SBCC Pagoda Post Newsletter - May 2026 Edition

In this issue:

Upcoming Events/Announcements
- May 9, 2026 - SBCC Board Meeting and General Meeting

News/Past Events
- May 4, 2026 - Calvin Wong passed away
- April 9, 2026 - SBCSC Scholarship Awards Banquet

SBCC Board Meeting & General Meeting

Saturday, May 9, 2026
at Carlton Senior Living Fremont

To all SBCC members, family, and friends:

We will be having a Board meeting at
Carlton Senior Living Fremont
(3800 Walnut Ave., Fremont CA)
on May 9, 2026 at 10:30 am
to be followed by a General Meeting
starting at 11:30 am.

There will be two guest speakers, Judy Deng and Michelle Zhang, at the first 20-30 minutes of the General Meeting. Their organization, Society of Heart's Delight (SHD), is a San José–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to connecting the Chinese heritage community to the broader civic and cultural life of Silicon Valley. They create pathways for immigrants to engage, contribute, and build a shared sense of belonging across communities.

*Lunch will be served after the General Meeting.

It is with heavy heart that we share the news that Calvin Wong, our long-time SBCC member, passed away on May 4 at the age of 96.

Calvin Wong was happy to meet new friends in the East Bay after joining SBCC. He spent most of his early life growing up in China, Alameda and Oakland so he felt like an East Bay person himself. His Fortune Cookie Factory business was in the heart of Oakland’s Chinatown. He particularly enjoyed the Seniors Luncheon and felt the club was clearly insightful in honoring their senior members, and always proudly proclaimed he was the eldest at the luncheons until someone outdid him maybe?? He lived a long active 96 years, and was happy to support SBCC’s scholarship programs annually. He passed to a better life May 4 surrounded by his loving grandchildren.

Gerrye and Calvin Wong were often scholarship sponsors for SBCSC, including our most recent one on April 9, 2026 as shown above. Although Calvin was too ill to attend, Gerrye presented their scholarship award to Xiaoming Liang of Milpitas High School.

Gerrye and Calvin Wong presented their scholarship award to Paul Hoelzel of Mission San Jose High School at the 2025 Scholarship Awards Banquet.

Calvin and Gerrye greeted their old friend, Pausang Wong, a fellow scholarship sponsor, at the 2025 Scholarship Awards Banquet.

Calvin’s favorite time was visiting with great granddaughter Julia.

2026 SBCSC Scholarship Awards Banquet

On Thursday, April 9, 2026, SBCC members, families, and friends honored the 26 high school graduates selected to receive their 2026 scholarships from SBCSC and CIPCF.

This year, 37 scholarships were awarded for a total of $55,500 to 26 graduating seniors in the Fremont, Milpitas, Newark, and Union City areas.

Among the recipients, three students achieved a perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA, and the average GPA was 3.84. They also accumulated over 14,500 community service hours. For the first time, we have three Eagle Scouts among the award recipients.

Emmanuel Chao, a hardware Engineering Manager at NVIDIA, and a former SBCSC Scholarship recipient, addressed the graduates and guests with his “Success Through Boundaries” speech encouraging students to set boundaries maintaining their character, integrity, and fate while seeking successes going forward in college and professional lives. Click HERE to view the full keynote address.

Below are some of the photos taken at the event.

Click HERE to go to the 2026 Scholarship Recap page to learn more about the event and view more photos and videos..

The Class of 2026 with SBCC officers and VIP guests.

A rare moment featuring both the 2026 keynote speaker, Emmanuel Chao (3rd from the left, standing), and next year’s (2027) keynote speaker, Annie Esposito, Chief Assistant District Attorney for Alameda County (4th from the left, sitting).

The signature baked sea bass dish featured at the banquet.

Keynote Speaker Emmanuel Chao addressed the graduates.

Students receiving their certificates of recognition from Kathy Kimberlin, representing Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Raj Salwan, Mayor of the City of Fremont, and Amy Chen, representing Assemblymember Alex Lee.

Amberly Lam of James Logan High School received her certificate of recognition from U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna.

Isabella Zhao of American High School received her “Karl & Frances Ngan Memorial Scholarship for Dedication to Community Service” from Ms. Julie Ngan and the “SBCSC Scholarship for Community Engagement” from Dr. Clifton Der Bing.

Jasmine Li of Mission San Jose High School won the Howard Tom Memorial Scholarship for Top Honor.

DONATE TO THE 2027 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

If you have a “Members in the News” story that you would like to have included in future issues of the Club’s newsletter, please submit it to Joe Woo at sbcc@southbaychineseclub.org.