McMurry University War Whoop (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 4, Ed. 1, Friday, October 2, 1992 Page: 4 of 8
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Octolrar 2 1992
tQtQK &
JC-
'yc-'co
DiKim:
Education is key
Not many or us will be able to
catch a piece ofthe American Dream in
the tame manner asDnThomasK. Kim
president of McMurry University for
the past 22 yean but his life story pro-
vides the inspiration for us to try.
Considering the enormity of the
cultural challenge of moving from Ko-
rea to the United States "At that time I
didn't think much about it-t-now when
I think back to those years sometimes at
night I breakout in sweat and say if I
had that responsibility now at my age I
would be scared to death."
At the close or World War II
Thomas Kim a 17-year-old of Korean
descent already had the responsibility
to function as an interpret erforthe United
States Army Military Government in
Korea. I lis job was to aid In the fair and
equal return of land from the ownership
of the Japanese during the war back to
the Koreans oiler the war had ended.
At first young Kim traveled the
countryside acting as an interpreter be-
tween the Korean farmers and a U.S.
State Department official. Neverthe-
less he would eventually be sent in a
jeep with a U.S Army driver into the
Korean towns. lie collected the facts
needed to write his own recommenda-
tions for the major land reforms crucial
to his fellow Korean people.
"I was too young" said Kim "I did
not realize what a big responsibility that
it was. My recommendations were al-
most eighty per cent of the final deci-
jion." Thomas Kim's father felt that his
children needed to go to America to
further their education so the young
man left his family to go America.
While on the boat voyage across
the Pacific Kim immersed himself into
trying to learn American customs. He
spent his time learning those customs
like how to cat with knives and folks
instead of the chopsticks of his cliild
hood.
One of his greatest fears during the
passage was his unsophisticated use of
English in comparison to the native
speakers of the language. He felt that
the lack of skills in this area would
manifest in a failure to finish college.
Then he would have to return home and
face his parents as a disgrace.
Dr. Kim also had ambition when
he arrived in America.
"My biggest hope was that I would
become an engineer and that I would be
able to build all kinds of things and go
back to Korea and help them build. We
needed bridges. Wc needed highways.
We needed water systems. Korea was a
devastated land. My greatest hope was
that I would get the education that would
enable me to go back to Korea and help
bring Korea from the nineteenth century
to the twentieth century."
ThencwcomertoAmericain 1948
smooth assimilation into the American
lifestyle was aided by Walter and Edith
Carr. The Cans' nephew was a soldier
the Kim family had befriended while he
was stationed in Korea. The soldier had
written to tell his relatives in America of
Thomas' arrival in America.
'The whole American style and
standard of living was so much higher.
It was startling to know cars and ga-
rages and back in those days they deli v-
crcd milk to the
fnirh door. The
housewife got
ready to pick up
the milk along
with the newspa-
per. Everything
was so different
and I really
thought this was
an extraordinary
Dutch Driver
land."
After his arrival in Kentucky the fears
that he had in transit about the American
culture diminished when the students of
Bcrea College in Kentucky elected him to
be the vice-president of the student associa-
tion during his second year there.
Beyond his graduation from Derca
Dr. Kim's first job after getting a master's
degree was as a teacher of typing history
and English to American students at Waddy
High School in Waddy Kentucky. He
would however soon have problems with
the United States Immigration and Natural-
ization Service.
Since he had a position as a high
school teacher he had ran counter to the
terms of his student visa which had allowed
him to attend college. That same visa also
forbade him to have a job. Heonlytookthe
job at Waddy to support himself because he
had no money and could not start his doc-
toral program. Nevertheless the Immigra-
tion Service decided that Kim had to leave
the country. The citizens of Waddy (hen
petitioned their representative and senators
to pass a law through Congress The law
allowed Thomas Kim to became a citizen of
the United States in 1955 with the signa-
ture of President D wight Eisenhower.
As if those were not enough accom-
plishments more would come. Dr. Kim
went on to get a doctorate in economics
because he thought a higher education was
essential to realizing his dreams.
"When I came here I thought if I got a
bachelor's degree I would be completely
satisfied and thenlthought I've got toget
my masters and then I thought well
really in my field I need to get a PhD.
Finishing my degree gave me a real sense of
groundedncss and accomplishment in my
field as a professional.
'Then I derived probably the greatest
satisfaction when I was teaching in various
universities. I returned to Derca College to
teach.andDakerUnivcrsityandTcxasTech
and then I came here. Teaching and admin-
istering back in the higher education envi-
ronment." All of these not just becoming
the President of McMurry were high points
in his life.
He also says one of his greatest satis-
factions comes from the ability to work with
young people as a professor or as an admin-
istrator. "I feel that I am now doing what I
ought to be doing."
Dr. Kim sees education as the key to
success in achieve the American Dreams.
If you don't receive education take
advantage of education and try to tap really
deep inside you and reach further than you
ever thought you could reach and stretch
yourself and try to reach you will never
know how high you could reach.
"I think it's the key even if you are
rich even if you come from a family that
has millions of dollars to burn. If you don't
receive an education you become a play-
boy a beachcomber a beatnik and die rich
Dream
widening prof says
The "American dream" what
is it? Is it the struggle to become
another Sam Walton Ross Perot or
Donald Trump? Or is it just to outdo
the accomplishments of our mothers
fathers and grandparents? Perhaps it
is a little of both. Yet maybe it is
neither. In talking with Dr. Robert
Wallace Mc Muny assistant profes-
sor of sociology I became enlightened
to what the all-encompassing
"American dream" is what it was
where it is headed and what positive
and negative effects it has on people.
If you were to ask people what
the "American dream" is you would
receive a variety of answers. For
example my interpretation is my
ability to far outdo anything that my
grandparents (or parents) ever
dreamed of. My interpretation reaches
farther than my family. The
"American dream" allows people from
other nations to come to America and
find freedom in what they want to do.
That is they can come to America and
find a better paying job than what was
available to them in Lhcir home country
and be able to support their family.
Thus America is known as the "land
of opportunity".
When speaking with Dr. Wallace
he was a little more precise in his
interpretation. He divides the
"American dream" into two parts :
political and economical. He asserts
that on a political level the "American
dream" has substance. People have
greater life chances due to American
democratic principles. However on
an economic level be argues that the
"American dream" only has partial
substance. This is due in part to the
type of job markets now open com-
pared to what there was in the past.
Dr. Wallace's example was that when
his father graduated from high school
it was possible for him to get a job in
and having had the pleasures of life but
never fulfilled and satisfied and happy
as a whole human being."
I Ie also thinks (lie American Dream
is available to those who have the drive
necessary to achieve it.
"You could be a poor person but if
you took advantage of the educational
opportunities available and at least came
to know what you are who you are
and know your relationship to God and
your potential and tried it and reached
some potential you would be a whole lot
happier human being. That is where the
boundaries
the local oil and gas industry. However
by the time that Dr. Wallace graduated
from high school and even college this
opportunity was no longer there. He
described the same pattern in other types
of industry.
This he says is because of a shift
that occurred after World War n. At that
time wo were a new world power and the
cold war and nuclear buildup sidetracked
us. These distractions led to the losing of
the edge that the loss of the industrial
base for which there is no replacement
This Dr. Wallace says is sad and is nega-
tive in a way because there ore no longer
as many options as there were before.
Regardless of these alterations most
Americans still believe in the economic
"American dream". Dr. Wallace thinks
this is impractical due to the large-scale
changes just noted but also because it
tends to deny the force of the small-scale
environment such as the family.
According to Dr. Wallace everyone
carries "baggage" that will always go
with them which promotes or binders
mobility chances. Forcxamplc.apcrson's
family influences how far one gets in this
world. If one person has the lastnomeof
Kennedy and has ties with the Kennedy
family they arc more likely to get voted
Massachusetts senator than is someone
by the name of Gravicr.
This is not to say that someday my
great-great-grandchildren will not be able
to become a Massachussetts senator.
There is a positive shift in generational
increments according to Dr. Wallace.
That means each generation is more able
than the last to move higher up the social
pyramid. However one must then deal
with the powers that be. At the very top
of this pyramid it is very caste-likc and
people at the top tend to marry within
their own social group to maintain con-
trol. People will need to lower their ex-
pectations by being rational but at the
American Dream comes in. As youdo these
things well then the material rewards and
social recognition rewards come with them."
How much of the American Dream
remains for Dr. Kim?
"I want to catch a thirty-five pound
catfish. I want to catch it on a live line so
that I'm reeling it in. I probably will have to
use a piece of rope instead of fishing line
but I love to fish so I think that is something
that I haven't accomplished yet."
With the determination he lias shown
the world so far he will hook gigantic fish
will be hooked soon by Dr. Kim. The
same time they will need to maintain
hope. Through this hope there will
remain the drive to better oneself and to
change the op-
portunitics available to
themselves and
to future gen-
erations. In addi-
tion Dr.
Wallace sees
Claudia Gravter
the "American dream" including more
ethnic and racial groups as well as '
women. He is optimistic about the
inclusion of these groups and that is
positive.
At the present time the direction
of the "American dream' is becoming
more focused. Dr. Wallace maintains a
positive attitude about the new direc-
tion. As a country we have always had
an abundance of things. There was
always a "New Frontier" and a new life
just around the comer. This more fo-
cused outlook will make us come to
terms with the contradictions of this
country. According to Dr. Wallace the
idcaofanothcr"NcwFronticr"has never
given us the chance to sit down and
examine what consequences come with
the actions of this "New Frontier".
For the college student Dr.
Wallace stresses rationality. Students
need to be aware of the job markets and
just exactly what is out there. It is a
society norm at this time that a college
education is necessary to achcivc the
"American dream". He also believes
that a liberal arts education is a good
base so that you will be exposed to
different things. And as a last note of
advice the Sam Waltons Ross Perots
and Donald Trumps are one in amillion.
The "American dream" deals with the
other 99 of the population and needs
to be focused in that direction.
uncertain Korean student who arrived here
with hopes of becoming an engineer to
help repair his war-torn ancestral land of
Korea. He found instead theopportuniues
offered to him by America.
Originally a newcomerstudent from
another country concerned about his En-
glish skills and finally the president of an
American university Dr. Thomas Kim
has gone on to catch and land a much
bigger fish than the 35-pound catfish In-
dreams about. He has caught a piece !
the American Dream.
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McMurry University War Whoop (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 4, Ed. 1, Friday, October 2, 1992, newspaper, October 2, 1992; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth104527/m1/4/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.