portland marking the original Chinatown which now stands in front of the Pine Street Market on SW 2nd Ave.  She has also been passionate about registering new Asian American citizens to vote and helping them understand key issues on the ballot.

Those who know her well within the national Alliance family remember her fondly.  Past National President, Carolyn Chan shares, “She was a stalwart leader of the Portland Lodge and the community.  We will miss her and send our condolences to her family.”  And Past National President, Munson Kwok remarks,  “Betty Jean Lee was one of the stalwarts of Portland Lodge and as their representative was one of the longest tenured folks for Portland and herself in our National, nee Grand Lodge, family for more than three decades.   She was my go-to person for Portland matters when I couldn’t find anyone else available.  She was also the holder of corporate memory for Portland Chinatown and its history and was so involved in its continuity to the present day.  She was key from the inception of Portland Lodge’s fiscal arrangement with the National CACA Community Involvement Fund for fundraising.  Personally I will miss her for her dedication, wisdom, and above all, her friendship. “  Melanie Chan, National President echos, “Betty Jean was an indomitable champion for  Portland’s  Chinese community, as a member of C.A.C.A., her passion and dedication to advocacy and preservation was an inspiration to us all. It was an honor and privilege to know her and she will be greatly missed. “

Fred G. Lee, Betty’s late husband was the inspiration for her interest and leadership in C.A.C.A. Portland Lodge. After his untimely passing in 1979, Betty became very active in both C.A.C.A. and the Asian community to advocate for civil rights for all, as well as for seniors in the Asian community.

“We will miss Betty dearly.  She has been the stronghold for the Portland Lodge. Her example of service and giving spirit will always be an inspiration to all of us.” says Portland Lodge President and National Executive Vice President, Helen Ying.

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