[KS] Death of a wonderful scholar and friend

[Yong-ho Choe]

Professor Song was truly a good conscientious scholar who stood astride 
both traditional and modern scholarship.  He was indeed a great person who 
willingly shared his vast knowledge with all those around him.  I am 
saddened that he is no long with us, but I feel honored that I have know 
him as a friend and as a colleague in Korean history.

ps: What is happening with the Wagner-Song project on pangmok and chokpo?

At 06:11 PM 11/14/2003 -0700, you wrote:

>Dear Korean Studies list,
>
>Many of you knew or knew of Prof. Song June Ho who worked closely with Ed 
>Wagner for many years.  We just got word of his death.  He gave many of us 
>great insights into Korean history.  He was always generous with his time 
>and was the most gentle and goodly of men.  He was the last of a 
>generation, a bridging generation, that marked the transition from the 
>days of education of the scholar in traditional ways, in classic Chinese, 
>and the scholar of the twentieth century who was influenced by the West in 
>a new Korea after the liberation from the colonial days.  He was a highly 
>respected professor who taught most of his years at Chonbuk National 
>University, and although one could get a teaching position in those days 
>without a PhD, he was indeed wiser than the vast majority of people who 
>have PhD's.
>
>His diligence was legendary.  He was so precise, so unerring in his 
>scholarship.  And when there was a disagreement on issues of Korean 
>history, or of matters about traditional society and lineage, he would 
>resort to the documents.  No one knew the documents, and no one knew 
>Chinese classics, better than Professor Song.  And yet he was always ready 
>to share, to help the young student, the graduate student, the younger 
>faculty member, or the community member who was trying to read the 
>documents of his own family.
>
>I personally benefited greatly from many conversations with Prof. 
>Song.  Whatever the issue, whatever the document, whatever the article to 
>write, he was always there for me, as he was for so many others.  He was 
>always insightful, interested, animated, excited about the issue at 
>hand.  Always complimentary of the effort to that point, and always ready 
>to help the colleague with the benefit of his knowledge and understanding.
>
>We have lost a great friend.  It is almost too much to lose him within the 
>short span of time that Professor Wagner left us.  They must be enjoying 
>their reunion in the skies now, and talking with the authors of the 
>documents, and the players in the history, that they had studied.  And we 
>here in the mundane realm miss them both.
>
>Thank you, Professor Song.
>
>Sadly and with great respect,
>
>Mark Peterson
>
>
>
>
>
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Yong-ho Choe
Department of History
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI  96822

Tel: 808 956-6762
Fax: 808 956-9600
E-mail: choeyh at hawaii.edu
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