• Quick Links
• Main Page
• Stories Start Page
• User Feedback Page
• Maxwell Museum

Personal Stories: The New Mexico Connection

The Jeung Family in New Mexico

Cerarmic Budai owned by the Jeung family. Budai's Chinese nickname is the Laughing Buddha, but he is not to be confused with Gautama Buddha.

Mr. Ed Jeung writes:

I am happy to relate the story of my family and our history here in New Mexico and Albuquerque. We have maintained a presence in New Mexico for almost one hundred years and our family is proudly a part of America's "melting pot" of immigrants who came to the land of opportunity for a better life.

Our family's journey to New Mexico started with my grandfather, Edward Gaw. He was born in China October 12, 1889. He came to the United States at the age of 14 and settled, as many Chinese immigrants did, in San Francisco. He survived the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, which prompted him to leave San Francisco for a better life and business opportunities. He moved to Phoenix, Arizona, then Lordsburg, New Mexico before he decided that Albuquerque was the place to put down roots.

Edward founded a specialty food store in Albuquerque in 1918 and this store had in its early years three downtown locations. The last downtown location was on Central Avenue next to the El Rey theatre. The store was named after frontier pioneer, military officer, explorer, and politician John C. Fremont. My grandfather thought that the name would be more recognizable to the local population, which would be good for business. During its downtown existence the store gained a loyal clientele due to its proximity to the Albuquerque Country Club. The store was ahead of its time in offering delicacies from around the world, such as Swiss chocolates, Russian caviar, and exotic liquors.

Edward married Kimthin Gaw in China in 1916. He traveled back and forth between the U.S. and China and had two children. His family stayed in China while Edward ran his successful Albuquerque business. His children took the English names of Alice and Gene. My mother, Alice, was raised in what was considered an upper class environment in southern China. She attended a Catholic finishing school near Shanghai. When World War II broke out, Kimthin and Alice fled to the interior of China to escape the brutal Japanese occupation.

My father was born in China in the village of Muikok on January 15, 1913. His Chinese name was Jiang Gun Ly but he later took the name of James (Jimmy) Bokdow Jeung when he came to America. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 15 and was processed at Ellis Island along with immigrants from all over the world. Jimmy worked in a laundry and then eventually opened his own laundry in New York City. When World War II engulfed the country in the global conflict, Jimmy joined the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of staff sergeant in the Army Air Corps and then in the Signal Corps. He was stationed in Burma as part of the U.S. support of the Burma Campaign against the Japanese Imperial Army.

The Second World War played an important role in my family's journey to New Mexico. Right after the war ended, Jimmy was sent to Shanghai, China. While he was there he attended a party with an army buddy and met Alice, his future bride. After a whirlwind courtship they were married on June 29, 1946. Jimmy was discharged from the U.S. Army and he and his new bride, Alice, traveled to the U.S. where they settled in New York City. But their stay was short, as Edward convinced the newlyweds to venture to Albuquerque and join him in running Fremont's. My parents arrived in their new state in January 1947. Jimmy went to work and gained a small ownership share in Fremont's. Over the next six years Alice proceeded to give birth to five children. In 1956 Jimmy and Alice needed more space so they moved to a three-bedroom house in the southeast part of town, where they lived for twenty years.

As often happens in families, disputes arose regarding the business and my father had to leave Fremont's. Being the entrepreneurial type, he decided to open a restaurant and bought the China Kitchen from a Chinese family that had also resided in Albuquerque for many years. Jimmy renamed the restaurant "The Chinese Garden Restaurant," which opened for business in 1958. For the next 18 years, my mother and father served customers in the Nob Hill district and built a devoted clientele who feasted on Chinese-American dishes such as sweet and sour pork and chicken chow mein. Mom and Dad were at work most of the day but were able to instill a sense of responsibility and a work ethic in us, along with the moral standards that we have today. We all finished our primary and secondary educations with high grades and then attended the University of New Mexico or the University California, where we garnered bachelors' and postgraduate degrees.

The Jeung family about 1950. One child was yet to be born. Edward Gaw is standing;
his wife joined him in the U.S. after this photo was taken.

My parents operated the restaurant until 1976, when they decided to retire, and subsequently they moved to San Francisco. My grandmother passed away in 1974 so Edward moved to San Francisco with my parents. He died there in 1978 but is interred in Albuquerque.

While they lived in New Mexico, Jimmy and Alice were active in the growing Asian community. My father was instrumental in the founding of the local chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, a group that promotes Chinese-American civil rights and offers a venue for social gatherings. My parents continued their community involvement while they lived in San Francisco, being active in various groups and family associations. My father passed away in 1991 and my mother left us in November 2014. My parents held dear to their hearts their friends from New Mexico and cherished the time they lived here.

I remain the sole Jeung family New Mexico resident. My siblings have scattered across the country. As a result of my parents' efforts, we have enjoyed professional careers that include finance, education, engineering, labor rights, and health care. We remain New Mexicans in heart and spirit, something that we will never relinquish.

Here are two additional photos from the Jeung family album.

The interior of Fremont's in its early days. Ed Jeung's father Jimmy is at the far right.

The Jeung family at Alice's 85th birthday celebration