Collected Memories

REMEMBERING LYNETTE

I got to do a lot of life changing things over the decades of friendship I shared with Lynette.  We took dance class for years at Everybody’s Dance Studio in Oakland and then at the Finn Hall in Berkeley.  We bought our first piece of real property in Oakland where we lived for quite awhile. We took a pattern drafting class at Poppy Fabric so we could design and sew clothes on our matching Elna sewing machines.  We held trunk shows to sell our designs which we supplemented with beautiful things that our dear friend, Janet Chen, provided from her elegant Union Street boutique, JLC.  I think Lynette and I bought more things than we sold, but boy, did we have great clothes!  Thank you, Janet!

Lynette gently guided me to embrace many new things in my life.  Once though she urgently suggested that 

I meet her at her sister, Babette’s house to look at puppies.  Tasha, Babette’s dog, had a litter of around eleven puppies that needed homes ASAP.  When we got there, a sea of fur came tumbling down the stairs into the front yard where we, of course, picked one to take home.  Who knew this little furball would turn into an eighty five pound German Shepherd Akita mix who thought he was a lap dog?!?  That was my beginning of life with a dog.  I haven’t been without one at home since then, and now I have four of them lounging on my leather couch.

The last fun thing I got to do with Lynette was hula in Hawaii.  We dropped in to a Hula Basics class on a Friday afternoon.  Lynette was already ill, but that week she had enough energy to plan an outing.  Luckily for us, the Kumu decided to review a hula she had already taught to the class to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Over the Rainbow.”  How appropriate right?  It was fun.  It was beautiful and it touched my soul.

When I returned to Honolulu for Lynette’s gathering in June, I contacted the Kumu for a private lesson to learn this hula.  This turned out to be quite an ambitious endeavor.  I had no idea! Nevertheless, Kumu Malia was undaunted and I came away with a basic rudimentary “knowledge” of the movements and a diagram of hula hieroglyphics to help me remember the finer (actually all) of the points and details.  Although I can’t say that I can accomplish this hula in any way, it’s a wonderful memory I have of Lynette that I can hold in my pocket for safekeeping and pull it out to enjoy over and over again.

To Lynette, across the rainbow bridge and to all of you who loved her, A Hui Hou…Until We Meet Again.

Much Aloha,

Fay

A TRIBUTE

              In Loving Memory of

Lynette Susan Jee - A Celebration of Life

 Presented Sunday, August 11, 2018, Oahu, Hawai’i

 (I was hesitant to write because I’m not up to par with my fellow classmates, but here it is):
Lynette clearly stood out amongst my classmates in law school. Many, if not most, have “A” type personalities. This created an atmosphere of highly competitive and status conscious students that were overtly overpowering (Sorry, this is my “Obnoxious Tourette Syndrome” coming out). Lynette was different in her approach. Don’t get me wrong, Lynette had strong leadership skills, possessed a strong conviction to her beliefs, and was very principally minded. However, Lynette displayed her skills through her everyday actions in a quiet but powerful way. I would analogize it to people who “witness” due to their strong convictions toward their religious beliefs. There are those that are proactive and overtly approach others toward their belief, and then there are those who quietly show their convictions through their daily actions which indirectly lead others to inquire as their source of happiness. This is Lynette in a nutshell. Her everyday action and how she lead her life caused others to be drawn to her. This is such an incredible and powerful characteristic.    

Going to everyday reality, I remember Lynette would not boast about her background. Attending my first dance at “Bench and Bar” I noticed that Lynette could slide and glide like no one else. I found out Lynette was the head cheerleader at a predominantly black high school in which she integrated with everyone which I thought it was real cool. I too grew up in the “hood” in South Central L.A. during my formative years and my moves on the dance floor were similar. I was trying to be cool and approached Lynette with, “Hey mama, my name is Arnell, you be lookin’ fine, you wanna groove or what.” Lynette looked at me and said “Arnold, you don’t have to talk like that, and yes, I will dance with you”. Lynette honored me with her presence and destroyed me all in one sentence.

The second notorious incident occurred prior to our Civil Procedure final exam. Everyone was freaking out, especially me, but not Lynette. I was a basket case because I rarely attended class and didn’t read the book. I conveyed that to Lynette and in her calming voice she said, “Arnold, it’s just a test and you’ll do fine” Her calming voice really relaxed me, however I failed the course anyhow.

Lastly, I met up with Lynette in Hawaii some 20 years ago. Lynette’s son, Ted and my daughter, Kelly were attending an exclusive private school. Many of the parents were overbearing and demanding on behalf of their kids. Once again, internally Lynette was just as passionate on Ted being her highest priority but was never demanding to get special attention. Her love and guidance were conveyed in her everyday interactions with Ted. With Patrick and Lynette being devoted parents, Ted has become deeply innovative, intelligent, and confident young man. 

 By knowing Lynette, I think I speak for everyone, our lives were enriched. I can still hear her say “Arnold, don’t talk that way, calm down” and, “just be you” I love and miss you girl! Although selfishly I miss her presence, her spirit lives within me and I’ll keep trying to slide and guide with the grace she did until we meet again. 

Aloha,

Arnold, J.D. (stands for “Jive Dude”), '81

A TRIBUTE

In Loving Memory of

Lynette Susan Jee - A Celebration of Life

Sunday, August 19, 2018, Berkeley CA

Part One

Amazing it was in 1977 when we all met at Hastings College of Law. It was exciting, frightening, challenging...and we were all there with a goal of making a difference in the lives of others.

Not exactly sure how many of us were accepted in the 1980 class, but there were 9 of us women who were active in the Asian Law Students Association (ALSA).  We called ourselves the ALSA 9.

During our time together, we established strong bonds and friendships in study groups, hanging out in the Commons, and in our work together on admissions and student strikes to ensure that the LEOP (Legal Education and Opportunity Program) continued to survive with students who were passionate about social justice issues. (Heard recently LEOP is still in existence at Hastings today)!

Lynette Jee was our dear friend, comrade, and one of the ALSA 9 who left us too soon.  We are grateful for the time we shared together.  

I will always admire Lynette for her dedication to her legal work. But we also shared an entrepreneurial passion. We had discussions of creating a dream business in beautiful Hawai’i.  I am so proud Lynette made her dream come true!  She built a successful business in Hawai’i and brought people together to enjoy tea and sweets...at Ala Moana Center...one of the most thriving retail places on earth!  During our visits to Honolulu, I always looked forward to seeing Lynette at her kiosk to enjoy a special treat she created for us, especially with gelato and tea!

Lynette and I also enjoyed a passion for fashion and retail. One of my happiest memories of Lynette was at the opening of my boutique in San Francisco in 1987 when Lynette modeled outfits with her beauty, style and grace!  She also arranged several trunk sales in the Bay Area with our friend, Fay Imamura ’81, with clothing from the shop. I will always cherish those special memories with all my heart.

The celebration of life tea party organized by Lynette's husband, Pat, her son, Ted and her long time friends on August 19, 2018 was a beautiful gathering of story telling.  It brought many of us who met 40 years ago at Hastings together!  The years have gone by, and some of us have seen each other more than others, but we were able to pick up where we left off.   Lynette brought us together again. The stories and laughter we shared were so healing. 

Life has taken all of us on many tangential journeys but we will always have incredible memories of our time together as the ALSA 9 at Hastings.

May Lynette forever rest in peace knowing she is loved, and will always be remembered.

With Warmest Aloha,

Janet, ’80, The ALSA 9, 

 I was very saddened to hear from Deb about Lynette. Although I wasn’t as close to her as others (a year or two behind in class years) and hadn’t seen Lynette since law school, it is really amazing to read the tributes and how much she touched everyone’s lives.  So many folks have a “bad memory” about law school, but it 

is because of folks like you, our Hastings Strike force – our Hastings LEOP and LEOP Supporter coalition that made my 3 years at Hastings a fantastic time for me.  The activism and the close relationships forged in that short 2-3 year period still bring back warm memories and such pride, too!!! You all totally rock and to reconnect, even via email, because of everyone’s close bond with Lynette is truly a beautiful thing. 

 There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart. Mahatma Gandhi

 Warmest regards to all, Chris,  9/14/2018

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It was the first Asian American Community and the Law course offered at UC Berkeley with Dale Minami and Nelson Dong teaching.  Lynette took the class as did Joyce Matsumori and me, around 1975-1976.  At some point, we were offered choices for a class project, and all three of us chose to work on the jury selection of the International Hotel eviction case that Nelson was co-counsel.  We worked well on it, covering the entire San Francisco’s jury pools for the designated trial commencement, where the tasks culminated the long weekend before the Monday morning call. The defense attorneys listened to most of our suggestions, except for one—who ended hanging the jury.   Nelson liked our work, and encouraged us to consider attending law school.  So, I did, at Hastings.  Lynette and Joyce were a year behind me.  They, too, chose Hastings. 

Before the first year of law school was over for Lynette and Joyce, in February 1978, two labor law professors crafted a new admissions policy that smacked of discrimination against women and minorities.  We at the Asian American Law Students Association (ALSA) began discussions, and arrived at a commitment to challenge such a policy. Other student groups followed suit, the La Raza students, African American, Native American, disadvantaged Whites, and by March, the entire student body.  In the course of two weeks, classes were halted, the school was shut due to student and community demonstrations, our designated classmates appealed to the Regents of the University, who listened, and agreed.  The policy was abolished.  This helped the trend for Hastings to admit more women students, and, shortly, the number of women attending Hastings surpassed that of men, which continues to date. We were young, idealistic, but also grounded.   Before leaving Berkeley, it was clear that the law, at least to us, was a mere tool to help our communities rise up above inequalities that faced us, our parents and those before them. Lynette kept this in perspective, with her work at fair employment/labor practices, civil rights commission, and even when as an entrepreneur she strived to be not only a qualified Asian American woman, but one who can compete, with anyone. 

Lynette was always graceful, elegant in style, a very good dancer, with a low key sense of humor. Her memorial service was Sunday, August 19.  There were many who paid tribute, those who spoke gave wonderful vignettes of Lynette's life. Many of us fellow Hastings alumni, never at a loss for words, were so emotionally distraught to speak about our lives with Lynette. Our hearts were in shock and we were numb with grief.  I wrote a memory card  but, during this entire week passing, I kept thinking, and, feeling sad, that what we have of Lynette are these memories, of her valor, in toiling for justice, the International Hotel case (on which she also worked on the community organizing efforts 1976-1977 and beyond to help with the displacement of tenants), rallying fellow law students, working in the Asian American community on legal issues that have helped define our generation, which has made it at least a bit easier for those who follow us. 

         La Lucha y Amor,

         Cristomo ‘Cris’, ’79,  August 31, 2018

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Lynette was a wonderful person.  She was not only beautiful but so graceful and cool that when I first saw her, I was struck by how she kind of glided when she walked.   Lynette and her partner in crime Joyce were too cool for school, especially law school.  But immediately she put to rest any uneasiness with her genuineness and kind spirit.  

We were close friends many years ago, but her path led to Hawaii and my path led to Montana.  I was honored to meet Pat and Ted in Berkeley and so happy to know that she found such great love and happiness. 

Lynette’s demeanor camouflaged her strength and determination.  She performed great work seeking justice for communities that are invisible to many in our country.  Many of us have thought about and dreamed of leaving the law as a career and choosing to follow a different road.  Few have the courage to jump lanes and do something that may be more fulfilling.

Lynette’s drive to help others carried over to her venture as the “Tea Lady”.  What a great way to help others seek a better life through a focus upon seeking good health and a calmness of spirit.  

It was great to see many friends from our days at Hastings College of the Lawless. I was reminded that our law school experience was very unique…strikes, faculty debates, demonstrations, Un-Silent vigils…  We had to balance a desire to become a law trained professional with a certain skepticism bordering upon contempt for institutional restraints and elitism.

Lynette did a better job than many of us in finding the balance.

Best wishes to All.

Joe, ’81, September 11, 2018

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Lynette and gathered friends were very much on my mind Sunday.  I have a favorite memory that I would like to share.     

In November 1990, Lynette called me from Hawaii.  It was shortly after she had left the Fair Employment and Housing Commission (FEHC) to direct the nascent Hawaii Civil Rights Commission (HCRC).  At that time, Steve Owyang headed the FEHC, and I prosecuted cases before the FEHC.  She asked if I might send training materials we used in California so that she might use them for her own training purposes.  I was only too happy to oblige.  But I couldn’t resist joking with her about how Hawaii really needed to fly Steve and me out to Honolulu to teach her staff how to prosecute and adjudicate civil rights cases the California way.  We laughed.  To my great surprise and delight she called back with an invitation to Steve and me, sponsored by the University of Hawaii, to train their investigators, prosecutors andcommissioners.  All expenses paid!  We had a great time, and were especially happy to assist Lynette in the pioneering role she played at that time.  The civil rights community certainly appreciates and is better for Lynette’s professionalachievements, and in particular the positive impact and her leadership in establishing Hawaii’s first civil rights agency.  We took great pride in her achievements, as I know her family, all our friends, her staff and her clients will.       

Jonathan ‘80

September 5, 2018

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‘DO YOU REMEMBER’ ♫♪♪♫♫♪♫♫♪

…THE 21ST NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER!!!!    40TH  ANNIVERSARY, EW&F
Almost made it. We sure…grinded to ‘SEPTEMBER’ at Hastings either at Raza parties

or Bench & Bar … (AHUHH We can see Lynette & Arnold ‘SLIDING & GLIDING’ )    

We thank you soooo much PAT, TED, LYNETTE’S FAMILY & ALL THE FRIENDS for creating an amazing HAWAIIAN Celebration of Lynette & her Tea Party. It is  

something we wish everyone could have been at and will always cherish-It was just

so perfectly LYNETTE!!!  

I have a special memory to share. Lynette is very PRESCIENT, CLAIRVOYANT AND PSYCHIC. She has a deep connection to Spirit.

So we were developing pixs of Lynette for her Berkeley Life Celebration. We had no

HASTINGS Strike Photosj of her.  After detailed photo searches (2004, 2006 & 2018) including LA RAZA & APILSA (ALSA) Reunions,… STILL NO LYNETTE.  

Then.... 2 night before her celebration, LYNETTE pitched in to help.  She was present…Her energy so light, so familiar & playful. & there she was in 1 PIX!  Just so

you know, I am known for my magnifying glass searches. I had scrutinized those

photos without any success!  

At Lynette’s celebration, Hastings Classmates wore Aqua colored Lanyards (1 of Lynette’s Favorite colors) with her many photos & her STRIKE photo.  HAPPYYY! 

HAPPY SEPTEMBER LYNETTE!  “REMEMBER WHEN WE KNEW LOVE WAS HERE TO STAY…” “BA DE YA, BA DE YA, BA DE YA,,DANCING IN SEPTEMBER..” ♫♪♪♫♫♪♫♫♪

MIGUEL , September 21, 2018

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In the scheme of life, I knew Lynette for just a fleeting moment, butenough to recognize and be touched by her brilliant and very beautiful light. Enough to know how deeply she will be missed, beyond what words can even describe. Lynette, to me, all those years ago, was the very template of intelligence and grace. She taught by being.

 Though unable to attend Lynette's Celebration of Life, I was present in spirit that afternoon, honoring her with a cup of tea in Seattle. And though not among those closest to her, still I hold, with her community of resources and friends, this container of love in which to celebrate Lynette and support her family. Together we weave in the light we bring to hold the love, the grief, the gratitude, the joy, the healing.

Several years ago I wrote some songs and more recently had them recorded. 

Though written with lyrics, they were a vehicle for me to a place that transcended words. So it is that I offer two of those songs into this space. Links below. The first, composed when my mother lost my father, is especially for Pat. The second is something of a desiderata; in it is the lyric "It's just a sliver of time and space in which to deliver."  A deep bow to Lynette, who truly delivered.

Thank you, Lynette, for the gift of growing love among us, then and now.            

     Take Me Too (vocalist: Jennifer Kienzle)

     https://youtu.be/PkixQg9Y-l8

     What Will We Hold? (vocalist: Jennifer Kienzle)

     https://youtu.be/axNwD2AZfNw 

With love and gratitude,

Nora

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[I have been touched by the tributes that our classmates have shared.  While some of what I have to say echoes others, I felt that I needed to express my thoughts to Lynette and my Hastings ALSA 80 class mates.]

A great trial attorney, from whom I sought advice before my first jury trial, told me, in regards to making my closing argument: “You are either born eloquent or not, and Rick, you weren’t, so just tell it like it is”. I got to know Lynette during law school and really did not keep in touch with her afterwards. I wish I had, but am glad that I was among her friends while at Hastings, as we struggled through law school classes, worked on outlines together and commiserated about the law school experience at over a rice plate at Double K.  In retrospect, most important was our work on the LEOP special admissions program and the fight to save the program. 

Lynette (along with Joyce) were our leaders in the organizing efforts leading up to and during the strike.  As we can all remember, we shut that school down, and that experience left an indelible imprint in my mind. I share our experiences with future and young attorneys through our Asian Bar Mentorship Program to encourage them to do good. Through our efforts, we fought for and saved a program that gave opportunities to men and women of color and disadvantaged students who might not otherwise have gone to law school.  Over the years, many former LEOP students have gone on to do great things for the community.  

We made a difference, and owe it to Lynette’s leadership for guiding us through it all.

Be at peace, my ALSA Class of 80 Sister.

With respect,

Rick, Oct. 3, 2018