Gong, Donggeng

In 1938, at the age of sixteen, Don Gong emigrated via boat from Canton, Guandong Province, China to the United States. He disembarked at Vancouver, Canada and then traveled by train to Ellis Island in New York Harbor. Gong later recalled spending his first Christmas in the United States at Ellis Island, but was unsure how many months he remained at the Immigration Detention Center before he was released to his father, who had already settled in the New York City area.

After being approved for entrance into the United States in 1939, Gong traveled with his father and an uncle to Rochester, New York. Although he was sixteen, he was enrolled in fourth grade at School #15, along with other immigrant children, in order to learn the English language and American culture. He managed to learn quickly and by 1942, he had completed his high school education and joined the United States Air Force.

In 1944, after completing radio/radar school, Gong was sent overseas and served in France and Germany until World War II ended. He returned to Rochester in 1945 and joined his father's laundry business, Tom Wu Lan, located at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Broadway. Gong and his brother operated the business at that location until 1968, when the City of Rochester bought out the business, demolished the building, and replaced it with a portion of the Interstate 490 Inner Loop.

Following the closing of the laundry business, Gong opened Lychee Garden, one of only a small number of Chinese restaurants in the city at the time. The business was located at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Alexander Street and operated at the same location from 1968 through 1978. Gong then operated the Imperial Palace Restaurant in the Perinton Hills Mall on Rt. 31 in Fairport from 1978 to 1987. The Imerial Palace was the first Chinese restaurant to serve the eastern side of Monroe County.

From the description of Don Gong collection, 1939-[ca. 1987] (New York State Historical Documents). WorldCat record id: 155424344