One of the first Asian Americans in the nation to appear on television as a reporter has retired after 50 years.
Vic Lee is well known in the San Francisco Bay Area, but his impact has been felt nationwide.
Lee has worked for the New York Times, KRON-TV and for the last 15 years, ABC7. He is known for his quick wit and hard hitting reports. He has broken many stories in the city and earned the respect of both police and city leaders for his fair reports and tough questions.
“I have been watching Vic Lee on television since I was a kid, And he has always been just straight forward, providing the information, giving the news and you could always trust his reporting,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed to ABC7 News.
Among those who attended Lee’s farewell party was Supervisor Aaron Peskin who presented him with a city proclamation and invited Lee to the upcoming supervisor’s meeting on Tuesday for a formal presentation.
Vic who grew up in Japan and speaks fluent Cantonese has made it his mission to cover the Chinese community. He credited affirmative action for giving his career a boost and said he entered journalism at a time viewers didn’t see a lot of Asian faces, particularly Asian American men.
“I feel that I owe the Chinese community since, you know, being Chinese American, and being sort of a rarity, an Asian male in this business, that I ought to cover them as much as I can,” explained Vic.
ABC7 News anchor Kristen Sze began to tear as she recounted the first time she met Lee in 1990, in absolute awe at seeing the legend. She affectionately called him her “television dad,” and thanked him for mentoring so many Asian Americans.
One of Lee’s most memorable stories was his feature on Klepto the Cat, a young feline caught on surveillance video stealing personal belongings from dozens of people in her Burlingame neighborhood.
Klepto the Cat came to pay Lee a surprise visit to the delight of those at Lee’s farewell party.
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