Ruby Chow, 1994 (photo)
Ruby Chow was a force in Seattle’s Chinese community for much of the 20th century. Her restaurant at Broadway and Jefferson was popular with local politicians and celebrities, and her driving energy and powerful connections – along with her supportive husband, Ping – allowed her to advocate for her community in many ways: translating for Chinese patients at Harborview, prodding the telephone company’s top execs to hire Chinese women, coordinating fortune cookie messages for Wing Luke’s political campaign, and serving as the first Asian American on the King County Council.