San Francisco Mayor London Breed starts the tricycle race between city assessor Carmen Chu and Phil Ginsburg, the general manager of the San Francisco Rec and Park Department. The race replaced the traditional shovel and dirt ceremony.Breed called parks a “sanctuary for kids … to keep them out of trouble.”
Story by Randall Yip Photos by Russell Yip
City and community leaders in San Francisco ceremoniously broke ground Saturday on a new $13 million renovation of Chinatown’s Willie “Woo Woo” Wong playground.
The playground is located in what Rev. Norman Fong, the executive director of the Chinatown Community Development Center, says is the most densely populated neighborhood west of Manhattan.
Construction will begin on renovating all existing park features including athletic courts, children’s play areas and clubhouse. A new fitness court will be added complete with fitness equipment.
Kent Wong, left rear, is the youngest of two sons of Willie and Jeannie Wong. He is standing next to San Francisco city assessor Carmen Chu and behind his dad’s sister-in-law, Lillie Wong (L), and “Woo Woo” Wong’s eldest sibling, Violet Yip (R). “My dad used to come here as a kid. I used to come here, but never achieved what he did,” Kent said laughing.
The money will come from a park bond passed by voters in 2012. During construction, the playground will be closed. The project is expected to be completed in late 2019.
The playground is named for San Francisco legend, Willie “Woo Woo” Wong. Wong is a member of the Sports Hall of Fame at the University of San Francisco where he played basketball for the Dons in 1949 and 1950. The team made it to the National Invitational Tournament in Wong’s second season, when he became the first Chinese American to play in New York’s Madison Square Garden. A sportswriter gave Willie the nickname “Woo Woo” because that’s what fans screamed every time he scored.
Violet Yip, Wong’s eldest sister, speaks with Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the Recreation and Parks Department. Ginsburg called Willie “Woo Woo” Wong a “role model for young Asian American kids.”
Wong spent his childhood at the playground, honing his basketball skills. He starred for Chinatown’s Catholic Grammar School, St. Mary’s, and went on to play for Poly High, where he is a member of the prep school’s Hall of Fame. The school has since been closed.
City and community leaders posed with three lions after a lion dance performance which kicked off the groundbreaking. Among those in attendance were city supervisors Aaron Peskin and Jane Kim. Kim called the playground the community’s “living room, recreation center and backyard.”
The family of Willie “Woo Woo” Wong attended the ceremony. Wong died in 2005 at the age of 79. Photo by Chino Garcia
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