Karen Fung Yee Q&A
Though she weighed in at less than three pounds at birth, Karen Fung Yee of Bethel Park has been living large. And at under 5 feet tall, she is a real dynamo. With her late husband, Fred, she is the mother of three children: two daughters, Michelle (Tim) and Jacqueline (Michael) and one son, Kenneth (Mai) and grandmother to five. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh where she majored in English and minored in sociology and biology. Before raising her family, her career included stints with the Veterans Administration as secretary to the chief dietitian, Carnegie Mellon University as the secretary for the professor of military science and for the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare as a caseworker for 10 years. Though she always dreamed of being an educator, she is involved in education to this very day. Yee serves on the University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms council and sits on the Chinese Nationality Room committee. A member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Ikebana International and the Ikenobo Society of Pittsburgh, she teaches classes in the ancient floral art form from March through November at the Phipps Garden Center in Shadyside. Since 1990, she has taught courses at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CMU.
Tell us about the origins and history of Ikebana.
Ikebana actually started in China, when monks put fresh flowers on the alter beside Buddha. Japanese who came to study in China took the practice back to their country and elevated it to an art form. In Kyoto, people came in droves to admire arrangements by Master Senkei at the Rokkakudo Temple – 1462 was the first recorded history. Monk Senkei took the name Ikenobo (meaning “pond” and “monk”) and Ikenobo School was the origin of Ikebana (flower arranging). Now there are more than 2000 schools. Because until recently, a woman was not considered educated unless she had mastered flowers art (ikebana) and the tea ceremony in addition to the 3 “Rs – reading ‘riting and ‘rithmetic. In 1956, Ellen Gordon Allen, wife of an American general started Ikebana Int’l in DC and in 1959 a school was started in Pittsburgh, where today there are five schools: Ikenobo, Ichiyo, Sogetsu, Ohara and Keola Kazan.
While you belong to the Asian-American Heritage Committee and belong to the Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, is that how you became interested in and involved in Ikebana?
No. While preparing to build our home, my husband and I took many house tours. In 1965, I admired a fresh floral arrangement and the owner told me it was an Ikebana and that there was a group in Pittsburgh. She took me to the next meeting and I have been ever since even though some years, because I was working at the VA or at our family restaurant, I could only attend two or three meetings.
What do you enjoy most about Ikebana?
It is calming and connects you with nature. You learn to look at plants – how they grow and their beauty. I love working with plants to show their beauty and to make the world a more beautiful place.
Why is it worthwhile?
It teaches you to appreciate and enjoy plants and it teaches you about life. Life is going to end, too. It is my form of relaxing. What I do for myself. When I do this, I just think about flowers and their beauty and put everything else out of my mind. We need to enjoy the beauty of nature and to connect with nature. Too often, we go buy or drive by things and nothing registers. This way, you stop and look at the beauty of flowers and branches and connect with nature.
We are all apart of this. It connects us to our roots. I think today with all the technology we lose that.
Tell us a little bit about the process and arrangements.
Arrangements are usually three lines and it’s all about line, proportion and placement. Everything reaches to the sky, but it must be in balance and proportion. You want each flower to show. Arrangements are usually fresh flowers but this is America, so you can do what you want. In winter, when you can’t have fresh flowers it is okay to use dried or pick up some silk flowers. Just enjoy the beauty of the flowers. A fresh arrangement will last about a month. If you cut flowers under water, they will last a lot longer. One of the main criticisms of the art is it’s too expensive and too difficult. It can be. I have been doing this since 1965 and I am still learning and the holders we use range from $20-$50 and the container itself can run from $50 to $75, so you don’t really try to make money on it or turn it into a business or give them as gifts. I teach people to make their own arrangements so they can enjoy them at home. In reality though, you can use whatever container you want and the holders you use again. As far as materials, you can use your own garden and that makes it affordable. All you need is a pair of clippers, a couple of flowers, container and holder. I collect my own containers and any kind of flower will do. Whatever is beautiful to you. So anyone who loves flowers would really enjoy this.
Obviously you also relish your heritage as your involvement in the Pitt Nationality Rooms indicates. Can you tell us about the origins and your personal ties to the Chinese Room?
The Chinese Room was dedicated Oct 6, 1939. My father was one of the original donors to the room; his cousin, Kwok Ying Fung served as secretary of the committee. Originally, no space was allocated for a Chinese room as Pitt officials felt the number of Chinese in Pittsburgh was too small to raise the $10,000 needed. So students from Pitt, CMU and Carlow/Chatham went to the chancellor to request space, which was granted. The Chinese government had pledged the money, but then war broke out and no funds were forthcoming. The committee then went to the Chinatowns in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. So the room is a gift from the American Chinese to their new homeland. In 1990, the room committee reorganized and asked me to be chair, which I did until a few years ago when terms were limited to two consecutive terms. Since then, I alternate chair and vice-chair duties with Dewi Wong.
What are your thoughts about the Nationality Rooms and their value?
The rooms are one of Pittsburgh’s hidden secrets. They combine culture, beauty and learning as well as collectively symbolize our unity. They are a way of preserving out heritage, increasing empathy, understanding and acceptance of others. Heritage is important to everybody because it explains where we came from and where we are going. For a while in America, we downplayed it. Now it’s come back to individual heritage, but that can be taken too far and pull us apart. But we have a lot in common in our country. It took a lot of different people, culture, abilities and strengths that made USA what it is today.
Why are the Nationality Rooms important, particularly in eliminating prejudices and hate in this world?
There are prejudices but they are not because we are different but because of our own inadequacies, because of people who feel inadequate. The nationality rooms are a way to maintain our link with culture and that enriches us. Anything that increases understanding and cooperation is good because we have enough people trying to mess things up. The more people we can get working together the better, because it’s our world and if we don’t take responsibility to make it better, then, if we have children, it is going to be harder for them. We have to if we are to keep our world. It’s getting smaller and smaller and people are being pushed together so if we don’t work together, then you’ll have an explosion.
Who is your inspiration?
My father, Hoy Fung. He migrated from China in 1920. When he first started out, he was poor and things were difficult, but absolutely, he thought America was a great country. He built a business – The Bellevue Tea Garden – which operated from 1927-1997. When he retired, my brother Vincent and I managed the family restaurant. My father taught us that people are people and that character matters. It doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is or what religion you believe in. My dad never blamed others (for their prejudices), he just felt it was ignorance on the other part. That is why education is so important. In Asia, it is the foundation. It’s more important than what clothes you wear.
Yet, you did not go to college and receive your degree until 1971, six months before your daughter was born.
Because education is really important and it was the Chinese way that the men supported the family, they went to college. I loved school and I asked my dad to send me because I could get scholarships. He felt bad but said no, let the boys go. But after I had a miscarriage, my husband encourage me. He said, ‘go, do it’ because he wanted me to go. There were occasions when I was so busy I had not time to think. I was doubling up on classes. I go my master’s degree and even though I was in my last trimester, my husband and I laughed because we were going to school in Oakland and Magee (Hospital) was right there. Getting my degree was one of my proudest moments.
What are some other proud moments in your life and what do you still have to accomplish in life?
Raising and enjoying healthy children and having contributed to my Pittsburgh community, both Asian and Caucasian, are my proudest accomplishments. What I’d still like to achieve is more understanding, acceptance and cooperation among us.
So does America need to be made great again?
America is a great country. Absolutely, but I think we have moved in a different direction. I think there is always room for improvement. We have a lot of problems but they are solvable if we all work together.
Is global warming one of them?
Absolutely. I took biology in college and there is no question changes in our environment are happening.
Do you have any regrets? Perhaps not becoming a teacher?
I planned on going into education but there were no openings. That’s how I ended up working in the state welfare department, which was a most rewarding job. Just trying to help people. People were having difficulty and the state could help them. That’s important. I think we should try to work with people to help them succeed. We all need help at one time of another. Sure, I think there is a lot of waste (in some government organizations) but basically it is a good program. So, I have no regrets. The path I took was fine. I’m an optimist. I believe that things will all work out. While education is very important, it should never stop. We should try to educate ourselves all the time because we hope to make a better world and preserve it.