My name is Robert, and I wanted to provide a brief history of my father.
- My father was born on July 31, 1933, in Kyung Nam, city of Kimhae (Kim He), South Korea. He was the second son in a family of two sons and three daughters. His father was Changin Moon (Chang-In Moon,) his mother Booni Nam (Boon NE Nam).
- During the Japanese occupation of Korea, his father worked in Japan. His father and older sister passed away early in his life in Japan as an unfortunate consequence of WWII. Adversity continued after this, and from a very early age to his teens, he helped support his family through various hardships.
- Through one of these jobs, he met his benefactor, Mr. Robert Sage, whom I was named after. He was provided with much…a place to live, a traditional family life, an education, as well as guidance and discipline. His education was intense, which involved learning at the level of middle school, high school and college concurrently, all at once, at the same time, with the help of private tutors. Not only scholarly, his education was also worldly…. Mr. Sage took him around the world, showing him a multitude of cultures.
- In 1964, he graduated from the University of Philipines in Manila, with a BA degree in business.
- In the folowing year of 1965, he came to the United States to attend graduate school (Oklahoma State University), acquiring an MBA degree.
- In June 1967, he married my mother, Keumja Hahn, oldest daughter of Chang Hee Hahn and Kyung Bin Halm.
- In terms of his professional life, from 1967 - 2008 he worked as an Cost Accountant in companies such as ITT Cannon, Varian Data Machines, Sperry Univac, etc.
- It was in 1974, during his work in Varian Data, that he was sent to the England branch to institute innovative changes to the financial structure of the business.
- It was during this time abroad he brought the whole family to Europe, in what was the first of many trips to many different countries.
- Early during this period, he served the community and helped many new immigrants in as many ways as he could (assisting obtaining new employment, financial counseling, helping new immigrants acclimate to a new culture.)
- Of personal significance, in 1994 he was ordained as an Elder in Korean United Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles.
- In 2000, he transferred his church membership to Orange County, Canaan (KA Nan) Presbyterian Church.
- In 2008, after his retirement, he managed his own business, Moon and Associates, as a business and financial consultant. He always sought to help those in need, providing guidance and advice to many in many different ways.
- It was on the 30th of this month July, one day before his birthday, he passed at the age of 77, from a rare form of muscular dystrophy.
To say that my father faced adversity in his life would be an understatement. Yet he never discussed the hardships and trials he experienced early in life with me until I was older… much of what I learned of his childhood was from my mother. Instead, he simply showed us selfless love, generosity, and provided us with everything that he hadn't had as a child.
Even through the last 15 years when he was experiencing more and more difficulty from his disease, he remained ever active, in life and in the love he showed as a father, husband, grandfather and friend. In this way, he honored the blessings and opportunities given to him, from God and the compassion of others.
I know it must've been challenging and at times very difficult to have been my father…. Yet he never waivered in his support, and during times of personal difficulty his love showed me that whatever challenges I faced... with faith, and the love of family, life was and is beautiful.
Thank you for allowing me to share.
No comments:
Post a Comment