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WASHINGTON–Andrew Card, former White House Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, led a distinguished list of Republicans and Democrats who turned up to honor former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Yoshio Mineta at the 10th anniversary of the APIAVote, held on September 21 here.

                APIAVote Executive Director Christine Chen said the gala would start "a new tradition of roasting those we love." But the evening was more of a toast, not a roast, of a man generously described by Card as a man of integrity, a great leader, a patriotic American and "one of the real heroes of 9-11." He recounted how "tens of thousands" on airplanes, trains and ships "found their safe place in our society that day," thanks in part to Mineta, working steadily from the White House "bunker."

                Card ended his remarks by noting, "Our President is fond of you, our former President is too...but most of all, the American people thank you."

                Mineta, a Democrat, served two Presidents from both parties. He was President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Commerce. Until he stepped down recently, he was Secretary of Transportation under President Bush. In 1971, he became the first Asian Pacific American mayor of a U.S. city when he was elected mayor of San Jose, California. As U.S. congressman, he represented the 15 th district of California from 1974 to 1995.

                Card, handsome and cool, set the evening’s tone, delighting the capacity-crowd at the J. W. Marriott ballroom. He first met Mineta "as a young staffer in the Reagan White House." He heaped superlatives on the honoree, who sat gracious and grateful with his wife Daniela at the head table.

                To a hushed audience, Card also related a historic tale of two Presidents–President Bush and former President George H. W. Bush–greeting each other as "Mr. President!" and saying nothing more at the Oval Office on the son’s inauguration day, imbuing the moment with "respect for the Office of the Presidency," which was also Mineta’s trademark as a public servant.

                U.S. Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), who considers Mineta as his mentor and also an inspiration to other Asian Americans, described him as "one of those people whose presence makes you nervous." Others who took turns at the mike were: Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy Ben H. Wu; Deputy Administrator for U.S. Small Business Administration Ginger Lew; former Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Executive Director Gloria T. Caoile; and Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Stuart Ishimaru. Also present but who left early were U.S. Congressman Xavier Vicerra (D-CA) and U.S. Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam).

                Via videotape, former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyoming), fondly ribbed a fellow Boy Scout and colleague who taught him and others "to work within the system." Simpson also said, eliciting laughter, "The President, he admired you, I know that. And you admire him. Doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true."

                Throughout the night, Mineta by turns blushed, grinned, and turned really, really quiet and touched. Another evening’s highlight was a video retrospective of Mineta, the public servant and Mineta the family man. One of the emcees was actress Tamlyn Tomita, whose screen credits include "The Karate Kid, Part II," her first film, and "The Joy Luck Club." In 1996, she produced APIAVote’s public service announcement featuring 21 Asian Pacific American celebrities. Teaming up with her was David Louie, 35-year veteran reporter for ABC7 News in San Francisco, California. A three-time Emmy Award winner, he covered the kidnap of heiress Patricia Hearst and the Loma Prieta earthquake.