Taiwanese Association of Wisconsin (威斯康辛)
Identity Snapshot
- English: Taiwanese Association of Wisconsin
- Chinese: 威斯康辛
- Era: Contemporary
- Geography: Taiwanese American community
- Core roles: Community organization (TAH directory)
The Taiwanese Association of Wisconsin (威斯康辛 台灣同鄉會) is a regional chapter of the Taiwanese Association of America (TAA, 全美台灣同鄉會), the national umbrella organization serving Taiwanese American communities across the United States. The chapter serves the Taiwanese American community in the state of Wisconsin.
Role in the Community
The corpus preserves the Wisconsin record mostly at the campus level (UW–Madison) rather than as a state chapter:
- Formosan Club of the University of Wisconsin (威大台灣同鄉會): organized by UW–Madison Taiwanese students, statutes adopted 1963-10-02 (dues US$1/semester), officially registered at the student center 1963-10-19 as a non-political club; 周试明 physician served as faculty advisor, and 田弘茂 (later ROC foreign minister, then a UW student) carried the registration playbook to other campuses. From 朱靜女’s memoir [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/ourjourneys277|TAH #277 他們這樣愛台灣：威斯康辛大學「台灣布袋戲團」的故事, 2017]].
- Registration battle & the 1965 flag incident (周烒明’s memoir): the campus club registered as 「UW Formosan Student Club威大台灣同學會」 in early 1963; the ROC embassy in Washington ordered KMT professional students to block recognition (“an equivalent student club already exists”), and Taiwanese students won the case in an open Student Senate debate argued by 利騰俊, who traced the name Formosa/台灣 to the Sincan/平埔族 台灣社 and argued Taiwan’s cultural-historical separateness from China. Statutes followed 1963-10-02, registration 1963-10-19. Politically minded members then formed the 台灣問題研究會 (FASG, Apr 1964; advisor Douglas Mendel, author of The Politics of Formosan Nationalism), which on 1965-05-02 marched the first self-made 台灣國旗 in UW’s international-day flag parade (flag designed and sewn by 吳秀惠; 周烒明 carried it), and which helped produce the 麥迪遜結盟大會. Source: 81. 早期(1960〜1970年)威大台灣學生在台灣建國運動所扮演的角色 (周烒明, 2014-12).
- Statewide chapter record: the corpus holds 全美台灣同鄉會威斯康辛分會1970會刊 (issued 1970-04) — documentary evidence that a Wisconsin state chapter existed and published its own journal by 1970, not just the Madison/campus clubs: [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/553-e5-85-a8-e7-be-8e-e5-8f-b0-e7-81-a3-e5-90-8c-e9-84-89-e6-9c-83-e5-a8-81-e6-9|TAH #553 威斯康辛分會1970會刊]].
- May Flower (美島週報): edited and distributed by Taiwanese association members in Madison from 1971-07-01 before becoming the TAA’s official journal in 1973 — evidence of Madison’s early role in the Taiwanese-consciousness movement ([[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/ourjourneys123-eng|TAH #123, TAA founding history]]); the English TAA history corroborates the Madison leg — May Flower began in 1969 in Ft. Collins, Colorado (Cary S. Huang and others), moved to Madison on 1971-07-01 edited and distributed by the Taiwanese association members there, then Houston (1971-12-20) and Los Angeles before becoming the TAA’s official journal 1973-11-20 — Our Journeys 76 (EN). Notably Wisconsin is absent from that account’s list of 9 new TAA chapters added during the second presidency, consistent with the HOLD below that the corpus never names a formal statewide chapter.
- First North American Taiwanese retreat (靈修會), 1967: held on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin — [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/158-e5-a8-81-e6-96-af-e5-ba-b7-e8-be-9b-e5-b7-9e-e6-97-a5-e5-85-a7-e7-93-a6-e6-b|TAH #158 威斯康辛州日內瓦湖畔・第一個北美洲台灣人靈修會]].
- Christian student activity: Madison Taiwanese students ran prayer/Bible-study groups and hosted the first 基督徒夏令會 at Wisconsin Dells (劉真真, 陳紹紀, 鄭學禮 credited with the preparation), per 謝伯芳’s memoir [[works/taiwaneseamericanhistory-org/ourjourneys-369|TAH #369]].
- Cultural legacy: the UW–Madison 台灣布袋戲團 (founded 1997 out of the campus 台灣同學會) is profiled in the same #277 memoir.
HOLD: this state-level directory page and Taiwanese Association of Madison-WI are separate TAH directory entries; the corpus does not state whether a separate statewide chapter ever existed beyond the Madison club/chapter. Not merged.