Wing “Vinnie” Wong

Man in a dark jacket standing outside

Wing, or Vinnie, as he is known by family and friends, is the uncle of Richard Ning and a veteran who served during the Korean War in Allied-Occupied Germany. He is one of 10 siblings and brother to Richard’s mother, Mary Wong. The Wong family moved around Cambridge several times during Vinnie’s childhood, but following his…

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Steven Ng

Now living in Delaware and managing a consulting firm, Steven is a Cambridge native who grew up in the Inman Square area during the 1970s and ’80s. He recalls buying penny candy at a corner store and trips to Woolworth’s in Central Square. He also remembers the contributions his mother made to the Chinese language…

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Dr. Yu-Chi “Larry” Ho

Dr. Ho is an accomplished mathematician, control theorist, and retired Harvard professor who first came to Cambridge in 1950 to pursue a bachelor’s degree at MIT. At the age of 16, he traveled from China to begin his journey in academia. Following the completion of his PhD in Applied Mathematics in 1961, Dr. Ho was…

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Richard Ning

Man with dark hair and dark shirt

Richard is a third-generation Cantabrigian who grew up in the Oxford Street area during the 1960s and ’70s. He is the grandson of Loy Lee Wong, who owned the Young Lee Restaurant, an establishment the family operated in Harvard Square from the 1920s until the 1950s. Richard’s father, Fong Pun Ning, served during World War…

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Chinese Americans of Cambridge Oral History Project

Oral History Project

In 2022-2024, we interviewed several individuals about their experiences being Chinese or Chinese American in Cambridge. Interviews were conducted by volunteer Justin Murphy and History Cambridge Executive Director Marieke Van Damme. Click on the individuals below to hear their stories.

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Jukebox, a community storysharing project

Jukebox-Square

Jukebox is a storytelling project located at the Cambridge Foundry created by socially-engaged multimedia artist Elisa H. Hamilton in partnership with The Loop Lab and Cambridge Arts.

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2021 History Café Recap

This spring, thanks to the generous support of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati and a grant from the Bridge Street Fund, a special initiative of Mass Humanities, History Cambridge was able to host two History Cafés exploring the rich history of the city’s Black community. Graduate intern Eshe Sherley created our Early Black Cambridge…

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A Close-up of Huron Avenue

We always say, Everyone is a history ambassador. “A Close-up of Huron Avenue” shows just how true that is, no matter how old—or young—you are. Around 1980, Fayerweather Street School students, ages eight to eleven, conducted a five-month study of their neighborhood. At that time, the school was located at 74R Fayerweather Street (it moved…

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