Toy Len Goon
As Mother of the Year in 1952, Toy Len Goon visited Washington, D.C., and was received by First Lady Bess Truman at the White House. Photo: Maine Historical Society.
In 1952, Toy Len Goon was awarded "American Mother of the Year" by the American Mothers Committee, which called her success a tribute to the "saga of democracy." The Portland Press Herald wrote of her, "Mrs. Goon is old-fashioned, thank God, old-fashioned enough to believe in a large family, old-fashioned enough to believe her major duty to her children is to teach them to know right from wrong, to follow the Golden Rule, to place spiritual values above material values."
Toy Len Goon arrived in Portland, Maine, from China in 1921. Her husband, Dogan Goon, had been in the United States since he was young and had served in World War I. After returning from the war, Dogan opened a laundry on Forest Avenue in Portland. With the business established, he returned to China and brought Toy Len back with him as his wife. At the time, she spoke no English.
The couple ran the laundry while raising their growing family, eventually having eight children—five boys and three girls. In 1941, Dogan died, leaving Toy Len with eight children still at home—the oldest only 16 years old—and a business to operate. Toy Len devoted herself not only to keeping the business running but also to ensuring that all of her children received a good education.
Nominated for "Mother of the Year" by family friend and former teacher Clara L. Soule, Toy Len was selected as Maine's Mother of the Year and then as American Mother of the Year. She was honored with celebrations in Portland, Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., including a luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria and a parade in Chinatown. She met with First Lady Bess Truman and Republic of China Ambassador V. K. Wellington Koo.
By 1957, it was noted that Toy Len had achieved the goals she had set for her children. Her son Carroll was a physician, Richard a businessman, Edward a research chemist, Albert a lawyer, Josephine a mother, Arthur a Navy veteran studying electrical engineering, Doris a court reporter, and Janet a college student. By this time, the family had left Maine as the children moved away and settled in Lynn, Massachusetts.