Chieftain, Volume 18, Number 2, June 1970 Page: 1
6 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
JAY-ROLLINS LIBRARY
McMurry Collage
Abilene, Texas
McMURRY COLLEGE
jut. 171970
JUNE 1970
VOLUME 18 NUMBER 2
Dr. Tom Kim — From Korea to McMurry
By Jack Holden
The sincerity, humor, warmth
and intelligence of McMurry Col-
lege's new president have already
captured for him the hearts of hun-
dreds of her alumni, trustees, and
friends, even though he has only
been on the job officially since
June 1.
Dr. Thomas K. Kim, economics
professor at Texas Tech since 1965,
was elected on April 10 to succeed
Dr. Gordon R. Bennett as McMur-
ry's president. Already Dr. Kim has
made his presence felt on the
campus.
There are children's feet in the
president's home on Tanglewood,
too. Tom and Martha Kim have two
children; a son, Larry, eight-year-
old little leaguer and sports enthu-
siast; and Cathy, seven-year-old
daughter who already has an In-
dian costume ready for the fall
Homecoming and its Teepee Vil-
lage.
The Kims are living proof of
how fate entwines the paths of man
and woman. He came all the way
from Korea to Kentucky and met
her at an ice cream social where she
sat on his freezer to steady it while
he cranked.
Dr. Kim's story is an interesting
one, rooted in Asia but as thor-
oughly American as that ice cream
social. It is also a testimonial to the
American system that believes in
giving everybody an opportunity to
get a college education — because
not only did Tom Kim get his
chance in the United States, but so
did his three brothers and a sister;
and one of two other brothers was
educated in the U. S. before the two
gave their lives to the South Ko-
rean cause in the war which began
in 1950.
The path from Shanghai, China,
where Dr. Kim was born, back to
Korea and on to the United States
was a difficult one, but it was one
of courage and determination.
Dr. Kim's parents were both
South Koreans, converted early in
their lives to Christianity by Amer-
ican Methodist missionaries. The
father planned to be a Methodist
minister, but he was first deter-
mined to help rid Korea of the Jap-
anese oppression which had gripped
the little nation since the early
1900's. He joined the revolutionary
movement and spent many years in
exile, attached to the government
of Chiang Kai-shek. So all the Kim
children were born in China, and it
was not until 1946 that the family
returned to Korea. Even then their
happiness was short-lived because
in 1950 came the Communist in-
vasion.
Dr. Kim had come to the United
States in 1948, along with two
brothers and a sister, but his two
oldest brothers were seized by the
Communists and taken to North
Korea where they presumably died.
The father was also taken prisoner
but was released because of his age.
One of the two oldest brothers was
educated in the United States and
was chief of the Bureau of Mines
for the Korean National Govern-
Continued on Page 5
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
McMurry College. Chieftain, Volume 18, Number 2, June 1970, periodical, June 1970; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth238658/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.