Alright, I know the “Alumni We Love” series has mainly focused on women, as there are not nearly as many women “notable alumni” listed at UW as there are men. However, this is not to say that there aren’t tons of bossy males who graduated from UW and made a difference. With this post, I particularily wanted to talk about Wing Luke.
Maybe some of us have had to visit The Wing Luke Museum for class, but did you know who he was? Or that he was a University of Washington alumnus?
Wing Luke was born in China in 1925, and eventually settled in Seattle with his parents at the age of six. His family later opened up a laundry and grocery store in the U District!
Luke went to Roosevelt High School, and was student body president there. After high school, he went on to join the Army, leaving with a bronze star.
After returning, he enrolled in the University of Washington and became an active leader here. He became head of more clubs and organizations some of us have in high school–his sophomore class, the U.W. YMCA, the Baptist Discipline Center, the U.W. Red Cross, U.W. Young Democrats, and the committee chairman of A.S.U.W. Publications. He eventually graduated with his Bachelor’s in political science and public administration.
After his education here, Wing Luke became the first Asian American elected to Seattle City Council. He became a prominent leader for social change in the community, as his biography on the Wing Luke Museum’s website says:
Knowing first hand the effects of racial discrimination, Wing was instrumental in Seattle’s passing of an Open Housing Ordinance in 1963 with punitive provisions against racial discrimination in the selling or renting of real estate. He fought for civil rights, urban renewal and historic preservation.
Tragically, Luke was killed in an airplane accident in 1965 at the young age of 40. Still, his legacy lives on and the Wing Luke Museum continues to educate the public and preserve Northwest Asian American history and culture.
Here is also a video about him, if you’d rather view than read…some great images, I might add!