Milton K. Wong loses battle with cancer
Posted January 2, 2012 2:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Popular Vancouver philanthropist and business leader Milton K. Wong has died at the age of 72. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for several months and passed away on Saturday.
Wong was appointed the chancellor of Simon Fraser University in 1999 and held the post until 2005.
He’s the co-founder of the annual Vancouver’s Dragon Boat Festival, the co-chair of the BC Cancer Foundation Millennium Campaign and an advisory board member with the Salvation Army.
“Milton was an outstanding Canadian and proud son of Vancouver who leaves behind a tremendous legacy of public service and social responsibility. Milton touched the lives of countless Vancouver residents and he will be remembered for his compassion, leadership and deep sense of humanity,” says Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.
Among many other honours, he received the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, and the City of Vancouver’s highest honour, the Freedom of the City Award.
A memorial service will take place in Vancouver for him later this month.