Betty Lee Sung (ΦBK, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) was a leading authority and pioneer in the field of Chinese American studies. Professor emerita of the City College of New York-CUNY, Sung served as chair of the Asian studies department. She also cofounded and served as board chair of the CUNY Asian American/Asian Research Institute. Mountain of Gold: The Story of the Chinese in America (1967), Sung’s groundbreaking first book, became the basis for the first Asian American studies courses on the East Coast. In 2016, she received the City University of New York Award from the CUNY Graduate Center. The following year, the Association for Asian American Studies recognized her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Much of her original historical research is preserved in the “Betty Lee Sung Collection” located in the Asian American section of the Library of Congress. On January 19, Sung passed away at the age of 98.
