LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Years ago, a young Asian couple moved to Louisville to pursue new opportunities. Now, we are learning of their impact.
Calvin Lang and Helen Fay Lew met in the 1940s in New York City, and they married in 1949.
"Helen's family was from Canton, which eventually became Guangzhou, China and Calvin's family was from the southeast China," Emma Bryan, the community engagement specialist with the Filson Historical Society, said.
With their four children, Calvin and Helen came to Louisville in the 1950s after Calvin got a job at the University of Louisville in their biomedical program.
“He did found the program,” Bryan said. “And he was really interested in studying aging, how we age over time, and he studied mice and mosquitoes to study how we age.”
She said Helen donated a collection of their lives in the 2000s.
“She passed away in 2017, and we got the rest of the materials then," Bryan said. Calvin had passed away in 2008.
Bryan got out six of those boxes, full of photos and manuscripts written in both English and Chinese, chronicling Calvin's scientific research and Helen's journey of founding the Asia Institute Crane House. They even have their genealogical records.
"She founded the Crane House in 1987,” Bryan said. “And she was really interested in promoting and celebrating Chinese culture in Kentucky."
Joel Buno of the Asia Institute Crane House went into more detail about the immeasurable contributions the couple made to the community and the rich history of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI).
“What our neighbors at the Filson have done is receive a collection of the Lang family and showcase the work they have done,” Buno said. “Calvin Lang, Helen Lang's husband, was a professor at the University of Louisville and contributed a lot to the University of Louisville. Helen Lang, through their contribution, started the Asian Studies program at the University of Louisville which still exists to today.”
The Filson is working to catalog the precious memories, including translating their diaries and research. The Lang's documentation is so detailed that you can literally take a journey back in history through their eyes and stories.
Bryan encouraged others to keep as detailed of notes about their history.
“We want to empower folks to do that,” she said. “Because you're right, you are the best historian of your story.”
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