Former Prince George resident Lily Chow is the recipient of a Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal.

Now living in Victoria, Chow received the medal in recognition of her community service, including her work as a member of the New Pathways to Gold Society's board of directors.

“For many decades, Ms. Lily Chow has contributed to her community as an author, a teacher, and most recently, on the Board of the New Pathways to Gold Society, a vehicle to sustain community legacies in heritage, economic, and First Nations reconciliation. Her interest in making history come alive, and her love of B.C., led to her involvement with the Society which aims to attract individuals to the B.C. interior by telling its stories, which include those of the Chinese Canadian pioneers who mined gold and built the CPR in the Fraser Valley,” reads the citation.

Chow was born in Malaysia and has lived in Canada since the 1960s. She taught in the Prince George School District and at the University of British Columbia. Her first book, Sojourners in the North, won the Jeanne Clark Award for local history from the Prince George Public Library and is used as a textbook in many colleges and universities.

Chow also received a medal during Queen Elizabeth's 50th Jubilee Anniversary celebrations in 2002.