Shew Kuhn Lee died of pneumonia May 18 at Sibley Memorial Hospital. He was 84.
Dr. Lee, also known as S.K. and Jimmy, was born in Baltimore and spent most of his youth in Canton, China. After returning to the United States, he eventually settled in the District and attended the old Central High School before being drafted into the Army.
During World War II, he served in the Army's 45th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop as platoon sergeant to 30 men under Gen. George S. Patton, receiving a battlefield commission to second lieutenant by the end of the war. He also served in the European-African-Middle Eastern theater; in campaigns in Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe; and in the Army of Occupation. His awards included the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart.
After the war, Dr. Lee received a GED and attended the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago. In 1949, he graduated, married and returned to Washington. He became the first Chinese-American optometrist in Washington. He retired in 1988.
He also became the first Chinese American to serve on the D.C. board of optometric examiners and was a life member of the D.C. Optometric Society and American Optometric Association.
In 1960, he organized the first Chinese-American (Chi-Am) Lions Club in Washington and became its charter president, zone chairman and deputy district governor.
A decorated Veteran, Dr. Lee was life member of the American Legion, the first Chinese-American commander of the American Legion in Washington. He was the founder of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and trustee for the Lee Association. At its height, the Lee Association held an annual celebration in Chinatown that brought together as many as 1,000 family members and area residents./P>
Dr Lee is survived by his wife of 57 years, Florence Lee of Washington; two sons, Wayson Lee of Washington and Davin Lee of Huntsville, Ala.; a brother, Hay K. Lee of Greenbelt; a sister, Yut Ong Yee of St. Clair Shores, Mich.; and six grandchildren. (Source: Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb, Washington Post, May 24, 2007).