Fred Wong, seen here taking the FBI oath, became a special agent in 1982. He played a key role in the arrest of a Top Ten fugitive in 1984, and served as head of FBI offices in Belgium and Indonesia before retiring in 2007.
The role of agents of Asian ancestry over the past 50 years—since Edwin Yee and Calvin Shishido were sworn in as agents in 1965—was a centerpiece of this year’s annual national conference of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. Retired Special Agent Ellen Glasser, who was president of the society during the September gathering in Reno, Nevada, said it was a fitting time to honor them for the “special value and needed diversity” they brought to the FBI’s ranks.
“We decided this was an opportunity to do something really important and to create a historical marker for their 50 years of service,” Glasser said, speaking to hundreds of former agents, but specifically addressing the cadre of Asian former agents in attendance. “By celebrating your achievements and your loyalty, we here in the FBI family want to publicly say thank you and job well done.”
