Dr James Si-Cheng Chao and his oldest daughter Elaine Chao pose for photo with the bust of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao. Photos by LI GE / CHINA DAILY

"At that time, there were so few Chinese, Asians in America," said Elaine Chao, the oldest daughter of the couple, who later became the US labor secretary under President George W. Bush and the first Asian-American woman in US history to be appointed to a president's cabinet.

Ruth Chao commuted to Chinatown every week for food and ingredients and brought out delicious dishes to the dining table every evening in their tiny first apartment in Queens.

All six daughters attended prestigious American universities, including four who attended the MBA program at the Harvard Business School.

"She was a positive, optimistic person who believed in the transformational power of education regardless of gender in developing leaders for the world," Elaine Chao said of her mother.

Ruth Chao returned to school at the age of 53 and earned a master's degree from St. John's University in Asian literature and history..

She was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2001 and died in 2007.

hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com