BIO
Bock Won Lim (also known as Bob Mah), was born October 26, 1922 in Toishan, China, in the village of Tong Wah. In September 1938, at the age of 15, Bob and his father left for Hong Kong on the last train leaving Canton before the Japanese occupation. From Hong Kong, he took the ocean liner to San Francisco. Mr. Lee took care of everything and dropped him off at the railway station for San Antonio on December 21, 1938. After arriving at his grandfather’s store, the first thing he set out to do was attend school and learn English. Due to racial and situational issues, his wish to learn civil engineering did not come true. He fortunately met Oscar, a skilled butcher, who promised to teach him the trade. In February 1943, Bob joined the US Air Force and was sent back to China to serve during WWII, returning to the States in January 1946. In his return to China in 1947 he met Moy Jan Leu through relatives. They stayed in China for five months before marrying on March 12, 1948 at the American Consulate in Canton. They returned together to the States the same year. Bob worked at Wong’s Food Market on Houston Avenue before opening his own grocery store in 1951: Bob’s Food Market. The store was relocated to the Acres Homes location (8626 W. Montgomery Road) in 1955 but due to many armed robberies at the store, it was sold in 1971. In 1974, he opened a Chinese restaurant, Dragon Palace (10234 Westheimer Road). There he entertained many local Houstonians, including news anchors and millionaires. He and his family worked hard to save and send money back to China to bring all his siblings to the States, and happily retired in 1990, selling his restaurant. Recently in 2020, he was featured in the Houston Chronicle, Fox 26 news, and at NRG Stadium for his military service during WWII, and was a recipient of a Congressional Gold Medal given collectively to Chinese American veterans on December 9, 2020.