This is a kind of family history of our family, based on material written by my uncle Chiu, my mother's brother, but also including other family members memories. In 1990, my uncle, Chi-Chao Chiu, M.D., Lieutenant Colonel, USAF (ret.), wrote a sort of autobiography so that the children and grandchildren, the descendants of the Chiu family, would know something about their roots and Chinese heritage. He made several copies for us younger folks.
I take no credit for the creation of this material; I am only giving my uncle's manuscript and other family stories a place to be seen, read, and "published" in an sense. It is not meant to be a history text; in fact some of the facts may or may not be historically accurate. It is merely a compilation of the recollections and personal observations of individuals in our family.
I have attempted to keep the stories intact using the storyteller's own words and at times, imperfect English, and have included some hand drawn pictures and diagrams. I will make editorial and grammatical corrections where needed, and the words in italics are my additional commentary, mostly for my children's benefit.
The reader will notice a few things about Dr. Chiu's writing. First, he has a meticulous and organized style, which is typical of his character. I remember going to his medical office and watching him write notes on the charts with the same characteristic careful manner. Second, being a doctor, he is VERY precise and descriptive of the physical ailments and causes of death of family members. He also made a point of including the education levels of people as this was the key to our family's survival and success through the years. Third, he had the gift of storytelling even with his imperfect English.
For our children, our family, with love,
Donna L. Felker
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