Fong, Lilly, 1925-2002

Lilly Fong was born Lilly Ong Hing in Arizona on June 17, 1925, and was the first woman and first Asian-American member of the University and Community College System of Nevada (UCCSN), now known as the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents. Fong was the first in her Chinese-American family to attend college, completing coursework at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and Woodbury College in Los Angeles, California. Fong married Las Vegas, Nevada businessman Wing Fong and moved to Las Vegas in 1950. She worked as a teacher at the Fifth Street Elementary and West Charleston Schools and was the first Asian-American teacher hired by the Clark County School District. In addition to education, Fong worked with her husband operating the restaurant Fong's Garden, developed real estate in the Las Vegas Valley, and raised two children, a son and a daughter. Fong was an advocate for education throughout her life and was an active benefactor of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the Community College of Southern Nevada from the 1960s through the 1990s. Fong also supported the Las Vegas branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

In 1974, Lilly Fong was elected a Regent for the UCCSN and held the position until 1985. During her time on the Board, Fong established an endowment (donating the entirety of her Regent's stipend) for the first Chinese Language Program at UNLV. Fong's previous experience as a fundraiser and philanthropist helped the UCCSN identify more funds and further develop higher education in the state of Nevada. The Board of Regents designated Lilly Fong as a Distinguished Nevadan for Southern Nevada in 1998 for her public service, philanthropy, and dedication to learning and higher education. The geoscience building on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus is named for her. Fong died on March 20, 2002.

Sources:

Kenneth W. Fong oral history interview, 2014 February 22. OH-00593. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lilly Fong oral history interview, 1980 February 29. OH-00594. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dorothy Bokelmann, "Lilly Hing Fong." Nevada Women's History Project. March 2008, https://www.nevadawomen.org/research-center/biographies-alphabetical/lilly-hing-fong/