SEATTLE — A beloved advocate in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District and a longtime Seattle doctor will be honored at the state Capitol on Wednesday.
Donnie Chin, who founded the International District Emergency Center volunteer organization, will be awarded the Medal of Valor. Dr. Abe Bergman, a well-known professor and pediatrician, will be awarded the Medal of Merit.
The Medal of Valor honors civilians who have saved or tried to save the life of another at risk to their safety. The Medal of Merit honors people for outstanding services to Washington.
They are the highest civilian honors in Washington, and it’s the first time since 2015 that the state has awarded them.
Since Chin was a teen, he walked the streets of the Chinatown-International District watching for people’s safety. Chin broke down cultural and language barriers, fed the hungry and helped with emergency calls, according to the Washington Secretary of State’s office.
In a statement, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said Chin was a “vital liaison” to building trust between the community and the fire department.
Chin was shot and killed in July 2015 while patrolling the International District. Police said it appeared two rival gangs were shooting at each other, and Chin was caught in the crossfire. His case remains unsolved.
Bergman died in November at 91 years old. He is considered one of Seattle’s pioneers in the medical field, who fought to help children living in poverty and those with disabilities.
For more than 20 years he was the chief of pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center and was also the founder of the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic, a satellite of Seattle Children's hospital that primarily serves low-income families. He built and ran a park in the Central District called the Seattle Playgarden, which gave children with all types of abilities a safe place to play.