Henry Chung DeYounghad immigrated to the United States in 1904 when he was 14, alone, and then settled in the vast prairies of Nebraska. He had received master’s and doctorate degrees, and had fought for Korean independence. After Korea was finally liberated from Japanese colonial rule, he became the first ambassador to Tokyo during the Syngman Rhee regime. DeYoung had written books on Korea. And with his wife Zona was the father of four children. In 1956, when Henry was 66, the DeYoungs adopted a fifth child from Korea.

THE FOLLOWING IS A TESTIMONIAL OF LEE DEYOUNG ABOUT HIS ADOPTIVE FATHER, HENRY DEYOUNG, WHOSE ORAL HISTORY WAS PUBLISHED LAST MONTH:

I was adopted by Henry and Zona DeYoung of Colorado Springs in 1956 when I was 6 years old. Although the war was over, I carried with me imprints of hiding under the wooden porch boards as North Korean soldiers searched the house for survivors, bitter cold Korean winters with no heat or food, and the long march on the roads from Seoul to Busan.

From this harsh environment in 1956, I was plucked and softly nestled into an idyllic Norman Rockwell setting in the heartland of America.

Lee DeYoung, in Colorado Springs in 1958, getting immersed in his new country as a Boy Scout.

I found my voice, and this voice quickly transformed through osmosis from Korean to English. Every Sunday we worshipped God at the First Congregational Church on Tejon Street. I no longer wanted for things that were once considered luxuries. I had warm clothes, I never went hungry, and I had a home.

Most importantly, I had the freedom from fear. Although it took time, I no longer feared being taken by Communist soldiers in the middle of the night. I was not afraid of going hungry, for there would always be food — warm, delicious, copious food made by my mother in our sunny Betty Crocker kitchen. I didn’t have to steal it or eat it quickly before anyone else could take it from me.

My parents were middle-class and of reasonable means; however, every one of their five children worked and paid for his or her own college education through scholarships and personal savings. I started with a paper route at age 12, and sacked groceries at Safeway through high school. I worked at jobs that I loved.

For most of my adult life, I have worked as a tennis pro and ski instructor. I have built a life together with a beautiful woman whom I adore, and I have garnered wonderful relationships with loving friends from all walks of life. What could be better?

In 1956, Henry DeYoung (third from right) traveled to South Korea to bring back his newly adopted son, Lee (front, third from left). To the left of Lee is his birth mother, who thought Lee would have more opportunities in the United States with the DeYoungs, and to the right is Lee’s birth sister.

However, it has not been without challenges. Although every one of Henry DeYoung’s other children and grandchildren have been highly successful in their chosen fields of physics and astronomy, chemistry, linguistics, medicine and computer science, my father had a strong objection to my choice of career. I was not drawn to academics, and this, my father had a difficult time accepting. My interests were the arts and sports. I spent my childhood competing in many different sports, but finally settled on tennis.