How a Chinese American became a pioneering Parrish farmer after fighting in WWII
When he was 7 years old, Steven Chin’s mother sent him from Kowloon, China, to live with family in the United States so that he might have a better way of life.
That was in 1931.
Before he died in 1998, Steven Chin had abundantly found the life his mother might have wished for for him.
He achieved success as a farmer and innovator, as a soldier during World War II, and earned the admiration of his adopted community in Parrish.
Among those who attended his funeral was Janet Reno, the then-attorney general in President Bill Clinton’s cabinet.
This week, Chin was posthumously inducted into the Manatee County Agriculture Hall of Fame, one of the first Asian-Americans to be so honored.
The award is one of the highlights of the annual Manatee County Farm-City week, which spotlights the importance of agriculture, a sector still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Ian.
Among those who attended the ceremony in Kendrick Auditorium at the Manatee County Fairgrounds were his three surviving children, Stuart, Robin and Cindy Chin, and their families.
“I could never accomplish in three lifetimes what he did in one,” said Stuart Chin, who retired as a special agent in charge of the terrorist task force for the FBI.
“I believe he was the hardest working man I ever knew. He never took a vacation,” Chin said, adding that his father was humble, respectful of other’s time, and while appreciative of the honor, would have wanted the ceremony to be brief.
‘He came with a purpose’
Longtime Parrish resident Norma Kennedy nominated Steven Chin for the hall of fame.
“He came with a purpose and accomplished that purpose,” Kennedy said.
As a child, Steven Chin arrived in New York from China, where he completed public school, enrolled in a trade school studying welding and worked on his uncle’s farm.
On Oct. 21, 1943, he married his wife, Susan, only a few weeks before entering the U.S. Army during World War II.
He served as a combat engineer in the U.S. Third Army under the command of Gen. George Patton during World War II, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor and two Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in combat. He was promoted to sergeant.
More than 50 years after the end of World War II — and after Steven Chin had passed away — the family received a surprise phone call from Chin’s former commanding officer.
“Did your dad ever tell you he saved my life?” the caller asked.
He then explained that Chin had saved the lives of several squad members when they were pinned down by a German sniper. Chin, without being ordered, sought out the enemy and took action to save his squad, Kennedy wrote in her nomination.
“Your dad was a hell of soldier and a good man. He was one of my best,” the caller told Chin’s family.
A visionary start in Florida
After the war, Chin returned to New York, resumed farming and started a family. Steven and Susan’s first child, Patricia, now deceased, was born in 1946.
In 1947, Steven and Susan visited Florida and realized that unlike in New York, they could grow their Chinese vegetables — bok choy, Napa cabbage, mustard, broccoli, radishes, snow peas, melons and more — year-round on Terra Ceia Island.
In 1954, the Chins built their home on U.S. 301 in Parrish and farmed several hundred acres on land divided by what would become known as Chin Road.
A willingness to try new ways
His interest in farming expanded to include a herd of 300 cattle, citrus and tomatoes.
He shipped his vegetables to markets as far as New York and Canada, but he and Susan also delivered produce to Asian stores and restaurants in the Tampa Bay area.
“With the help of his wife Susan, their four children and several workers, Mr. Chin was able to operate a business which consisted of a 300-acre produce farm, an orange grove, cattle and approximately 100 acres of tomatoes,” Kennedy wrote in her hall of fame recommendation.
“Once the children were no longer available to work on the farm, Mr. Chin downsized his operation but continued to perform all the duties associated with the farm to include tractor work, maintenance and repairs,” Kennedy wrote.
He also owned and operated two tractor-trailers and a large box truck which he used to deliver his produce.
A family business
“My father was very smart and a tough negotiator. He was meticulous and neat in everything that he did and his rows were perfectly straight,” Stuart Chin said.
“My father loved farming and this country for all the opportunity it offered,” he said. “The only thing he loved more was his wife and family. My mother was his partner and his inspiration.”
Steven Chin died at age 73 on May 21, 1998, while preparing for another day of work. Less than a year later, his beloved Susan died.
All of the Chin children went on to careers outside of farming, said Cindy Chin, who worked many years in the Manatee County Clerk of Court’s office.
All are retired now, and the Chin farm is no more. The Chin home in Parrish has been replaced by The Shops at Silver Leaf, a Publix-anchored shopping center.
“He was a family man, a hard worker — he worked all the time. Any free time he spent with us. It was his life,” Cindy Chin said.
Susan was truly Steven’s partner.
“She was the woman behind the man. She worked the farm as much as Dad,” Cindy said. “We were all out there, working on the farm. You would get home from school and it was time to hit the farm. I miss those days.
“I am very proud of my father and what he accomplished. He was a very forward thinking farmer,” she said.
The family is also pleased with Steven’s selection to the Manatee County Agriculture Hall of Fame.
“We are very honored, very touched and very surprised,” Cindy Chin said.
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 10:20 AM.
