2020.02.18 00:37
Many MCV friends recall this hilarious story as a part of the reminiscence of our residency days: ‘poor as a church mouse’!
Indeed, the MCV Surgery program then under David Hume was famous as one of top 5 surgery programs throughout the country but also known to giving the country-lowest salary after Bill Scott’s Vanderbilt surgery program ( I believe the salary we received was around 9,000 to 10,000 USD per year, almost half of what other programs in New York area paid).
So, the good beef steaks were a rare commodity we house staffs can hardly afford and we, ‘poor as a church mouse’, all looked forward to having a feast with an unlimited amount of the steaks once a year at Dr. James Brooks’ house. Indeed, nationally renowned thoracic surgeon Dr. James Brooks, the chief of thoracic surgery, who was a typical Southern Confederate supporter, saved one day every year along the Independence Day to invite all the surgery house staffs and their wives to his tiny house to serve outdoor barbecues with specially ordered steaks from Murray’s.
His house was quite small but it was supposed to be an outdoor party so that we didn’t have much trouble to eat altogether till one day when the summer storm right before the party forced all of us to come into the house! When I got the steak on my plate and joined the group/crowd within the house, there was even no standing room for me but someone from the bathroom hollered me! I found quite a few boys were already there but they spared one place, that is the toilet, for me to honor as a senior resident.
Well, for the first time I ever had such juicy steak while casually sitting over the toilet though I didn’t use the toilet for its original function. But embarrassingly I became an instant celebrity(?) among the colleagues because someone obviously took the photo of me sitting on the toilet - I believe there was no toilet seat cover! - to finish the steak and circulated it as a roaring gossip!
Later, I heard quite a few boys brought up this hilarious story on homecoming days and further someone accommodated this story on their annual satire drama MCV students and residents play to honor good(?) old days as poor as a church mouse!
BB Lee
P.S. My youngest daughter is so interested in our gone days through MCV so that I wrote/shared this hilarious story with her.
2020.02.18 02:53
2020.02.18 06:18
Poor as a church mouse? Oh, it has nothing to do with my personal/family background in Korea, KwanHo, but it is part of my new(?) life here in the U.S. I built solely with my own hand, no Korean connection, no sir!
When I came to Richmond in 1968 to start my fellowship, it was an official trip for two years sent by SNU with full salary payment by the Korean Government. But after I resigned the position SNU Dept of Surgery in order to start my residency at MCV (Med Coll Va) instead of going back to SNU as originally arranged - I had to pay back whole salaries I received for two years including 갑근세 unfairly!-, I had to make a living solely based on the salary I received as a resident.
Yes, of course, I was able to continue to receive some financial support from my family back in Seoul as before, but I decided NOT to, any longer because of my enormous guilt that I literally betrayed the family as the first son of 경상도 양반 family, refusing to come back to Korea after two-year fellowship as originally pledged, despite the whole family back in Korea wished me to come back so badly including my parents. Another word, I abandoned the family as the first son, totally against our old 양반 개념! So how could I get such thick skin to ask for continuous financial support!?
So I didn't get the penny out from the family in Korea since then. Indeed, I signed off entire inheritance - except Shin Young Hospital building my father built for Dr. Min ByongChul as the gratitude for his help to save him from acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis- to my mother and my eldest sister after my father passed away and then now to my youngest brother who lately returned to Korea to take care of the family like the first son of the family, instead of me.
Nevertheless, the reputation of 경상도wealthiest family you mentioned has nothing to do with me, KwanHo.
By 경상도 양반 tradition, all the wealth my family accumulated as 지주 for generations - it was 30,000 석 at my grandfather’s level and NOT 50,000 석 as 조선일보correctly described through their조선명가 series in early ’90 as No.1 명가 so that the wealth wise, actually No. 3 throughout the country, after 민 clan and 윤clan - was inherited solely to the first son, my father’s eldest brother, uncle 이활, one of the founders of 고려대학 재단 with 김성수 donating 5,000석. But my father as the third son inherited only 500석 though he became a successful businessman later independently by himself with no relationship with this small fortune he received from his parents.
Anyhow, regretfully all three sons, me and my two brothers, refused to come back to Korea to take over his business so that all my father’s fortunes he earned through the hard works are now all gone to become another sad story of my family!
BB Lee
P.S. Actually Min clans amassed 70,000 석 by the extortion of 인두세 he collected while serving as 평안감사 and Yoon clans amassed 50,000 석 by selling the 참봉 title while serving as 비서실장(?) to the last king of Yi Dynasty as I know of. Therefore, the editors of 조선명가 series of 조선일보 considered them as illegitimate wealth and bypassed to the third wealthiest family in 경상도 as No.1 조선명가, I was told.
2020.02.18 07:12
That is quite a family history, and you firmly decided to build your own future in this great country of opportunity.
That is very good for you though your father suffered a big disappointment being unable to inherit his great assets to you.
We have been on the mainline(종가) for the thirteen generations, inheriting about 500 석 for generation after generation being a reasonably well-to-do family.
My great grandfather made 10,000석 so-called 만석군 during his lifetime. My father couldn't figure out how he could make so much out of simply agricultural management, possibly he did some kind of business, such as commerce, which was looked down on in those days.
However, my grandfather and father made consecutive failures on export business to China until all the wealth drained completely. That's before my birth, and soon after I was born, our mansion at 적선동 was sold and we had to go to a rental house. My father had ten years of American education funded privately from possibly 1903 to definitely 1914.
That's just a bygone old story. I tried to find his footsteps, which was only partially successful since he didn't leave any documents or reliable writings. He studied at the Williston Seminary, currently Williston Northampton (Boarding) School from 1909 to 1913, and a one-year freshman course at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, from 1913 to 1914.
However, I believe he had arrived at NYC in 1903 when he failed the entrance exam at a school (must be an elementary school). He was given 3 months' time to prepare for the re-examination, which he passed.
I tried so hard to find this private elementary school in Manhattan, New York, but couldn't find the school. I did find his address from his Williston School record, being 633 West 115th Street, New York City at least from 1909 to 1913, Guess what it could be. It is currently the Korean Methodist Church and Institute, 뉴욕한인교회. Many years later, this Church was built. Father had seen 이승만목사, who baptized father...
Isn't it interesting?
Kwan Ho
2020.02.18 12:21
What a spectacular but such sad story, KwanHo!
It would have not been easy to track down after these many years.
The story of your family reminds me of typical twilight phase/몰락 of many aristocrat/landlord families (지주계급) like our own family after their possession/lands were taken away by the government under the new law of 농지개혁 soon after Korean independence even before the North Korea.
Sadly,
BB Lee
2020.02.18 07:18
Doc, I was wondering a few things about you who, as I knew, came from a rich family.
It used to be a piece of a riddle to me. I didn't have a gut to ask you directly.
I asked a few people but nobody knew. It was a kind of secret, wasn't it?
Now I got to know why you are what you are and also why you are not what you were.
Actually, I know a few other people just like that.
Because of the guilty feeling of having betrayed the family by not going back to Korea,
these people declined to receive financial help from home while they were struggling in America.
I hope that what they have achieved in America is better than what they could have done in Korea.
My sincere respect to you and the others I know.
That might have been the way to go for peace of your (and their) mind.
I hope what you have achieved in America is more satisfying to you.
Thinking about myself, I would guess that if "I" have stayed in Korea,
"I" might have ended up being "a church mouse" by now. ㅎ, ㅎ, ㅎ.
I am lucky to be here in America that gave me more opportunities than anywhere else.
2020.02.18 07:58
Thanks for your kind words with sympathy, Steve.
Indeed, it was a part of my personal life I chose but with full of guilts.
As a matter of fact, many friends of mine who know my background well never understood why I abandoned Korea even after I fully established through SNU, etc. before I was heading to the U.S. and never came back to pick up the lead.
Yes, I did have more than enough credits since my high school days to lead the pack in Korea but -------!
Sadly, while I was in Korea for Samsung Medical Center, quite a few colleagues in 경상도 inquired
why I openly criticize 경상도 despite my family is the pride of 경상도 as 조선명가 제 1 호 to make me feel
so embarrassed. But, I simply cannot resist my deep resentment to 경상도 양반 tradition and ambivalent
with such reputation(?) as 조선명가 제 1 호, I personally have nothing to do with.
It rather gave me such grievance along with my final decision to choose my college sweetheart as my spouse,
after such agony, since she was born in Seoul but both parents were originally from North Korea, for example.
So I escaped from this invisible bind in a way to the U.S. so that I determined to show the people that I could do
as good as if not better here in the U.S. and did hard work to compensate this guilt - a bit silly to make me look 팔불출 but I would like to let you take a look the UIP Newsletter: http://www.uip-phlebology.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/February-2020-UIP-Newsletter-English.pdf
to comprehend what I achieved to lessen my guilts to remain here in the U.S.
So, I am doing OK!
BB Lee
2020.02.20 13:32
Dear BB: Can youi help me by opening my webplage "Direct Uploading from Amazon Photos"
located right nrxt to your latest webpage, and look at my eight images there?
If you can see all images intact there, then my use of Amazon photos is successful.
Please let me know.
It is just my trial to know if this uploading works or not in other computers though I can see them well.
Thanks,
Kwan Ho
2020.02.21 06:13
Yes, I saw all of them before, KwanHo but did you withdraw them since then?
BB
Aren't you the son of a well-known Southern wealthy family?
I don't see how you starved for a steak dinner, either New York sirloin or filet mignon?
What about so many guys from our class who were just poor like me?
Even so, I still miss our good old days with clean air, clear water, and friendly folks.
Best regards,
Kwan Ho