March Fong Eu

Written By:  Andrew Eide

March Fong Eu was an amazing woman and our family knew her personally. Her brother, Willie Lee, was our father’s Real Estate agent. The home my father purchased at 4263 Saint Andrews Road in Oakland, California in the early 1960’s was owned by March Fong when my father purchased the home.

March was in the California Assembly as an Assemblywoman representing the 15^th District which covered Oakland and Castro Valley.

In 1974 she was elected to the State of California as Secretary of State where she served well until 1996.

Let me tell you how special March Fong was to our family.

I joined the Navy in 1972. Many years down the road, even into the 1980’s, I would get the urge to contact March Fong Eu to see how she was doing. I would call the California State Secretary of State’s office and the conversation would go something like the following:

ANDREW:  May I please speak to March Fong Eu?

ASSISTANT TO MARCH FONG EU:  Nobody can just call the talk to her. Go through the proper channels and make an appointment like everyone else has to do.

ANDREW:  Look I am a personal family friend of hers. Would you please tell her that Andrew Eide, son of Allen Eide, is on the phone?

ASSISTANT TO MARCH FONG EU:  Okay I will do this but I assure you that she never speaks to anyone just because they call.

* short silence on the phone *

MARCH FONG EU:  Andrew! How are you! I’ve been thinking about you and wonder how you’ve been doing! If you are ever in Sacramento please stop in my office and I will visit with you and you don’t need an appointment!

Do you see how special March Fong Eu is to our family? She was truly a remarkable woman.