I just received word that Judge Ronald Lew 刘成威;  of the Central District of California, has passed away. 

Judge Lew was a great supporter of the work of USPTO in engaging the Chinese judiciary on intellectual property issues.  He seemed to especially enjoy returning to southern China, which was where his ancestors came from.  He also spent time as a resident scholar at the law faculty of Renmin University.  His travels extended beyond China, but I was fortunate to know him for the work we did together in and about China. He was a mentor to many of us.

Judge Lew was also a pioneer in many ways.  He was born in the back room of his father’s laundry in 1941 and was later to become the first Chinese-American judge appointed to the federal bench in the continental US.  In 2001, Judge Lew was awarded the Historymakers Award by the Los Angeles Chinese American Museum in law and justice.  He was also honored by the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California as one of the Chinese American Pioneers in Law in 2005.

I last saw Judge Lew and his wife, Mamie, while visiting Las Vegas last year (picture below).  My sincere condolences to his wife and wonderful family. I was so fortunate to be able to meet him at that time. May his memory be a blessing.