1. From 1988 to 1995, Lam was the 25th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and he was the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed as a vice-regal in Canada.
17 Facts About David Lam
1. 2.
David Lam was known for his charitable efforts, donating millions of dollars and leveraging millions more to support educational institutions and activities in Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States.
3.
David See-chai Lam was born in Hong Kong on July 25,1923; he was the second oldest of nine children of Lam Chi Fung, a Hong Kong coal importer and distributor, and Chan Chik-Ting Lam.
4.
When David Lam turned 18, his plans to attend university were sidelined by World War II.
5.
Understanding the danger, Chi Fung decided it was time for David Lam to undertake his university studies.
6.
In 1947, David Lam earned a degree in economics from Lingnan University in Hong Kong.
7.
David Lam developed fluency in five languages, and earned an MBA degree from Temple University in the United States.
8.
David Lam returned to Hong Kong in 1949 and began a successful career in his family's banking business at Ka Wah Bank.
9.
David Lam became a prominent real estate entrepreneur in Vancouver, and was a leading proponent of many groundbreaking real estate development ventures.
10.
David Lam he founded is known as Pacific Canadian Investments.
11.
David Lam donated substantial funds to cultural projects in his adopted province and country.
12.
David Lam served as Chairman of Hong Kong Baptist College, trustee of the Chancellor's Circle at the University of British Columbia, which later awarded him an honorary degree, and was a benefactor to the David C Lam Institute for East-West Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University.
13.
David Lam represented the Crown during the term of three Premiers: William Vander Zalm, Rita Johnston, and Michael Harcourt.
14.
David Lam formally ended the practice of lieutenant governors wearing the Windsor uniform.
15.
David Lam was Canada's second non-white lieutenant governor and was the first Asian Canadian as well as the first Chinese Canadian lieutenant governor.
16.
David Lam died on November 22,2010, from prostate cancer at the age of 87.
17.
David Lam was predeceased by his wife of 43 years, Dorothy, who died in 1997, and survived by three children and seven grandchildren.