See Family Genealogy & History

Lisa See is a prominent American writer and novelist best known for her culturally rich novels and family history explorations. Her acclaimed works include "On Gold Mountain," detailing her Chinese-American family history, and "Shanghai Girls," which reached The New York Times bestseller list. Her literary contributions, like "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" and "The Island of Sea Women," highlight Chinese culture and women's experiences. See's achievements extend to receiving honors from the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature and being nominated for the Edgar Award. Additionally, she has served as a Los Angeles City Commissioner and contributed to cultural exhibits at renowned institutions like the Autry Museum and the Smithsonian.

Born in Paris in 1955, Lisa See is the daughter of Carolyn See, an American novelist and professor, and Richard See, an anthropologist. Her paternal great-grandfather, Fong See, was Chinese, profoundly influencing her work. See's family history is deeply rooted in Los Angeles, particularly in the Chinatown area, where she has spent much of her life. Her mother later remarried, giving Lisa a half-sister, Clara Sturak. Lisa’s rich family heritage and diverse background have significantly shaped her literary career, focusing on themes of family, cultural identity, and the Chinese-American experience.

Elliot McKay See Jr. was a distinguished American engineer, naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. Born on July 23, 1927, in Dallas, Texas, he earned a Bachelor of Science in marine engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and served as a naval aviator during the Korean War. Later, he worked at General Electric as a flight test engineer and test pilot. Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1962, See was the prime command pilot for the Gemini 9 mission before his untimely death in a jet crash in 1966.

Elliot See Jr. was born to Elliot McKay See Sr., an electrical engineer at General Electric, and Mamie Norton See. He was raised alongside his sister, Sally Drummond See, in a family with ties to engineering and real estate professions.

Carolyn See, a distinguished professor emerita of English at UCLA and an influential author, left an indelible mark on literature with ten books, including the memoir "Dreaming: Hard Luck and Good Times in America" and novels like "Golden Days" and "The Handyman." As a notable book critic for The Washington Post for 27 years, her critical insights were highly valued. See was also known for her work with Little, Brown editor Harry Sions and her collaboration with her daughter Lisa See, writing under the pen name Monica Highland. Her contributions to the literary world extended to serving on review boards for awards and being involved with the National Book Critics Circle and PENWest International.

Born Carolyn Laws in Pasadena, California, she was the daughter of Kate Louise Sullivan Daly and George Laws. Her early life was marked by her father's abandonment and her upbringing by a mother she described as a mean alcoholic. After her parents' separation, she lived with her father and stepmother in Los Angeles, highlighting a challenging family dynamic. Carolyn See married Richard See, with whom she had a daughter, Lisa See, before their divorce. Her second marriage to Tom Sturak produced another daughter, Clara Sturak, and also ended in divorce.

Thomas Jefferson Jackson See (1866–1962) was a controversial American astronomer known for his work on binary stars and the Red-Sirius controversy. Despite earning a PhD in mathematics from the University of Berlin and being elected to the American Philosophical Society, See's career was marred by plagiarism and disputes with peers. His theories, such as on the orbit of 70 Ophiuchi, were eventually discredited, leading to his professional isolation. See spent his later years at a naval shipyard in California, where he retired in 1930. His attacks on relativity and fringe ideas on Sirius further distanced him from mainstream astronomy.