By Ken Yang For the Independent
She doodles. It’s not my first memory of Grace, but the second thing I noticed about her upon our second meeting after I got past staring at her beautiful face. We shared an English class at Tufts University. Asian American Literature fell nicely into my English major and it fulfilled her cultural requirement as an Art History and Chemistry double major. Even then she used the full capacity of her curious brain.
Two years prior to observing her sketches on her yellow note pad, I was stunned by her bright lovely face that was relegated to a chemistry lab stock room. It was my first-year college chemistry lab. The guys in my lab group would frequently linger at the stock room trying not to ogle at her too much while checking out equipment from Grace: beakers, test tubes, flasks, etc. We turn in our school identification badge, and she gave us the chemistry supplies. Somehow my flask or beaker would break with enough regularity that I would be forced to return to Grace for a replacement. Eighteen years did not make me a man brave enough to ask her name let alone to mutter a flustered hello.
By some miracle, I was given a second chance. Two years later in that English class my eyes glanced sideways towards Grace as often as possible. A month or two later I came up with a brilliant idea. I forgot my book, squirmed up my courage, then plopped into the chair next to her pleading to share her book. Her smiling yes made me sweat even more. It was from that day forward I watched her doodle on her note pad. It was on that yellow note pad that I sketch myself the words to ask her out to my fraternity formal. From that day forward I believe we went 13 months where we saw each other every day.
She loved art from the time she could put crayon to paper. However, Grace’s mind also has a scientific side that also envisioned her as a physician even in fifth grade. Although I was an English major and she an Art History/Chemistry double major, we both co-incidentally were pre-medical students. Two years later she was drawing science notes in New York Medical College lecture halls while I slumped in the seat next to her with my eyes drooping to monotone voice of our professors.
Over the next seven years we studied as never before. Friday nights were our only date night eating cheap ramen noodles with the spinning laundromat machines for our entertainment. When you’re in love, even laundry was incredibly special. Then we got pregnant.
If you are so lucky as I to find your soulmate, that love is intense. Having a child introduces you to unconditional chaotic joyous love. We were blessed with this experience four times in our marriage.
Upon completing our post-doctorate training outside Boston. It was time to find a medical practice to join. In Boston, you throw a rock, and you could hit a doctor. Grace and I wanted to practice full scope family medicine: delivering babies, pediatrics, women’s health, adult medicine, and geriatrics. Womb to tomb care. We hoped for a place where they needed doctors, and a place we would call home. In Clinton North Carolina we discovered this gem of a practice — Clinton Medical Clinic. This small-town practice has had five North Carolina Family Physicians of the Year, and past presidents of the NC Academy of Family Medicine. No other practice in North Carolina could boast the same. They hired us then made us part of their family. It was family that supported her decision to take a break from practicing medicine in 2003.
She stayed at home to do the most important work of raising our children and sharing her love for art as their teacher outside of school. Often exhausted, she still doodled. Soon the doodles turned to more productive art. On January 6, 2012, she started her business: Ho Yang Fine Art. Officially retiring her from medicine. Ever the curious mind she continued to study art achieving her Master of Art Education through the University of Florida in December 2014.
Sometimes over coffee or during a long drive to a soccer game, she would muse about opening her own art gallery somewhere someday. That vision appeared in her sketchbook in 2014. She considered a larger city such as Raleigh. Early in 2019, a tiny for sale sign in a run-down store front window next to Gracie’s Grill whispered a new vision. The store was a throwback to a time of green, orange, and brown with laminate wood paneling for walls and a deteriorating drop ceiling. There was but one floor dimly lit for 20 x 100 feet. Her eyes began to paint a design. Gone are the green, orange, and brown. The roof disappeared. A second floor grew on top. Skylights brought nature’s rays downstairs.
Then she sketches out the Ho Yang Fine Art Gallery onto paper. Architect David Maurer and his team transformed her drawings into a blueprint for HN Carr construction company to build. Under the green and orange, we found asbestos. Delay. Covid. Delay. Weather. Delay. Two years later our gallery opened to the public with tremendous support from our oldest closest family and friends near and far.
Through the lens of my eyes, I continued to fall in love with this creative wondrous person each passing day, week, month, and year. Over 32 years, I learned of her earlier years growing up on food stamps, living in government subsidized housing. My heart admired her paying her own way through college and borrowing money to get through medical school. The same heart of mine had palpitations as we signed the construction loan to fund our new space from an ink sketch to reality.
Grace’s life has not been a fairy tale. Far from it. She didn’t need a prince charming to rescue her. Just her hard working, curious, creative mind that could see potential where others did not. My eyes followed her vision to the completion of a remarkable fine art gallery and space we call home. Now I have a desk next to hers to observe the continuation of her life’s passionate work in one of the finest cities one could ever be lucky enough to live in. We continue a shared vision that started with Family Medicine of healing and serving our community, all ages from womb to tomb, all are welcome.
Ho Yang Fine Art is located at 121 Vance St., Clinton, NC 28328. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, and by appointment. The gallery can be contacted at 1-910-212-6414.
Call: T: 910-592-8137 F: 910-592-8756 Address: 109 W. Main St. Clinton, NC 28328