Lee, Loretta
Loretta Lee’s family history in Canada dates back more than a century. Both her paternal and maternal grandmothers arrived in Calgary, Alberta, in the early 1900s as two of the first Chinese women to arrive in the city. Loretta’s mother, Nellie Ho Lem, was very active in her community as a member of the United Church and the Lady Laurier Club, a women’s organization for the Liberal Party. Loretta grew up in Calgary and in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, where the family lived for a number of years. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Loretta has actively pursued community work and has been a volunteer with the Sien Lok Society in Calgary since its inception.
This photo of Nellie Ho Lem appeared in a Vancouver newspaper, which announced: 'Spring Flowers and balmy weather impressed Nelly [sic] Ho Lem, delegate to Liberal convention here from Dawson Creek. It was still chilly up north when she left this week.' In addition to raising her children and helping her husband with bookkeeping, Nellie filled her busy schedule with community and political work. She did a number of speaking engagements – some to support a Liberal candidate in Dawson Creek and others to raise funds for Chinese War victims.
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