https://youtu.be/0aQUde7e4N0

(David Kim, Ave Maria)

What a small world, Dr. Ohn! I can't believe you are the one Chai Kim's physician friend up in Rhode island who organized/sponsored the workshop whenever David visited his dad to Rhode island, I recall Chai mentioned!

Yes, Chai and his new wife MoonHye are now moved to Northern Virginia, Washington suburb to a retirement community and involved in Korean church activity actively these days! I am going to call him tomorrow how I was able to find you. Real small world!!!!

Anyway, how you get to hold up this YouTube video script of David Kim?   Thaaaaaanks!!!!!! 

This  David's video brings all my memories back in Columbia, SC where I stayed for a new medical school of Univ of South Carolina before I finally gave up the original plan to go back to Seoul/SNU as pledged and settled at Georgetown Univ.

The life while at Columbia was an agonizing one for me on my career point of view but I had a wonderful personal life together with David Kim's family till tragically David lost his mom. Soon both families left Columbia, ours to Washington DC and David's to Buffalo NY after David lost his mom. But life at Columbia left so many memories to us!

Indeed, David's parents were the only Korean friends at the University - his mother at Music Dept and father at Social Science Dept -and David's mother was my wife's high school classmate and David was on same age with my first daughter so that two families got together every weekend to enjoy the trio, violin by David, cello by my first daughter and piano by my second daughter until David's mom succumbed with stomach cancer.

After David lost his mom, he continued private tutoring to Mme Delay at Julliard till he made a spectacular debut through Tschaikowsky Competition to let all of us proud, missing his mom, Cho BongHie, one and only Korean musician with the Ph.D. on the performance as we know it! Indeed she dedicated to David to keep up as a child prodigy till she passed away at such young age and we suffered such tragedy together leaving so many memories including the last summer vacation to Myrtle Beach before she succumbed!

BB Lee

Chai Kim taught management in URI. He enrolled in a master's degree program in music as a student.
He got the degree in two years. He served as a conductor in the Church choir of a Korean Church.

During summer vacations, he went to Germany to teach in a German university. He spoke German very  

well in a few years. He was a charming and very outgoing man. He played golf when the weather permitted.

During winter he went to Colorado to ski. He envied the doctor's income, but he enjoyed life better than most of the doctors. 
I think David inherited Chai's personality and helped him on his successful career. 

Thanks, Dr. Ohn, sharing your experience with David Kim's family, I really enjoyed!

I called up Chai this morning and he was so happy to hear about you asking me your phone number to reach you directly. Instead of posting his private number here through this website, I prefer you to send me your number to my personal email: bblee38@comcast.net so that I could forward it to Chai.

Though he moved to our vicinity, we have very limited contact with him since we do not get involved to Korean community/church. But he is as busy as ever including the church choir stuff though he stopped to receiving the private lesson on cello in these days!

Thanks again, Dr. Ohn.

BB Lee

PS. Are you still in Rhode island?

just wanted to let you two gentlemen know I enjoyed reading

the dramatic unfolding of the real life beautiful drama between you two 

involving a mutual friend and his family.

Our website established by Steven with his vision over a decade ago has witnessed 

many such events over the years on this page.

Congratulations to both of you finding your mutual friend and the treasured past memory 

once again!

Thanks, Dr. Lee, it certainly was a small but nice surprise.

I happily reconnected them!

Indeed, lived long enough to have such happy moment.

Joyfully,

BB Lee

This morning, I called him. We were very excited to be connected in about 20 years. But the conversation 

did not last long because he was hard of hearing.  So, I wrote; 

Added to the phone call

I thought I had to tell you some more, so I write. I came to Modesto, Ca in 2001.
It is about 80 miles east from San Francisco on the way to Yosemite national park.
The weather here permits me to play golf year-round. You can ski until May up in Sierra.

I retired 3 years ago. I commutes to my C.C. about 4 miles almost everyday. My mission 
is to accomplish the perfect swing. But it’s like trying to catch my own shadow.

No matter how stupid I am, I promise you I will try again tomorrow.

For years, I became a kind of historian. I write many essays subjected to Korean history.
I give lectures occasionally. I have my own blog. I post my talk on YouTube every week.
I study it by reading books and searching the internet. I always try to link the events in Korea

to what happened in China, Japan, and the west at the same time. 

I will not forget that you are the one that gave me my life long endeavor, the game of the golf.

Thank you very much. Please stay healthy. Where you are is my son-in-law’s home town.

I am sure I will have an opportunity to see you soon after this is all over.

Thank you, Prof. Lee. Thank you, Dr. Lee, for your warm words. 

Thanks for sharing your communication with Chai!

It is always nice to have old friends around like Chai, so honest, so open mind, so humble, no chips on the shoulder like most of Koreans - I know it is my helpless prejudice! -. 

When you come into this direction, please keep me in the loop!

Warm regards,

BB Lee

Since you claim for the historian, Dr. Ohn, I have to tell you that I am a sort of quasi history buff on the Civil War

so that if you should come to this area to visit your folks I would be happy to take you around to show you

many civil war battlefields nearby, I enjoy most!

BB Lee

That's very nice of you. I will let you know. Thank you very much, Dr. Lee.