When I first posted this topic in Korean here in SNU-CM-AA Homepage, it was August 6, 2014, and then it was February 6, 2015 when English version of MY FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS IN AMERICA, which will allow my sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren to read this important part of family history of our clan as well as my American friends and acquaintance.
I had an opportunity to participate in the 32nd annual convention for 3 days from June 04, 2015 to June 07, 2015 in the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, New Jersey, and had the honor of an award from the memorable photo contest sponsored by the judging committee of my alma mater, who obviously acknowledged the significance of father’s unusual American education and his experience as well as his knowledge.
I was born as the last and only son from aging parents and was a freshman in a high school when father passed away. I remembered him in saying to me just before his death in his hospital bed, “I have a lot of things to talk to you.” He had never talked to me about his American education and unusual experience about his ten or more years’ stay in America.
I was sitting near him and listened to him while he was talking about his American experience to some visitors who were his friends, acquaintance, or relatives. That was during my grammar school days. It was after my arrival at America in 1967, when I started to search for his school record and found his school day address to be 633 W. 115th St, New York, NY.
When I visited this place in 1971, I found the Korean Methodist Church and Institute. It took an exorbitant length of time before I finally went to Rev Lee Yong Bo of the same Church on January 6, 2015, and found my father, Jaone Chung (정재원) registered in the old book of Church members as a Baptist, which confirmed his repeat story that he had been baptized by Mr. Syngman Rhee, rather Rev. Syngman Rhee. Following are the stories as the way I remember: Most his stories were associated with his school, i.e. Williston Seminary, or the rented room.

Story 1.
It used to be a rather famous and well-known joke exchange with Rev. Syngman Rhee.

Rev. Rhee used to call father by his first name, “Jaone, Jaone.”.
Father replied bluntly, “What’s the problem?”
Rev. Rhee, “My problem was that I couldn’t sleep all night long last night.”
Father, “What made you sleepless all night long?”
Rev. Rhee, “Last night, the moon was shining brightly above in the sky, and I just wanted a glass of wine. That’s the reason why I couldn’t sleep.”
Father, “If you wanted just a glass of wine, why didn’t you have one? I don’t get it.”
Rev. Rhee, “Don’t you realize that I am a minister?”
Father, “So, what?”
Rev. Rhee, “You, really stupid! How can a rminister have wine?”
Father, “If you so badly want wine, take that minister’s cloak off and drink wine as much as you want. If you really want to cling yourself to the ministerial duty, forget about wine once and for all and get that thought of wine out of yourself. It’s that simple. Where is the problem?”
Rev. Rhee, “You, simpleton. You don’t know anything! You are useless.”

Did the middle-aged Rev. Rhee need some consolation out of my young, not much understanding father so badly?
One day during this time Rev. Rhee baptized father personally. At that time Rev. Rhee was preparing to re-submit his doctoral dissertation to the Princeton University and stayed a small rented room for either 3 or 6 months probably in 1910.

The last time father met Rev. Rhee was in 1925 on his return trip from America to Korea in Honolulu, Hawaii at his request for meeting while he was in a hiding place from Japanese spies. He asked father to be in charge of administration and diplomacy at the Korean Interim Government at Shanghai. Father couldn’t accept that request because he was the only person to manage the housework and then departed him.

Story 2.
It was also the year of 1910, when Korea was annexed to Japan to become a subordinate state. When my father and granduncle heard this heartrending news, they were grief-stricken and cried bitterly while embracing each other inside the room all day long. In such a far, far away land from their own country, they became country-less people all of a sudden! When I visited the Korean Methodist Church, Rev. Lee took me to the prayer room on the first floor, where I saw a banner showing “I sat and cried at the riverside” (강변에 앉아 울었노라), which reminded me of father’s talk of their grief at the time of loss of our Country, and also induced a strong indignation against the Japanese responsible for their barbaric acts in those days. We shall never, ever allow Japanese soldiers or military boots in our soil forever!

Story 3. Here I have four more old photos taken in 1925 during father’s second American visit, where two sets contained two photos per each set. The first set contained two photos in front of a stonewall in the front yard of the castle, and the second set showed two photos in the pedestrian’s walk behind the castle complex in the southern territory.
There was a person who appeared in both the first and second sets of photos, who I thought to be Lee Hee Gyung, father’s sworn brother. The story goes that in one of summer nights there was gathering of Koreans in New York City, who were taunted and insulted by a group of American hooligans, which resulted in group fights. Finally the hooligans fled like beaten dogs, leaving only two brave young men, father and Mr. Lee.
Obviously the rest of Koreans were in no better shapes since they all fled away from the whites before the fight ended. This incident motivated them to be sworn brothers. Mr. Lee was from Pyungan-do in the north, and father from Gyeongsang-do in the south, and so the two of them were not accepted to either South Korean faction or North Korean faction because of their mutual animosity.
What a pathetic way they displayed in America even at the time of national disgrace? For some time they both stayed in the same room while Mr. Lee cooked all kinds of foods and father did dish washing and room cleaning. Father learned one dish from Mr. Lee, which was called Italian soup made of powder starch to be dissolved in water, onions, potatoes, scallions, and most importantly chunks of beef to be boiled for proper cooking. My mother made this Italian soups a few times before Korean War and I liked them very much.

Story 4
My further inquiry on 633 W. 115th St, New York, NY. These episodes occurred in this address. I wanted to know how father came and lived here and asked Rev. Lee, who explained to me it had been originally a dormitory building for students.
In September 2014, I inquired a counselor in the New York Historical Society what the building had been. He found some information out of the old New York Times as following: First; on Aug 19, 1929, Rev. Pyeong K Yoon made sermon attacking Japanese occupation of Korea. Second; a week later he wished to establish world-wide peace with incorporation of the best in the Occident and the best in the Orient.
When I made search through Wikipedia with the Korean Methodist and Institute, there was a story of celebration of March 1 Movement on Apr 28, 1921 at Madison Avenue Methodist Church by Korean residents and students. In 1927 Church was moved to the current location, the building was small with 4 stories high, about 25 by 100 feet, but it was an intellectual church with strong ties to Korean Independence movement, acting as a headquarter of Korean Independence movement in the United States of America.
Very soon in July this year, the new Church will be constructed at this site of the old Church. I decided to take photos inside the third and fourth floors of this Church and to preserve the memory of my father and granduncle who had spent here for 4 or more years.