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SAMMY LEE (2013)


American Korean Friendship Society • Jul 03, 2013

Sammy Lee (2013 New American Hero Award – Dr. Sammy Lee

Good Neighboring Foundation presented the New American Hero Award to Dr. Sammy Lee at America Korea Friendship Society 2013 annual banquet at Renaissance Waverly Hotel on March 2.2013.

Dr. Sammy Lee was honored with the 2013 New American Hero Award by America Korea Friendship Society (AKFS) affiliated to Good Neighboring Foundation at a banquet.

Dr. Lee who is currently 92 years old was the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving.

General (Retired) Larry Ellis, Chairman of AKFS, awarded the new American Hero Award along with a $10,000 cash check to Dr. Lee. The cash award will be donated by Dr. Lee to the University of Southern California fund for building a new aquatic and diving center.

In a moving speech, a former trainee of Colonel (Retired) Jim Stapleton recounts the inspiration and training given to him in diving. Col. Stapleton saluted Dr. Lee’s accomplishment and the inspiration that instilled in him as a young man.
In another surprise ceremony, AD Frazier, former COO of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Committee, shared insights and spirit of the 1996 Games. He later presented the Korean national flag which flew at the 1996 Olympics to Sunny K. Park. President of AKFS as a gift.
“This is a wonderful gift that should belong to the Korean American community in Georgia. I want to present it to Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta for their safekeeping,” said Sunny K. Park.

In a moving acceptance speech, Dr. Lee shared stories of perseverance amidst difficulties, especially relating to racial discrimination towards him as an Asian American.
While pursuing his dream of diving, Dr. Lee faced many obstacles including a regular practice venue as non-whites were not allowed to use the public pool except one day each week before the pool was scheduled to be drained and refilled with clean water. As a result, his coach dug a pit in his backyard and filled it with sand so that he could practice by jumping into the pit.

Dr. Lee achieved his dream of winning medals at the Olympic by becoming the first non-white diving champion in the U.S. He won the gold medal in the 10m platform diving and the bronze medal in springboard diving in the 1948 games. He defended his title in the 1952 games, winning the gold medal in the 10m platform diving.
His accomplishment was not limited to the athletic fields. Dr. Lee was a student-athlete at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, where he received his M.D. in 1947. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea from 1053-1955, where he specialized in the diseases of the ear.
In 1953, while serving his tour of duty in Korea, he won the James E. Sullivan Award, which is awarded annually by the Amateur Athletic Union to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.
Dr. Lee went on to coach Olympic divers including Pat McCormick, Bob Webster, and Greg Louganis. He is a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
He urged young Korean Americans to embrace and be proud of their Korean heritage. He shared his personal experience where his father advise him to dream bigger and strive boldly towards his goal.

“Son. if you are not proud of the shaper of your eyes and the color of your skin, then who can respect you?’ recalls the advice given to him by his father.
Source: Georgia Asian Times (3/2/2013)

By American Korean Friendship Society 24 Mar, 2024
American Korean Friendship Society recognize Americans of Korean heritage for their volunteer works and efforts for Korean American community's advancement with Lifetime Achievement Award each year. The recognition is to appreciate their selfless contributions and encourage other members of the community to also volunteer for the community. AKFS Board unanimously honors Dr. Edward Chang (장태환), professor, the University of California at Riverside for 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. AKFS recognize Dr. Chang's remarkable contributions and voicing tirelessly for the Korean American community in the past nearly three decades. The Award comes with $5,000 prize from Good Neighboring Foundation which to contribute to a nonprofit organization of the Awardee's choice. Dr. Chang is Professor of Ethnic Studies and founding Director of the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies at the University of California at Riverside. He earned his B.A. (1982) in Sociology and Ph.D. (1990) in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and M.A. (1984) in Asian American Studies at UCLA. Dr. Chang is author of eight books, seven edited volumes, and numerous articles. Professor Chang has studied and been a voice of the Korean community for more than 25 years. He is a leading expert on the Los Angeles Riots, race relations between Korean and African American communities, and Korean Americans. Professor Chang lectured on the topics of Korean-African American Relations and the Los Angeles civil unrest and its impact on the Korean American community at many universities around the country.
By American Korean Friendship Society 24 Mar, 2024
AKFS presents the New American Hero Award (NAHA) each year to Americans of Korean ancestry who have made a significant and noteworthy contributions to the United States and have made the immigrant community proud. Immigrants from Korea and Asian countries are well contributed ethnic group in America but seldom recognized as patriot as actual. Since 2005, has recognized thirteen (13) American patriots of Korean heritage with the NAHA. The Board of Directors of the American Korean Friendship Society (AKFS USKorea.org) honors former United States Ambassador Sung Yong Kim for 2024 New American Hero Award. The Award comes with $25,000 prize that will be presented to an American non-profit organization of the honoree's choice on March 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. AKFS recognize Ambassador Kim's remarkable contributions made to the United States as a senior diplomat. Ambassador Kim's patriotism and passionate services for the United States enhanced the status of all Americans immigrated from Korea and Asian countries particularly. Sung Yong Kim (김성용) is an American diplomat of Korean ancestry serve the United States as the US Special Representative for North Korea Policy since 2021, and previously from 2014 to 2016. He has also served as the acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. In 2008, Kim was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-party talks. He later served in the Obama and Trump administrations as the Ambassador to South Korea from 2011 to 2014 and as the Ambassador to the Philippines from 2016 to 2020. In 2020, Kim was appointed by President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Indonesia. Ambassador Kim retired November 2023 and joined Hyundai Automobile Group as senior advisor.
By American Korean Friendship Society 24 Mar, 2024
AKFS honors Ambassador Sung Yong Kim with the 2024 New American Hero Award. AKFS also honors Dr. Edward T. Chang, Professor, University of California, Riverside, with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
By American Korean Friendship Society 24 Mar, 2024
성 김 전 주한미국대사, '이민자 영웅상' 수상 이민자 영웅상, 성 김 대사, 한미우호협회, 장태한 교수
By American Korean Friendship Society 30 Jan, 2024
The Board of Directors of the American Korean Friendship Society (AKFS) honors former United States Ambassador Sung Yong Kim for 2024 New American Hero Award. The Award comes with a $25,000 prize that will be presented to an American non-profit organization of the honoree's choice on March 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. AKFS presents the New American Hero Award (NAHA) each year to Americans of Korean ancestry who have made significant and noteworthy contributions to the United States and have made the immigrant community proud. Immigrants from Korea and Asian countries are well contributed ethnic group in America but seldom recognized as patriots. Since 2005, has recognized thirteen (13) American patriots of Korean heritage with the NAHA. AKFS recognizes Ambassador Kim's remarkable contributions to the United States as a senior diplomat. Ambassador Kim's patriotism and passionate services for the United States enhanced the status of all Americans immigrated from Korea and Asian countries particularly. Sung Yong Kim (Korean: 김성용) is an American diplomat of Korean ancestry serving as the United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy since 2021, and previously from 2014 to 2016. He has also served as the acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from January to June 2021. In 2008, Kim was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Six-party talks. He later served in the Obama and Trump administrations as the Ambassador to South Korea from 2011 to 2014 and as the Ambassador to the Philippines from 2016 to 2020. In 2020, Kim was appointed by President Donald Trump as Ambassador to Indonesia. Dr. Edward Chang honored for 2024 AKFS Lifetime Achievement AKFS Board unanimously honors Dr. Edward Chang, professor at the University of California, Riverside for 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. AKFS recognizes Dr. Chang's contributions and voicing tirelessly for the Korean American community in the past nearly three decades. Dr. Chang is Professor of Ethnic Studies and founding Director of the Young Oak Kim Center for Korean American Studies at the University of California at Riverside. He earned his B.A. (1982) in Sociology and Ph.D. (1990) in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and M.A. (1984) in Asian American Studies at UCLA. Chang is the author of eight books, seven edited volumes, and numerous articles. Professor Chang has studied and been a voice of the Korean community for more than 25 years. He is a leading expert on the Los Angeles Riots, race relations between Korean and African American communities, and Korean Americans. Professor Chang lectured on the topics of Korean-African American Relations and the Los Angeles civil unrest and its impact on the Korean American community at many universities around the country. The award gala will be held on Friday 6:00 PM March 15, 2024 at Westin Atlanta North Hotel. 7 Concourse, Sandy Springs, Georgia. Tickets are $500.00 per person and encouraged to purchase as a table sponsorship. Table sponsorships for AKFS Award Gala are available at $25,000, $10,000 and $5,000 levels. All proceeds of table sponsorship and ticket sales will be used to pay for the event, prize for the awardees, strengthen the US-Korea Alliance and advocate American patriotism in the Asian American community. The American Korean Friendship Society, Inc. (AKFS) is a non-profit (81-1408283 IRS Code 501-C-3) and non-political civic organization founded in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Society celebrates and strengthens the unique relationship between the peoples of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America. The Society created the New American Hero Award to recognize Korean American patriots. The Society presents the New American Hero Award each year at the annual banquet. The award is to recognize Americans of Korean ancestry who have made significant and noteworthy contributions to the United States and have made the immigrant community proud. original content: https://gasiantimes.com/2024/01/22/american-korean-friendship-society-honors-sung-yong-kim-for-2024-new-american-heroes-award-and-dr-edward-chang-for-2024-lifetime-achievement-award/?fbclid=IwAR3VeFB5kx5FqdNRHj6Z0YV29GTfjJ4fZ4vn0Oh42ubYnOpJsz53BwcUZtA
By American Korean Friendship Society 27 Jan, 2024
view original: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20232024/218431
American Korean Friendship Society
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