I cannot believe that the LSCOB New York Chapter has been in existence for over 20 years!  This is a remarkable achievement when I think of our humble beginning.  It all started one afternoon when a certain Father Wong came to see me at my Columbia University office.

I have never been visited by a priest in all my life and I was wondering what he wanted, my money or my soul!  It turned out that he wanted neither (actually he wanted both!) but instead wanted to start a LSCOB New York chapter since he had recently been relocated to a parish in New York’s Chinatown and was feeling rather lonely.  He had already located several old boys, and asked if I would help locate some more.  The first person I thought of was Benny Ng and as John Ng said the rest was history.

We had a dozen or so members in the beginning, from the Greater New York area and New Jersey.  How we have grown since!  There are now members from Connecticut, Washington DC, and Toronto, and the chapter has become US East Coast instead of just New York.  Activities are also mushrooming, with almost weekly gatherings.  I can only envy the camaraderie by reading your emails (which occupy a whole lot of space in my mailbox!) from afar.  These achievements reflect the La Salle spirit and are the result of the hard work of our members, especially John Ng, who with his better half Virginia, are the guiding force in the growth of the Chapter.  No one else has been president as often as John!

I want to take this opportunity to salute all East Coast members for their dedication to La Salle and their ambition to host the next Global La Salle Old Boys’ Conference in 2008.  I wish them all the success in their fundraising and preparation and look forward to a stimulating conference next year.

Stephen Ng

Founding President