These days some of you only know Rose Pak as the name on a Muni station, and that is too bad. She was an elbows-out, combative political force who was never afraid to speak her mind, which was always the case at the annual Chinese New Year Parade.

We lost Rose Pak ten years ago, in 2016, at the age of 68. By that point, she had become a singular force in her beloved Chinatown and in citywide politics, and she never seemed happier than when she had a microphone in her hand, presiding over the grandstand stage at the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade. It was an emcee role that she reveled in, because it gave her a chance to poke fun and goad local politicians on her turf, so to speak, as they all lined up to court favor with the Chinese American community by appearing in the annual parade.

The Chronicle today looks back at the full history of the Lunar New Year celebrations in San Francisco, which date back to 1853. But it wasn't until a century later, in 1953, that Chinatown business leader Henry Kwock Wong launched the parade as we know it today — modeled after American celebrations like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Wong's son, Wesley R. Wong, writes in the biography Mr. Chinatown: The Legacy of H.K. Wong, that his father envisioned a celebration to "rival Mardi Gras in New Orleans," and one that would show Communist-fearing Americans that the Chinese American community was not to be feared.

But local politicians certainly had something to fear when it came to Rose Pak, who was known to get what she wanted — like the Central Subway! — and to exact revenge when she didn't. The video clip below captures Pak at the height of her powers, on the microphone at the parade in 2012.

The video begins with Pak asking the crowd whether they want her to continue the tradition of haranguing passing political figures, and you can hear a few cheers of "yes."

Pak then begins her schtick, telling then Police Chief Greg Suhr, "Next year, I expect to see more Asian faces up here!" as the SFPD contingent walks by. As then-Supervisor David Chiu (now the SF City Attorney) rolls by, she says, "Hey David, your landlord is going to rent me the empty apartment above your apartment. I'm moving to District 3," saying she hadn't decided whether she was going to run against him in an upcoming election.

When Supervisor Carmen Chu came by, she said, "Poor Carmen's car broke down, so she had to walk the whole way," and she handed Chu the microphone to address the crowd.

"Now you see how partial I am," Pak said. "I only gave the mic to her."

When Supervisor John Avalos rolled by and his driver revved his car engine, Pak joked, "That was what he used on his campaign. And after that, he came in second after Ed Lee," referring to the recent mayoral election in which her candidate, Lee, had won handily.

RIP, Rose Pak.

This year's Chinese New Year Festival & Parade is on Saturday, March 7.