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California State University, Sacramento

Roger G.F. Fong has dedicated his professional and personal life to public service. He was the
first Asian American county assessor in the United States, first elected to the office in 1986 and
reelected twice by wide majorities.

Mr. Fong was born in Sacramento in 1933. His parents were Chinese immigrants who overcame
social and legal discrimination to become successful landowners and farmers. He grew up
helping to work the land with his extended family. Mr. Fong was a competitive runner at
Sacramento High School and then at Sacramento City College, where he ran varsity track and
received an associate degree in business. Later, he enrolled at California State University,
Sacramento, where he continued to participate in track and competed with the university’s
boxing team. After graduating from Sacramento State in 1956 with a degree in business
administration, Mr. Fong joined the U.S. Navy and continued to box competitively. After his
military service, he returned to Sacramento and began his long career in public service.

Mr. Fong has dedicated himself to serving others in his personal life as well and has passionately
supported Chinese and Asian American communities in Sacramento. He is a founding member of
the Chinese American Council of Sacramento (CACS) and the CACS Foundation, which serve
as a voice for Chinese American and Asian/Pacific Islander American communities that are
underserved, underrepresented and in need of support. Mr. Fong also served on the board of the
Sacramento Chinese United Methodist Church, including a term as chair. He and his late wife,
Florence, were regular supporters of the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation, as well as
benefactors of the Asian Pacific Islander American Association.

He has served on the boards of KVIE television, the Sacramento Symphony, St. Hope Academy
and United Way’s Sacramento chapter. At Sacramento State, Mr. Fong served on the College of
Business Advisory Committee and the Alumni Boxing Hall of Fame Committee. He was the
Alumni of the Year for the Sacramento State College of Business in 1996 and earned the
Distinguished Service Award from the Sacramento State Alumni Association.

In recognition of his lifelong dedication to public service and his passion for supporting his
fellow Asian Americans in Sacramento, the Board of Trustees of the California State University
and California State University, Sacramento are proud to confer upon Roger G.F. Fong the
honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.