Calvin Chin, a veteran Chinese community leader and retired tax assessor and restaurant co-owner, died of congestive heart failure Tuesday at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Guilford resident was 83.
Born in Baltimore and raised on Paca Street, he was the son of Chin Quon and Lee Young Ho, who were early Chinese settlers in Baltimore. As a young man, he worked in the family business, the old China Clipper Restaurant at Charles and Eager streets. He also assisted in other family enterprises, the China Tea Import Co. on Park Avenue and the old Palais D'or, a West Lexington street restaurant.
"He was a fine man and would be there when you needed him," said former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, a friend.
A 1942 City College graduate, Mr. Chin tried to enlist in the Navy and was initially turned down because he was too young. He was accepted in 1943 and served in the Pacific aboard a landing ship tank.
After the war, he earned a degree in business and public administration at the University of Maryland, College Park and also attended the University of Maryland School of Law.
In the 1950s Mr. Chin operated the Cathay House Restaurant on Saratoga Street. Mayor Thomas J. D'Alesandro Jr. named him a city tax assessor. Mr. Chin later worked in property acquisition for the old Mass Transit Administration. He was also chairman of the Baltimore City Property Tax Appeals Board for 21 years.
"He was a great embracer of peoples," said City Council member Mary Pat Clarke. "He was one of the weavers of the fabric of the Baltimore we love."
He was also the head or secretary of the Chinese Benevolent Association, a group his father had headed before him.
"Calvin was a very self-effacing person, and he also was a very strong individual who was actively involved in politics, community affairs and a leading voice within the Chinese-American community," said Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin. "Calvin's death is a great loss to our community."
Beginning in the early 1970s, Mr. Chin waged a campaign to gain recognition for Asian businesses in downtown Baltimore. He proposed a $20 million Asian Center and continued to promote the idea for another decade.
"We're trying to develop an Asian Center," he told a Sun reporter in 1983. "Not only for the Chinese but also for the Korean community, the Filipino community and the Vietnamese community."
In 1992 he became the first chairman of the Governor's Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.
"Calvin was a strong advocate for Asian Americans," said David K. Lee, the commission's executive director. "He had a long history of leadership and was highly respected."
Mr. Chin was also a member of the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee.
"He was a gentlemanly man who was quiet but assertive," said Joseph Garland, an attorney and fellow committee member. "He never raised his voice and was extremely generous. He had extensive contacts all over the place."
Mr. Chin was an interpreter for Cantonese Chinese who did not speak English and often assisted people who were seeking naturalization help. He also recommended physicians and wrote letters to city, state and federal agencies for those unfamiliar with the English language.
"Many families knew Calvin was there for them when they needed help," said his wife of 57 years, the former Katherine "Kitty" Moy, a dietitian who ran a cooking school for many years on Park Avenue.
He was also a member of the Advisory Board of Maryland Minority Affairs and the Towson University Asian Art Council.
"He believed in strong friendships and reaching out to people. He was a fine example of what one should do in order to work with and integrate with others," said Floraine Applefeld, a close friend.
In his free time, Mr. Chin enjoyed classical music and opera. He also read Chinese history.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul Street, where he was a communicant. Earlier, he belonged to the Grace and St. Peter's Episcopal congregation.
In addition to his wife, survivors include a daughter, Stephanie Anne Chung of Gaithersburg; two sisters, Lillian Watt and Ellen Bock, both of Baltimore; and two granddaughters.
jacques.kelly@baltsun.com