User:Buffalkill/sandbox/Dorothy Kostrzewa

Dorothy Kostrzewa
Born
Dorothy Chung

(1928-08-17)August 17, 1928
DiedJanuary 11, 2013(2013-01-11) (aged 84)
Cause of deathNatural Causes
OccupationPolitician
SpouseRichard Kostrzewa
ChildrenKaren
Richard

Dorothy Kostrzewa (née Chung; August 17, 1928 – January 11, 2013) was a Canadian politician. She is notable as the first Chinese-Canadian woman to hold political office in Canada when she was elected to the Chilliwack City Council in 1971. She served on city council for 33 years making her the longest serving city councillor in British Columbia.[1]

Early life

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Dorothy Kostrzewa was born the youngest of eight children fathered by Chinese immigrant Dr. Chung Bing Kee in Chilliwack's Chinatown neighbourhood. She studied accounting at the Duffus School of Commerce in Vancouver, and worked as an accountant at Chilliwack General Hospital from 1949 until 1969.[1]

Political career

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She was first elected to Chilliwack City Council in 1969 making her the first Chinese-Canadian to hold political office in Canada.[2]

Honours

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She earned the Order of Chilliwack, was named Woman of the Year, and awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from UFV in 2009 for outstanding community service.[2] She was named the woman of the year and millennium woman of the year.[3] In 2006 she was named by the Vancouver Sun as one of the 100 Chinese-Canadians making a difference in B.C.[citation needed] She was named Sportsman of the Year.[4] She was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Chilliwack Rotary Club, and one of Chilliwack’s Community Sports Heroes.[2] In 2006 Kostrzewa was named one of the 100 Chinese Canadians making a difference in B.C.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dorothy Kostrzewa retires". Chilliwack Times. 22 May 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dorothy Kostrzewa leaves a lasting legacy". Chilliwack Progress. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Mark Strahl on Dorothy Kostrzewa". openparliament.ca. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Dorothy Kostrzewa leaves a lasting legacy". Chilliwack Progress. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2014.