Professor Kim Hark Un of Economics Department Publishes Biography of Severance “When he suddenly passed away in the midst of his charity work, his pocketbook was full of bills of charity that he had promised but had not yet fulfilled.” Louis Henry Severance. Yon-sei University is named after this man, taking the second part of its name “sei” from the first part of his. Many are familiar with the name Severance due to the fame of Severance Hosopital, but few know of the man who lent his name to the hospital. This is due to the surprising lack of records regarding the man who left such a precious legacy. Professor Kim Hark Un of the Yonsei Department of Economics was finally able to recover much of the records regarding Severance. In 1977, Professor Kim was appointed assistant professor at the Case Western University of Cleveland, Ohio. This is where his connection with Severance began. “I was invited to the Cleveland Orchestra Symphony Hall for a welcoming party for new faculty members. The hall was named Severance Hall. Then, about a week later, I was directed to the Severance Shopping Center.” At this point, Professor Kim was not sure if this Severance was the Severance who gave his name to Yonsei. Years later, as professor at Yonsei, Professor Kim was a part of the centennial celebration in 1985. The descendants of the founders of Yonsei, Dr. Allen, Dr. Underwood, Dr. Avison, and Mr. Severance were invited, but Mr. Severance was not represented by his descendants at the celebration. “I thought it was strange, but I soon found out that his was because nobody knew who the descendants of Severance were. I suddenly recalled the Severance Hall I had seen in the U.S. So I began researching every time I went back to the U.S. I finally found out that their Severance was our Severance.” Everything began from curiosity. Professor Kim began his research on the life of the man. When Prof. Park Young-Shik, the university president at that time, heard the news, he asked Professor Kim to write a book on Severance. So began the 22-year journey to “discover” Severance. And finally, in the centennial year of Yonsei’s first graduating class, Professor Kim has published his book, Louis Henry Severance: His Life and Period (Yonsei University Press). Severances Gift: The Belief that Nothing is Impossible There weren’t many records in the form of journal entries or letters. Whenever Professor Kim visited the U.S., he collected material as if solving a jigsaw puzzle. He was led to references through newspaper articles, and these references led him to a locker in a small country school. It took 22 years, and the man revealed in the process was someone who had given something to America which couldn’t be measured in monetary value. “Everyone knows who Dr. Schweitzer is. He went to Africa and worked to cure the people of their illnesses, but he did not train the youth of Africa to become future doctors. When he died, it all ended. However, although Severance was not a doctor, he treated and also trained Koreans. He was looking into the future. That is not all. Back then, foreigners had exceedingly low expectations regarding the intellectual capacity of Korean people and merely offered them elementary or middle school education. They were opposed to establishing a university in Korea. However, Severance led efforts to open a medical school, one of the most difficult types of university education. When the first Korean MDs were produced, the leaders of Korea came to realize that university education was a possibility in Korea. This led to the establishment of several universities. Especially after the March the First independence movement, voices were heard calling for the establishment of private universities. We became more confident. We were given a chance to prove our intellectual potential.” First Christian Missionary to Focus on Medical Philanthropy Severance became wealthy through oil business, and also became a Christian and philanthropist. His power came from his oil money, but his spirit came from Christian religion. But how did Severance come to be interested in Korea? Professor Kim said that “giving is better than receiving” was a long Severance family tradition. “He had never even been to Korea. But he had wonderful people around him to lead him to Korea. A pastor in the church he had worked with his entire life became acquainted with a Korean missionary. Also, the Severance family had supported overseas missions since his grandmother’s time. Missionaries would return to the U.S. for a yearlong sabbatical and be invited to stay at the Severance home. This was the environment in which Severance was brought up. And apparently these missionaries had said that the Far East was the place to go.” The Severance J.L. Trust fund still sends donations to Yonsei University and Severance Hospital every year. Ninety five years after Severance passed away this support still continues. This was made possible by Louis Henry Severance’s only son, John Severance. He carried on his father’s legacy during his lifetime, and before passing away, he created the Severance J.L. Trust fund to continue the tradition. Professor Kim’s book was planned to be published on June 3, 2008, on the centennial of the graduation of the first doctors from Yonsei. But a serious obstacle occurred. Before he was able to finish editing the manuscript, Professor Kim was told he may become blind. Utterly astounded, he fell into deep despair. However, Professor Kim was able to recover his sight at the Severance Hospital, 104 years after Severance had built the hospital. “I must have a truly special relationship with this man. There was Severance Hall in Cleveland, and now I am writing about his life. I feel that finally, my task is over. Now the torch has been passed on to those who will read this book. My biggest wish is that there may be a second Severance.” Professor Kim’s book on Severance completes the series of books on the founders of Yonsei. As the author of such an important book, Professor Kim had some last words for students. “The importance of charity, how to spend the money you earned is an extremely important matter. Rockefeller and Severance were friends and J. P. Morgan was their contemporary. Compared to them, he was a much greater man. The Yonsei community should take pride in the fact that he had a hand in establishing our university. It is also a rare case for descendants to continue their father’s legacy after his death. Charity has become a Severance family tradition. Through Severance and his family, we have been given the chance to think about philanthropy with an eye for the future.” The seeds of love that Louis Henry Severance planted 104 years ago have firmly taken root at Yonsei University. Through the example of Severance, who showed us that philanthropy can lead to great education, students will be able to find a model to follow through their lives.