Sarah Mar 馮竹悅
(The following text is an excerpt from the book Chinese Americans in Irvine 1971-2021)
Sarah Mar, who has settled in Irvine since 1976, has been actively participating in local community activities because of her four children. In addition to being the parent volunteer in both the local elementary and secondary schools, she has served as the vice president of the Parent Teacher Association of Irvine Chinese School, the president of the Pan Pacific Performing Arts Inc., the president of the Chinese American Debutante Guild, and the president of the Irvine Multicultural Association. Throughout the years, Sarah has donated her time and money generously. At the same time, she has learned and grown while promoting ethnic cooperation and cultural exchanges. “My goal,” she said, “ was that the second generation grows up in a multicultural environment and be proud of being a Chinese American. ”
Sarah Mar, who has a master’s degree in pathology from Ohio State University, worked at the UC Irvine Hospital. After her son contracted meningitis as a child, she decided to quit her job. Even as a full-time mom, the transportation and all the after school activities of four school aged children were hectic. So she moved close to the top-rated schools, and immediately connected with the other Chinese mothers to share the burden of car-pooling.
Sarah humbly admitted that she became the president of the Pan Pacific Performing Arts Association mainly because her children were pianists and dancers. Through
them, it was easy to find young performers for a show. When Sarah chaperoned the students to rehearsals and performances, she would remind them to work on their
homework and help each other during waiting time. The parents were relieved to hand her their children.
In 1990, Sarah and a group of like-minded friends launched the first Chinese American Debutante Guild in the United States. It was created to be a fund-raising arm
for the establishment of the Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center. Debutante balls have long been a tradition in high society in Europe - a “coming out” rite of
the daughters with their fathers leading the first dance. In America, these balls are often tied to charitable causes, raising money for community-service projects.
There was a media craze after the first ever Chinese American debutante ball, named “Winter Blossom Ball”. In addition to the Orange County Register and the Los
Angeles Times, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Christian Science Monitor and Asia Weekly all have special coverage. These debs are called “Daughters of American Dream” and they are all high achievers in various universities reflecting the importance of education in Chinese families.
The idea of a Chinese American debutante ball was put forward by Ruth Ding, who has long been a key figure in the community of Orange County. Sarah admitted that no one in the Chinese circle had heard of this ceremony. In order to organize the activities, she went to several such events in Newport Beach, studied the Debutante dress of Jackie Kennedy and learned the facts of this coming-of-age ceremony.
Other than receiving training in etiquette and social dance, the debs and their escorts were also required to do community services, such as serving in the Senior Center.
The glamor and the grandeur of the ball, in fact, was only a part of the ritual.
Since 1990, Sarah has participated in organizing the “Winter Blossom Ball” five times. She is especially proud of the hundreds of young people who participated in the
gala. They have flourished and are successful in different walks of life. Some are doctors, lawyers, and professors, some are entrepreneurs who start their own businesses and some are senior executives who take over the family business.
Sarah often shared stories about tennis star Michael Chang and Olympic skater Tiffany Chin who were both participants at the first Winter Blossom Ball. Carl Chang, who founded the chain restaurant Pieology, was an escort when he was an undergrad in Berkeley, and so was San Gabriel city council member Jason Pu when he was studying at Stanford University.
Later, Sarah convened the graduates from the Irvine Chinese School and the debutantes who participated in Winter Blossom Ball to organize the Second Generation
Association, hoping to gather the power of the next generation of Chinese Americans to exert influence in politics, economy, education and culture.
In 2003, the Irvine City Council held a public hearing for the construction of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center. Seven representatives of The Second Generation
Association took turns addressing the need for the Chinese cultural center. Their speeches from their personal experience deeply moved the city planning committee
members. Despite facing opposition, the city passed the proposal without objection, allowing the construction of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center to progress
smoothly.
In addition to actively nurturing the next generation, Sarah Mar is also the soul of the Irvine Multicultural Association, which combines people of all ethnicities to launch ESL classes, cultural lectures and film appreciation activities in Irvine. In 1998, the Association took the lead in holding Irvine’s first multicultural celebration at the
Lakeview Senior Center and was a model for the future city-sponsored Irvine Global Village Festival. (English translation by Betty Mak)
(Sarah Mar arranged for a performance of traditional Chinese wedding at
the Irvine City Hall 馮竹悅安排在爾灣市推出介紹中式婚禮的節目)
(以下文字摘錄自《爾灣華裔紀實1971-2021》一書第三章藝術文化人篇)
1976 年起定居爾灣的馮竹悅,因為四個子女的緣故,一直積極參與本地社區活動,除了公立中、小學的義工媽媽之外,她曾任爾灣中文學校家長會副會長、泛太平洋演藝協會(Pan Pacific Performing Art Inc.)會長、華裔閨秀及笄禮創會會長及爾灣多元文化協會 (Irvine Multicultural Association)會長等,出錢出力辦公益活動之餘,也不斷學習成長,促進族裔合
作與文化交流,最重要的是,「讓下一代成長在多元文化的環境中,並以身為華裔為榮。」
獲有美國俄亥俄州立大學病理學碩士的馮竹悅, 曾任職爾灣加大附設醫院,因兒子小時候染上腦膜 炎,讓馮竹悅下定決心辭去全職工作,即使如此,四個孩子的接送及安排課外活動也得大費周章,馮竹悅師法孟母三遷,搬到爾灣學區風評最佳的小學及中學旁,努力與華人媽媽們建立互助合作關係,分擔接送孩子的任務。
馮竹悅謙稱,當上泛太平洋演藝協會會長,主要是因為她的小孩會彈鋼琴和跳舞,每次需要節目登台,憑著她的關係,很容易找到一群年輕人參加演出。她率領華裔孩子參加團練或表演,總是提醒他們隨身帶著學校作業,利用空檔把功課做完,遇到不懂的地方,還可順便請教其他團員,所以家長們很放心把孩子交給她。
1990 年馮竹悅和一群志同道合的朋友,推出全美國第一個華裔閨秀及笄禮(Debutante),為創辦亞美老人服務中心籌到第一桶金。及笄禮盛行於歐洲講究傳統的上流社會,父親在正式晚宴中帶女兒跳第一支舞,是名門閨秀走進社交圈的重要儀式,美國的及笄禮也結合公益活動,作為回饋社區之舉。
命名為《歲寒展妍》的華裔閨秀及笄禮,推出後吸引中外媒體大幅報導,除了橙縣紀事報、洛杉磯時報等本地報紙及電視媒體之外,美國國家廣播電視台(NBC)、公共電視台(PBS)、基督教科學箴言報、亞洲週刊等均派專人採訪,這群年輕華裔女孩被稱作「美國夢的女兒」(Daughters of American Dream),多數就讀長春藤名校等級的一流大學,也反映出華裔移民重視教育的理念。
華裔少女及笄禮的構想由活躍於橙縣主流社區的丁鄧雲燕(Ruth Ding)提出,馮竹悅坦承,當初華人圈中沒人聽過及笄禮,為了辦活動,她去新港灘見習多場及笄禮,仔細研究前美國第一夫人 Jackie Kennedy的 Debutante 禮服,幕前幕後了解代表成年儀式的Debutante 來龍去脈。
獲邀參加華裔閨秀及笄禮的少女及護花使者,除了接受禮儀、社交舞的訓練之外,還親身投入亞美老人服務中心的公益活動,外人看到晚宴中青年男女盛裝起舞的華麗場面,其實僅是及笄禮的一部分。
從 1990 年起馮竹悅五度參與籌辦《歲寒展妍》晚會,她特別引以為傲的是,前後數百位參與《歲寒展妍》的華裔青年,都是一時之選,當年青澀的少男少女,現在均已事業有成,在各行各業嶄露頭角,除了醫生、律師、教授之外,還有自行創業的總經理,以及接掌家族企業的高階主管。
最令馮竹悅津津樂道的是,網球明星張德培(Michael Chang) 及 奧 運 溜 冰 選 手 陳 婷 婷(Tiffany Chin),都是首屆《歲寒展妍》晚會座上賓;創辦連鎖餐廳 Pieology 的張君培(Carl Chang)就讀柏克萊加大時,以及聖蓋博市議員卜君毅(Jason Pu)就讀史丹福大學時,也曾應邀擔任護花使者。後來,馮竹悅又召集參加過《歲寒展妍》的華裔及爾灣中文學校畢業生,組織第二代華裔協會(Second Generation Association),希望凝聚下一代華裔的力量,在政治、經濟、教育及文化等各層面發揮影響力。
2003 年爾灣市議會為南海岸中華文化中心建案舉行公聽會,第二代華裔協會推出七位年輕代表輪番上台發言,以他們親身經歷支持建立中華文化中心,令市府都市計畫委員們深受感動,儘管面臨反對聲音,仍無異議通過建案,讓興建南海岸中華文化中心的工程得以順利進展。
除了積極培育下一代之外,馮竹悅也是爾灣多元文化協會的靈魂人物,該會結合各族裔人士,在爾灣市推出英語班、文化講座及電影欣賞等活動。1998 年該會率先在湖景老人活動中心舉辦爾灣市第一個多元文化慶祝活動,後來爾灣市政府主辦的地球村節慶(Irvine Global Village Festival)就是由此衍生而來。(蕭迪玉撰文)