National Home Front Project - Meet Lo-Yi Chan

The National Home Front Project is a major grassroots initiative under the leadership of historians at Washington College. Our innovative oral history program partners with individuals, communities, and organizations across the United States to record, preserve, and share audio interviews with civilians who experienced World War II.

By pulling together in the spirit of wartime Americans, we can ensure that future generations hear their voices, and that our country never forgets its past. For this short entry, we’d like to share the story of Lo-Yi Chan.

In 1932, Lo-Yi Chan was born in 广州 Guangzhou, or more commonly known as “Canton”, China. During the lead up to World War II, Lo-Yi was a child and his family feared the very real possibility of the Japanese government invading southern China. This led to his parents initially fleeing to Honolulu, Hawai’i; while there, they experienced first-hand the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Now with this new, and very realistic, fear of the possibility of a Japanese invasion of Hawai’i, the family once again emigrated to the continental U.S. Once on the continent, Lo-Yi's father was hired for a teaching position at Dartmouth College.

            In his interview for the National Home Front Project, Lo-Yi describes his life during World War II, including growing up in China, Hawai’i, and the continental United States. He recounts his and his family’s experiences during the attack on Pearl Harbor, as well as the ensuing fear that rose in Hawai’i afterwards. He also talks about his father’s attempts to move his family to the mainland U.S. Lo-Yi subsequently spent the rest of his childhood in Hanover, New Hampshire. He also speaks about living in New Hampshire and how the war manifested itself there. If you’d like to hear his story for yourself here.

- Blog post by RCL intern Ally Allen