Oral History Interview with Donald Seeto, May 18, 1990
Abstract
In his youth, Donald Seeto played basketball on the Chinatown teams sponsored by the Chinese Athletic Club (CAC) (after 1946, the Chinese Community Club). Seeto was a member of the Midgets Basketball Team representing Chinatown’s Fifth Precinct, which won the Police Athletic League (PAL) New York City Basketball Championship undefeated for an impressive 25 straight games in 1945. In this oral history, Seeto shares memories of playing and later coaching CCC basketball during the 1940s. He talks the founding and funding of the Chinese Community Club (CCC) located at Pell Street, the CCC junior, intermediate and senior teams, the lively rivalry between CCC and other neighborhood teams, drawing 100-150 spectators to games played against Catholic teams in the Bronx, challenging Italian kids for the courts at Columbus Park, games and practices at the Church of All Nations during the 1940s, the shift to True Light Lutheran Church during the 1950s, the Intercity or Yupin Tournament organized for the Chinatown teams of New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston to compete, the development of softball, girls basketball, and Japanese players during World War II. He also goes through photographs to identify various teams and teammates such as Newton Chin, Moody Chin, Richard Chin, Leong Gay Lee, James Mong Wu, Edmund Chin, Andrew Lung, and Stanley Chin of the CCC teams; David and Coolidge Mar of the Paxtons; a girls team called the Docks; Chinatown youth sports boosters such as Shavey Lee; and longtime CCC basketball coach Lung “Pop” Chin.
Dates
- May 18, 1990
Conditions Governing Use
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, belong to the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). Interview can only be reproduced with permission from the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA).
Extent
0.0727 Gigabytes
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the Museum of Chinese in America Repository