Shades of L.A. is an archive of photographs representing the contemporary and historic diversity of families in Los Angeles. Images were chosen from family albums and include daily life, social organizations, work, personal and holiday celebrations, and migration and immigration activities. Made possible and accessible through the generous support of the Security Pacific National Bank, Sunlaw Cogeneration Partners, Photo Friends, California Council for the Humanities, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation
Images available for reproduction and educational use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/orderinguse.html for additional information. The contents of this collection are restricted to personal, research, and non-commercial use. The Library cannot share the personal and/or contact information of the donors, their descendants, or associates who contributed photographs and oral histories to the collection.
Description
Image is a reproduction. Susan Ahn Cuddy was born in Los Angeles in 1915. Her parents had immigrated to the U.S. in 1902 from Korea in order to study Western democracy with the hope of bettering their home country. Her father founded the Korean National Association, which was created in order to aid Korean immigrants, mediate labor disputes, and represent Korean-American interests. Both her parents supported Korean Independence during Japan’s occupation in the early 20th century. Her father, Ahn Changho, dedicated his life to working for Korean Independence and spent much of his time in Korea and China. Susan attended Fremont Avenue Elementary school and Central Junior High School. She studied Sociology at San Diego State University as one of the first Korean-American women to attend university. In 1942 she joined the WAVES volunteer program in the U.S. Navy and later enlisted. She was both the first Asian American in the Navy as well as the first female gunnery officer before being transferred to Naval Intelligence in 1943. She met her husband in 1944 in the Navy and married in 1947. She began working in 1956 at the National Security Agency and attended USC through a fellowship. She resigned in the late 1950s to join her family in running the Moongate Restaurant in the San Fernando Valley. She continued to work in her later years to archive her family’s history. Portrait of Soo Young, Korean American actress in Pearl Buck's "Good Earth."
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