Lillian Goon was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1900. Her father was Seattle’s Chinese consul and hotel owner, Goon Dip. Until 1933, Lillian Goon lived with her family at the Milwaukee Hotel, in Seattle’s Chinatown. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1924. Ms. Goon studied ballet with several teachers, including Seattle’s well-known Mary Ann Wells, and she frequently performed in Chinese costume, as seen in this image. She also enjoyed horseback riding.

At some point, Lillian Goon took her father’s full name as her surname, becoming Lillian Goon Dip. She moved to Mercer Island in 1939, where she raised Siamese and Persian cats. Lillian Goon Dip lived on Mercer Island until her death in 1975.

Caption information source: Program from the Eleventh Annual Dance Festival of the Mary Ann Wells School of the Dance.
Caption information sources: The Seattle Times, November 30, 1927, and August 13, 1975.