Our Scholarships

Henry Shue Tom (1906-1988)

Henry registered at U.C. Berkeley in 1924. For Henry and his contemporary Chinese college aspirants, scholarships meant part time school jobs as house boys and full time summer jobs picking fruits in the Central Valley. Even with a degree, they found professional positions often were not opened to them.

Henry always had a social conscience. While a student at Lowell High School, Henry tutored newcomers in English at the True Sunshine Episcopal Church and coached youth in sports at the YMCA. In 1931, Henry began his YMCA career as the boys’ work secretary and by 1939 became the executive director until he retired in 1974. He was engaged in health, education, social service and fraternal activities. He directed the Chinatown United Crusade (now United Way) for some 12 years. He was the Dean of the Lake Tahoe Chinese Christian Youth Conference, served on the Fair Employment and Housing Committee, the Advisory Committee to the Board of Governors of the Community College District, the Senior Community Advisory Council for the Commission on Aging, and the T.B. Association. Henry was a founding member of the Chinatown Optimist Club and a member of Tea Forum and the Paul Revere Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons. He was past president and life member of the Lodge of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and an elder of the Presbyterian Church in Chinatown.

In his career, Henry launched the first High Sierra resident camp in Chinatown. As executive director, he championed group work with friendship clubs as the model to develop youth in moral education and leadership. Henry gave 44 years to service thousands of youths and adults in Chinatown. His legacy is abound.