I have really just one thing to say, and that is "Thank you;" thank you, for your friendship all these year, for letting me participate in your lives, and for supporting me in the things that I have wanted to and tried to do over the years.

I have not always remembered to express this appreciation, and I want to do that on the occasion of my 70th birthday. But first, let me elaborate a little, and say a few things about some other things, too.

First, about Mrs. Fred Ohr, and her family; isn’t she beautiful? Mrs. Ohr graduated from the Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington Illinois. In her senior year, she was the Home Coming Queen; this was at a time when there were no other Koreans on campus to help her because she was Korean. She won solely on the merits of her beauty; both her outward and her inner beauty.

When we first came to America, in December of 1940, I was wearing spring clothing. At that time, we were all poor, but inspite of that, Mrs. Ohr’s mother, Mrs. Kang, took me to the corner clothing store (The Marks) and bought me my first American clothes. In fact, I grew up wearing Mrs. Ohr’s two brothers’ hand-me downs.

Mrs. Ohr’s father was the first Korean to earn a law degree here in America; he was the first Korean attorney in Chicago, perhaps in all of America. But he didn’t practice law because no one would hire him at that time. But one generation later, one of their children, son James, became a practicing attorney, just one generation later. This is testimony to the generosity of the American people and the Korean people’s diligence and drive to excel.

I want to thank Mrs. Ohr and her family for welcoming us to Chicago and for taking care of us, in those hard, tough early years.

I want also to thank Dr. and Mrs. Sohn, Won Tai, for coming all the way from Omaha, Nebraska. Most of you know that we are six-generation friends. Dr. Sohn’s father, Rev. Sohn, Chung Do, presided at our parents’ wedding. After our father became ordained, he presided at Dr. Sohn’s grandfather’s funeral. So it is, Dr. Sohn’s grandfather, his father, Dr. Sohn, us, our children and our grandchildren; that’s six generations. And also, Mrs. Sohn and we are Kwang Ju Yi’s. Quite a group, isn’t it?

Now that I’m 70 years old, I feel the aches and discomforts of old age. As you know, I’ve played golf all my life. In my younger years, I would warm up in the Spring, and that would be enough for the whole year. Nowadays, I have to warm up each time I play; in fact, I am not warmed up until about the 3rd or the 4th hole, if then.

To combat these problems, Soong helps me by preparing a yogurt for me, prepared from a Mushroom from Tibet; I drink this every night. Also, every morning, I eat Ginko nuts from Korea. Do these things really help? Every Saturday morning, we play golf for lunch. Since I’ve been drinking the Mushroom yogurt, I have not bought lunch; true. Yes, I know, I bought last Saturday; but that was because the night before, our golf group had our annual dinner together, and we got home late; and I forgot to drink the stuff. So, my claim still stands. Incidentally, Mr. Chung, Woon Yong also drinks the stuff and since he started to drink the stuff, he has never won lunch; its hard to figure.

About a month ago, I was playing golf with Mr. Kim, Yong Wha, and on that day I happened to play pretty decent. Then I overheard him say to one of the other members of the foursome, "Do you think I can play that well when I am 70? " I guess that was a compliment; well I accept it as a compliment, and I thank you for that.

Most of you know that I have had five holes-in-one; two of them in my 60’s. I hope to get a few more in my 70’s because, otherwise, my grandson - Jimmy - will pass me up. Last year - he was 11 years old - he got his first hole-in-one, and declared that he needs only four more to catch me; I have to look out.

I know that I cannot do things as well as I used to; but that’s okay. All I need to do is accept that fact, and I find that, that’s not so hard.

I go down to Springfield seven, eight times a year. The difference nowadays is that now Soong goes with me, because I seem to get lost a lot.

In my sixties, I have hosted TV shows and radio shows, and wrote articles for the Korea-Times in Chicago and in Los Angeles. I enjoy doing these things and I will continue to do so, as long as I can, and as long as I am asked.

I enjoy serving the Community. I am still actively involved with a few organizations - the Asian American Alliance, the Asian American Institute and a few others. But nowadays, I serve mostly in the capacities of advisor - the Korean American Merchants Association of Chicago, the Illinois Department of Transportation, to name some.

There are some things I still want to do before I reach my eightieth birthday.

Recently, the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary asked me to be involved in a task force to study, among other things, the Korean United Methodist Churches in this jurisdiction; I agreed to do so.

At the same time, discussions were started to consider the establishment of an endowment fund, at the Garrett Seminary, in our father’s and mother’s names to commemorate their services to the Korean Church and to the Korean community; we want to get that effort going, bringing together people that knew our parents (both here and in Korea).

The biggest dream that I have is to bring the Korean people and its leadership together, to the point where they can cooperatively, unselfishly, work together for the improvement of all aspects of our communal lives.

You’re all going to be a part of this effort; you are all, if you will, members of this committee. I will not ask you to do anything that I would not do; you will not be asked to do anything not attainable - only those things that are possible.

I want to spend the rest of my life being positive, progressive and productive, and I need your help to accomplish these things.

I intend to spend a lot of time with my family, especially my grandchildren, and with my closest friends.

You - my friends and my family - are the source of my strength and my happiness. Thank you for being "with" me and for being here "for" me.

Let me conclude my thank you comments by singing, for you, my favorite Hymn, # 448 - O Jesus, I have promised.

Thank you.


Joseph Yi came to america in1940, at the age of 10, and has lived basically in the ChicagoMetropolitan Area. Although Mr. Yi’s professional life was in mainstream society, he has actively participated in the voluntary social services for the Chicago korean community,