In Memory of my Good Friend Senator Harris Blake

By K. John Wei
（October 10, 2014）

Senator Harris Blake lost his parents at a very young age. Despite this, his successful entrepreneurship and brilliant career were the results of his personal aptitude, hard-working spirit, and persistent endeavors. After entering the realm of public service, he served as Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture in the Reagan Administration. He later became a state senator of North Carolina and served as Deputy Speaker of the State Senate. In total, he was a state senator for five terms.

I met Mr. Harris Blake while handling the remains of an American hero, Robert Upchurch, a member of the renowned Flying Tigers during World War II. Sixty-nine years ago, as the Chinese army fought against the invading Japanese Imperial Troops in Guidong County, Hunan Province, an air war unfolded simultaneously. The Flying Tigers, American pilots supporting China’s national liberation, battled the Japanese Air Force in the air. Tragically, one American plane crashed during the conflict, and the pilot died on the spot.

The last letter that this Flying Tigers hero wrote to his parents before boarding the plane was as follows: "Mom and Dad, I'm coming to support China's resistance against Japanese Aggression this time. I'm in a very bad situation. In case of any misfortune, take good care of yourselves!"

After Upchurch's sacrifice, under the leadership of Mr. Huang Rentong of Guidong County, the local people collected the remains of this American soldier and buried him under a pagoda with a hero’s burial. Even more touching was that, at every subsequent Qingming Festival—the occasion when the Chinese pay respect to their deceased relatives—the locals would visit the American hero’s tomb to pay their respects, clean the surroundings, repair the tomb, offer food to, and honor this unknown yet brave man who sacrificed his life to fight the common enemy of both nations. To the locals, this man gave his life to save the people of China. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense, while relocating the remains of lost U.S. soldiers, sent a team to Guidong County, where they recovered the remains and brought them back to the United States. After a DNA analysis, the remains were identified as Robert Upchurch of North Carolina.

At that time, Mr. Harris Blake was a senator of the North Carolina State Assembly. To coordinate the return of this fallen hero, he sent his secretary, Anna Kidd, to the China Center of North Carolina in 2006. As one of the founders of the China Center, I had the opportunity to meet Senator Harris Blake for the first time. In the following years, the China Center dispatched Professor Li’an Xie (North Carolina State University), then the director of the center, to accompany Mr. Harris Blake on several visits to Guidong County, Hunan Province, to handle the matter. Through extensive coordination, the hero’s remains were transported back to North Carolina. For this purpose, I also traveled to Guidong to promote bilateral friendship. Even after the remains were returned to the United States, the grateful locals of Guidong erected a new tomb stele to commemorate this once-unidentified but now-recognized hero. Through this special connection, Guidong County and Moore County miraculously became “sister counties.”

Ever since then, the China Center of North Carolina and the State Assembly have maintained a friendly working relationship. Whenever an important Chinese delegation visited North Carolina, I would bring the delegates directly to Mr. Harris Blake’s office for a meeting. With Mr. Harris Blake’s support, Professor Li’an Xie founded the North Carolina-China Friendship Association. Indeed, enhancing bilateral cooperation and mutual cultural exchanges between the United States and China is the ultimate goal of all of us. With our common efforts toward these goals, our personal friendship deepened over time.

On a personal level, Mr. Harris Blake and I developed profound trust and a close friendship. When my grandson was born, he and his wife, Barbara Blake, congratulated me on becoming a grandfather. They even attended the First Month Celebration of this new life, a tradition in Chinese culture. When his dear wife Barbara passed away in 2009, both my wife and I shared his sadness. Earlier this year, I went to lay flowers at his wife’s tomb. He was there with a cane, and we talked about sweet memories of his wife—an unforgettable moment. Just one week before the state election for governorship in North Carolina in October 2010, he made a special visit and later introduced me to the new governor, Pat McCrory. What moved me most was that he was seriously ill at that moment. Throughout the past decade, we witnessed many vital moments in our lives and encouraged each other in our public service and personal lives. I had never expected that I could make such a wonderful and devoted friend in my adopted country during my later years.

Mr. Harris Blake developed a deep friendship with the Chinese people. During his final years, he dedicated himself to supporting cultural, educational, and economic cooperation between the two transpacific nations. He was a great statesman who befriended Chinese-Americans in mainstream society and a true friend to the Chinese-American community. Even until his passing, he remained committed to strengthening the bilateral ties between North Carolina and Hunan Province. He won the love and respect of local Chinese-Americans through his sincerity and devotion.

On June 12, 2014, a special memorial service in his honor was held at Jackson Springs Church, where the governor and the state speaker presided over the service. The entire state lowered the flag to half-mast to show condolence. The local Chinese-Americans mourned the loss of a great friend. For me, it was the highest admiration the American people, including Chinese-Americans, could display to express their respect for their beloved statesman, who worked diligently and wholeheartedly for their welfare.

Nearly a decade has passed since I first met this great American, yet my memory of this wonderful friend remains fresh, vivid, and clear. I was deeply saddened by his passing and only wish my good friend rests peacefully in Heaven.