Louis Lee was born in 1921 to Chinese parents living in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was one of 13 children* and became multi-lingual while working at the family grocery store in Chinatown. His language skills came in handy later on, when he got a job as a Pan Am customer service representative.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Louis and his wife Lucille had a total of eight children, six boys and two girls. I don’t know the birth order, so I’ll list their names alphabetically:
- Dean
- Licius
- Louann
- Maycevene
- Philmund
- Rytwin
- Taoward
- Worldster (who became an ophthalmologist)
Here are the name explanations I’ve found so far: Maycevene was born on May 7th (1946), Rytwin’s name was based on the phrase “right will win,” Taoward’s name was based on the phrase “going toward a goal,” and Worldster was born in late 1943 when the book One World by Wendell Willkie was popular.
*Louis’s siblings were named Anna, Daisy, Edith, Elizabeth, Elsie, Grace, James, Joseph, Lillian, Pansy, Violet, and William.
Sources:
- Louis H. T. Lee Obituary
- “Obituaries.” Honolulu Star-Bulletin 4 Apr. 2004.
- “What’s in a Name, Hmm?” Honolulu Advertiser 13 Feb. 1961: 15.
Image: Adapted from the cover of One World
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