Linda Wu and Janita Gee records of the Gee family in Houston

The Gee family first rose to prominence with C.B. Albert Gee (b. 1920) and his success in the Houston restaurant business. He began working in the industry in 1936, first as an assistant to his uncle Harry Gee, Sr., before opening up restaurants of his own, such as Gee's Kitchen, the Frying Pan, and the Ding How—the latter of which was his first large restaurant. He went on to establish the PolyAsian Restaurants, where Cantonese, Japanese, and Polynesian foods were served. He helped pioneer Chinese take out with the Chinese Oven and Hong Kong Chef restaurants. He served as president of the Houston Restaurant Association from 1961-62 as well as president of the Houston Lodge of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), which he helped to found. For the first hundred years or so of CACA's history (founded in 1895), he was the only person not from California to ever serve as the CACA National Grand President. The records in this collection—documenting Albert Gee's recognition in CACA, the Houston community, and the nation—come from his two daughters, Linda Wu and Janita Gee. Wu graduated from the University of Texas, Austin with a degree in fashion merchandising, working in retailing with Joske's of Texas before becoming a real estate broker; she eventually retired, remaining active in Houston's Asian American community and serving as CACA president in 2011. Gee graduated from Texas Christian University and got her master's from San Francisco State College before working as head of the science department at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, California.