Medals of Merit and Valor to be awarded at state capitol

OLYMPIA — For the first time in nine years, Washington’s Medals of Merit and Valor will be awarded today at a ceremony in the state Legislative Building, according to an announcement from the Washington Secretary of State’s office.

The Medal of Merit recognizes exceptional individuals who perform outstanding services for Washington and its residents, according to the announcement. The Medal of Valor is awarded to anyone who has saved, or attempted to save, the life of another at the risk of their own safety and is not acting in the course of duty as a Washington police officer, firefighter or other government-employed first responder.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will join Governor Jay Inslee, Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck and Chief Justice Steven C. González to posthumously recognize Donnie Chin with the Medal of Valor and Dr. Abe Bergman with the Medal of Merit for their service to Washington state, according to the announcement. 

“These are the highest civilian honors awarded to the people of Washington, and it is my privilege to bestow recognitions on such worthy recipients,” Hobbs wrote in the announcement. ”Donnie Chin and Dr. Bergman exemplified what it means to be heroes. Both of them worked every day to make their communities better, no matter the obstacles.”

Chin founded the International District Emergency Center volunteer organization in Seattle in 1968, the announcement said. For more than 40 years, Chin patrolled his community's Chinatown, Little Japantown and Little Saigon areas. From the time he was a teenager, he walked the streets watching for people’s safety, especially elderly residents. He broke down cultural and language barriers in the area while he fed those experiencing food insecurity, assisted in many emergency calls, and passed out his number to anyone who needed it. The Seattle Fire Department called him a guardian angel and made many attempts to hire him, but his first love was volunteering for his community.

“He dedicated his life to serving the Chinatown International District and was a vital liaison in building trust and understanding with the Seattle Fire Department,” Seattle Fire Department Chief Harold D. Scoggins wrote in the announcement.

Chin was killed in a shooting in 2015.

Dr. Abraham “Abe” Bergman was a renowned professor, pediatrician, and national leader of child safety rights who led a fulfilling life caring for others, according to the announcement. Bergman graduated from Case Western Reserve Medical School in 1958 and began a residency at Boston Children’s Hospital. He joined the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine in 1964. He practiced at Seattle Children’s Hospital (then known as Children’s Orthopedic Hospital) before becoming the chief of pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center in 1983.

Over the years, Bergman worked alongside U.S. Senators Henry “Scoop” Jackson, Slade Gorton and Warren Magnuson to assist with landmark legislation, including the Flammable Fabrics Act of 1967, which required children’s sleepwear manufacturers to make them flame-retardant. In 1970, he helped with the Prevention Packaging Act, which required medications to be sold in child-resistant containers, and the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Act in 1974, which gave the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development the responsibility of overseeing research.

Bergman passed away surrounded by his children Nov. 10, 2023, at 91.

“Dr. Bergman, through his national political efforts, improved the health of more children than most pediatricians will see in a lifetime,” Harborview Medical Center Chief of Pediatrics Dr. Brian D. Johnston wrote in the announcement. “His colleagues at Harborview remember him equally for his generous capacity as a mentor, his commitment to local communities, and his passionate work for health equity long before there was a term for that concept.”