Mah, Jan
Jan Mah (née Wong) is a third generation Chinese Canadian. Her parents were part-owners and operators of the Sunrise Drive-in Restaurant from 1956 to the 1970s, one the first Chinese restaurants with carhop service in Calgary, Alberta. Growing up, Jan worked at the restaurant’s dairy bar and also immersed herself in community and social activities. She led a busy work life, becoming the first woman to recruit for executive positions at a recruiting firm. In addition to raising her son and establishing a career, Jan has been an active contributor to Calgary’s Sien Lok Society as Lifetime Honourary Director and President. Jan resided in Calgary at the time of the interview.
Standing, from left: May, Charlie, John, Frederick, Anne; seated, from left: Mrs. Chew (also known as “Miss Ko”), Rose (infant), Willie, Mary, Harry, Chew Yan Chong. Chew Yan Chong arrived in Canada in 1895 and brought his wife and two daughters from China in 1910. Jan Mah’s mother Su Mae (Rose), the ninth child born to the Chew family, is pictured here as an infant in this 1919 portrait. Rose had a difficult childhood, struggling with bouts of tuberculosis and trips in and out of the sanatorium. Jan notes that more education opportunities were given to the boys in the Chew family (Frederick, standing third from right, was the first Chinese medical intern in Canada).
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