Cathy Bao Bean
Encyclopedia
Cathy Bao Bean, a writer and educator, is the author of The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual (We Press, 2002). She lives in Blairstown, New Jersey, with her husband, artist Bennett Bean
.
The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, a humorous but poignant memoir, recounts Bao Bean's experiences as a Chinese immigrant growing up in the United States. Bao Bean uses the story of her own immigrant experience to explain how to reconcile the expectations of families and society at large. She also explains how to raise a child in a respectful context while also choosing the “path less traveled.”
Bao Bean was born Bao Kwei-yee in Guilin
, China
, on August 27, 1942, to Sandys and Dora Bao. Her father, Sandys Bao, represented the Republic of China at the International Sugar Council of the United Nations; he also served as Vice President of the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. Cathy Bao Bean has two sisters, Bette Bao Lord
and Jean Bao.
When Bao Bean's father was sent to New York for a temporary assignment in 1946, he insisted on his family accompanying him. Her mother, however, thought that only the eldest, eight-year-old Bette, would benefit from the trip. When four-year-old Cathy heard of the plans, she packed her doll suitcase and parked in front of the door until her mother relented. The baby of the family, Jean, was left behind in the care of relatives to spare her the ordeal of travel.
When Mao’s “bamboo curtain” fell in 1949, the four Baos remained in the United States and the youngest finally joined them in 1962. (Bao Bean's older sister, Bette Bao Lord has recounted the youngest sister's story in the book Eighth Moon).
Bao Bean's first taste of the American educational system was at Public School #8 in Brooklyn, New York. When Bao Bean started school she could speak no English. By 1949, when the Bao family moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey
, Bao Bean started "to think in English and forget in Chinese", as she notes in The Chopsticks-Fork Principle. The family finally settled in Teaneck, New Jersey
, where she attended Teaneck High School
.
Bao Bean received her B.A. in 1964 from Jackson College of Tufts University
and her M.A. from Claremont Graduate College, Claremont, California
in 1969. She was also awarded a Kent Fellowship, from the Danforth Foundation
, 1965–67 and 1971-72.
Bao Bean taught philosophy at Montclair State College, Upper Montclair, New Jersey
and at East Stroudsburg University, Pennsylvania in the 1980s and early 1990s. From 1968 to 1971, she taught at Jersey City State College
.
More recently, she has led diversity workshops and spoken on a wide range of issues at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Following the publication of The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, Bao Bean was featured on The Point with Mindy Todd, NPR Cape Cod; The Smoki Bacon Show, Boston; Under the Radar with Ron Saxon NPR NJ & PA; Many Voices, Many Visions, 13WHAM-TV Rochester. She was also interviewed on CNN, WYPL radio, as well as on NBC, ABC and Fox television affiliates.
Bao Bean is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Claremont Graduate University
School of the Arts and Humanities; the Board of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities; and a member of The Star-Ledger Scholarship Committee. She is president of the Society for Values in Higher Education
and a founding member of the Ridge and Valley Conservancy.
Bao Bean is the business manager and accountant for artist Bennett Bean. In addition, she teaches aerobics as a service to the Frelinghuysen Township Recreation Committee, New Jersey.
Bao Bean and her husband Bennett Bean have a son, William Bao Bean.
Bennett Bean
Bennett Bean is an American ceramic artist. Although commonly described as a studio potter, some would characterize him as a sculptor and painter who works primarily in studio pottery.Bean resides in Blairstown, New Jersey....
.
The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, a humorous but poignant memoir, recounts Bao Bean's experiences as a Chinese immigrant growing up in the United States. Bao Bean uses the story of her own immigrant experience to explain how to reconcile the expectations of families and society at large. She also explains how to raise a child in a respectful context while also choosing the “path less traveled.”
Bao Bean was born Bao Kwei-yee in Guilin
Guilin
Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, on August 27, 1942, to Sandys and Dora Bao. Her father, Sandys Bao, represented the Republic of China at the International Sugar Council of the United Nations; he also served as Vice President of the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. Cathy Bao Bean has two sisters, Bette Bao Lord
Bette Bao Lord
Bette Bao Lord is a Chinese American writer and civic activist for human rights and democracy.-Biography:She was born in Shanghi, China. With her mother and father, Dora and Sandys Bao, she came to the United States at the age of eight when her father, a British-trained engineer, was sent there...
and Jean Bao.
When Bao Bean's father was sent to New York for a temporary assignment in 1946, he insisted on his family accompanying him. Her mother, however, thought that only the eldest, eight-year-old Bette, would benefit from the trip. When four-year-old Cathy heard of the plans, she packed her doll suitcase and parked in front of the door until her mother relented. The baby of the family, Jean, was left behind in the care of relatives to spare her the ordeal of travel.
When Mao’s “bamboo curtain” fell in 1949, the four Baos remained in the United States and the youngest finally joined them in 1962. (Bao Bean's older sister, Bette Bao Lord has recounted the youngest sister's story in the book Eighth Moon).
Bao Bean's first taste of the American educational system was at Public School #8 in Brooklyn, New York. When Bao Bean started school she could speak no English. By 1949, when the Bao family moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey
Elmwood Park, New Jersey
Elmwood Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 19,403....
, Bao Bean started "to think in English and forget in Chinese", as she notes in The Chopsticks-Fork Principle. The family finally settled in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, where she attended Teaneck High School
Teaneck High School
Teaneck High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school, which is part of the Teaneck Public Schools district in Teaneck, New Jersey, United States...
.
Bao Bean received her B.A. in 1964 from Jackson College of Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
and her M.A. from Claremont Graduate College, Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
in 1969. She was also awarded a Kent Fellowship, from the Danforth Foundation
Danforth Foundation
Danforth Foundation is one of the largest private non-for profit foundations in the St. Louis Metropolitan region. The foundation has 1.5 billion USD in assets as of 2003. Established in 1927 by Ralston Purina founder William H. Danforth and his wife, the Danforth Foundation grants funds...
, 1965–67 and 1971-72.
Bao Bean taught philosophy at Montclair State College, Upper Montclair, New Jersey
Upper Montclair, New Jersey
Upper Montclair is northern Montclair, which is usually reckoned as everything north of Watchung Avenue. Upper Montclair takes up approximately one third of Montclair, New Jersey-Education:...
and at East Stroudsburg University, Pennsylvania in the 1980s and early 1990s. From 1968 to 1971, she taught at Jersey City State College
New Jersey City University
New Jersey City University is a public university in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. It is a member of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities....
.
More recently, she has led diversity workshops and spoken on a wide range of issues at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Following the publication of The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, Bao Bean was featured on The Point with Mindy Todd, NPR Cape Cod; The Smoki Bacon Show, Boston; Under the Radar with Ron Saxon NPR NJ & PA; Many Voices, Many Visions, 13WHAM-TV Rochester. She was also interviewed on CNN, WYPL radio, as well as on NBC, ABC and Fox television affiliates.
Bao Bean is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
School of the Arts and Humanities; the Board of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities; and a member of The Star-Ledger Scholarship Committee. She is president of the Society for Values in Higher Education
Society for Values in Higher Education
The Society for Values in Higher Education is a US-based non-profit membership organization. Founded in 1922 to promote the teaching of religious studies in American colleges and universities, the society’s members are now broadly interested in issues involving education, including pedagogy,...
and a founding member of the Ridge and Valley Conservancy.
Bao Bean is the business manager and accountant for artist Bennett Bean. In addition, she teaches aerobics as a service to the Frelinghuysen Township Recreation Committee, New Jersey.
Bao Bean and her husband Bennett Bean have a son, William Bao Bean.
Selected works
- The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual, We Press, 2002.
- "Do Parts Equal More Than the Whole?" Journal of College and Character, Volume VI, Number 8, November 2005
Sources
- Claremont Graduate University alumni profile
- Excerpt from the preface of The Chopsticks-Fork Principle
- Excerpt from The Chopsticks-Fork Principle featured on the Asians in America web site
Quotes
- "No father - especially an immigrant from China - says to his daughter, "Please, marry an artist."
- "None of it has been painless. All of it has been fun, except the cooking."