1958

As is our custom, this month's edition of this widely-circulated, sparsely-read column will commence with news of a social nature. On January 22, Frank W. Sands, 9 lbs. 1 oz. son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Sands of Belmont, Mass., made his initial appearance. Frank (E.) is with The King Arthur Flour Company in Cambridge. Only two days later, Mr. and Mrs. Skip Coggin became the proud parents of a new daughter, Laura. Skip is presently Eastern Products Manager for the Chemical Division of Dewey and Almy. The Coggins are living in Arlington Heights, Mass.

Two of our industrious young lawyers have recently made moves. John Fisk joined the European office of Kaplan, Livingston Goodwin, and Berkowitz on January 1. In case you happen to be in the neighborhood they are located at 18 Place de La Madeleine in Paris. You can reach Fisky on Richelieu 23-31. We don't know the Area Code for Paris. Also on January 1, Larry Kruteck became associated with Cohn and Glickstein in New York.

We would like to devote the remainder of this column to the text of an extremely interesting and well-written letter by George O'Connell concerning Class Valedictorian Jaegwon Kim. The letter was written shortly after our graduation in 1958.

Three years ago a young student from Taegu, Korea, arrived on the Dartmouth College campus at Hanover, N. H., U.S.A. Somewhat bewidered by the rapid transition from East to West, he was further handicapped by the fact that he was almost totally unfamiliar with spoken English.

"On June 8, 1958, Jaegwon Kim ... delivered the valedictory address to the college on behalf of the graduating class in fluent English. The valedictory was delivered by an outstanding student at the college as chosen by the Committee on Commencement.

"In the intervening three years, this shy young Oriental had come to be regarded with some awe by his classmates for his intellectual prowess. His professors - whose greatest rewards _ come from seeing a student grow in wisdom, understanding, and maturity - watched him with delight. In him they saw that rare student who is capable of tremendous intellectual accomplishments.

"In 1955 Kim was studying romance languages at Seoul National University. He was called to the office of the University president and told that he had been chosen by the American-Korean Scholarship Committee to study in America.

" 'I hadn't applied for it, but there didn't seem to be any doubts in the minds of the Committee that I would take it,' Kim says. 'I was apprehensive because, although I could read English fairly well, I had never heard it or attempted to speak it.'

"Arriving in Chicago after a flight from Korea, he lost his passport and other papers. He was trying hard to understand the flight calls from the airport loud-speaker system when he heard a call for 'Mr. Kim.' Recognizing these two words anyway, he went to the call desk where he received his lost papers. They had been turned in by another passenger.

"From Chicago he went to Cleveland that night where he met Vernon Stouffer, his sponsor in the United States. He was taken to the Stouffer home. The next morning he was called to breakfast to find Mr. Stouffer, the owner of a large chain of restaurants in the East and Midwest, cooking his breakfast.

"These were his first impressions of the United States. Other of his initial impressions have been blurred in the three years, he says.

"'I find myself feeling very much a part of life in the United States. I realized this strongly recently when the first Vanguard rocket failed. I felt terrible, because I had the feeling that I was involved. Later with the successful firings I was elated. Analyzing my feeling later I realized that the successes and failures of America and American society meant a great deal to me.'

"When he arrived in Hanover, he found himself enrolled at one of America's historic liberal arts Alleges. Chartered by King George III of England in 1769 when the United States were English colonies, Dartmouth was founded to educate Indians to do Christian missionary work among their people. The Rev. Eleazar Wheelock chose the location in what was then wilderness to be closer to the tribes. Some of this frontier feeling remains at Dartmouth, although the school is a respected member of the prestigious 'Ivy League.'

"Kim's difficulties with spoken English were short-lived. He was enrolled in a special class in English for foreign students. In his first year he received two B s and three 'A' grades. The final two years showed straight-A marks.

"There are nine blue citation slips written by professors in his folder in the dean's office They contain such phrases as unusual excellence in critical perception and expression,' 'achieved an almost perfect record in all examinations,' 'shows courage, perseverance, and an unusual intelligence,

"Kim plans to continue his studies for a doctor's degree in philosophy at Princeton University. He was awarded the coveted Chancellor Greene fellowship there.

"With this completed he hopes to return to Korea to teach philosophy and be with his family whom he hasn't seen for three years. His father, Yongkyoo Kim, is a director of the Hansung Trading Co., Ltd., at Taegu, and Jaegwon was graduated from Kyungbuk High School there.

"He said that he was 'delighted, of course,' to be chosen valedictory speaker and it showed in his address. He asks his classmates:

'What then are the positive values we have acquired at Dartmouth? A determination not to be deceived by cheap and crude reasonings and arguments. We have learned to demand truth, however brutal and disturbing it may be, and reject any attempt to manipulate human minds with empty slogans and maxims. We have learned the virtue of tolerance; democracy now seems to us more than a self-righteous maxim.'

"Privately, just before commencement, he talked at length of his life and studies at Dartmouth and summed up his feelings this way:

'For a long time I tended to think of myself as the center of the universe. Now I know better; now I think I know my way

Jaegwon is now an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Brown University in Providence.

Secretary, 38 Bay View Terrace #1 Danvers, Mass.

Class Agent, A. G. Becker and Co. 60 Broad St., New York, N. Y. 10004