The Face of Waycross

I came here knowing no one, except a few of Alison's relatives.  I came here a stranger.

And then I met Paul Tang. 

On one of our first visits here, while we were still living in North Georgia, Alison, who was a Blackshear native, encouraged me to try out this Chinese restaurant she had grown to love.  It was hard for me to understand everything she was trying to tell me. Was it the food? The atmosphere?  The service?

It did not take me long to realize that it was Paul Tang.  This gregarious man greeted me like a long lost brother.  He shook my hand and talked about how wonderful Alison was.  I felt immediately accepted, and it made me feel so much better about this area. 

Alison's father, Johnny Aldridge, did the printing for Paul Tang's restaurant, Wong's Palace.  Alison had been eating there since she was a  small child.  Paul affectionately called Alison's father, Mr. Rich.  Was it because of the lucrative printing contract?  Probably not.  It most likely came from a re-interpretation of the name - Johnny Aldridge...Ald Ridge...All Rich.  Alison's father has a great sense of humor, and they would cut up a lot.

When Alison came back to Blackshear to get married, it was a no-brainer.  Our first stop after the wedding was to go to Wong's.  What better way to give you the most luck and love than to start your new life together at Wong's?

Within six months of getting married, we found an opportunity to move to Blackshear.  It was a risk, but knowing Paul Tang helped me make my decision.

We first worked together in the Bowen Building in Waycross.  And we would go to Wong's at least once a week.  I was determined to explore the whole menu, trying in order each combination.  And here was one of the great things about Wong's.  Once you know the menu and what you like, you could customize anything to your tastes.  Ask them if you could change things up, and the answer would always be, "No problem!  We can do it!"

My older boys would visit me sometimes, and we would always fit in a trip to Wong's.  And even though Paul would only see my older boys once a year or less, he always remembered who they were.  He knew their names, and asked follow-ups on the last conversation he had with them!

And when my son Benjamin came into our lives, he greeted and treated Benjamin as if he were his own son.  Benjamin loved Paul.  If you ask Benjamin where he wants to go to eat, he will always bring up Wong's. 

When we sold our little starter home on Church Street in Blackshear, we sold to a Chinese family who was operating Panda Restaurant in Blackshear.  They did not speak English, and communication was difficult.  Paul was kind enough to sit in our closing and help translate.  He made it so much easier for both families involved in the sale. He did not consider them competitors.  He considered it a service to his friends and his community.

When we travel, we often stop at different restaurants - Mexican, Italian, BarBQ, American, Greek, Thai.  But we do not stop at Chinese restaurants.  Because we know they will always disappoint compared to Wong's.  For my family, there is only one place - Wong's Palace.

Paul had been struggling with illness the last few years.  Many times he seemed to be winning, that he had beaten it back.  But recently he lost that battle.

No, he was not an intimate friend.  I knew him like many others as the smiling face of Waycross.  He meant the world to me, to my family, to many of us who live here.

He will always live on to me as the true face of Waycross.  He opened his arms and welcomed me in.  As he did for so many of us.

Benjamin will be home for Christmas break.  He will want to go to Wong's.  It will be hard on him that Paul is not there.  But I know how Benjamin thinks.  Paul's physical body may not be there, but his spirit will dwell there forever.  And not just at Wong's, but all around this area.  He lives on each of us whose lives have been touched by him.

We will go there with Benjamin.

And we will lift our sweet teas in his honor.