¡á Foundation (5/73 ¡ 4/30/77)
24 years ago, 28 graduates of the first class of the dental college of Kyung Hee University, which was the second dental college in Korea and the first as a private school at that time, got together at the foot of Mountain Kohwang.
Despite possible future difficulties, they were in agreement with the great cause of realization of a welfare society through improving oral health and dental practice and strode the first step into the world, hoping as the Bible says, "Your former state will seem to you as nothing beside your new prosperity." This was the very beginning of the start of the alumni of the dental college at Kyung Hee University and it allowed Kyung Hee graduates for the first time to channel their love towards the alma mater.
The Kyung Hee University Dental College Alumni was initiated in May, 1973 by the first graduates of Kyung Hee University in February of the same year. The Kyung Hee University Dental College Alumni foundation general meeting was held in a lecture hall in the basement of Kyung Hee Medical Center on Dec. 18, 1973, where Chung, Choong-Mo was chosen as the first alumni chairman along with the first dean of school Kim, Kyu-Taek as the first honorary alumni chairman, and also the Kyung Hee University Dental College Alumni Constitution was ratified and passed.
From 1973 to 1976, the majority of alumni served in the military as army doctors or interned at hospitals. The central alumni activities were to keep prosperous alumni relations and identify their whereabouts.
In 1974 the Kyung Hee University Dental College Alumni Chairman award was established and the first award was given to Chung, Jae-Kyu. From that year, visiting of army doctor applicants was started.
In addition, little as it was, fundraising for scholarships for financially challenged alumni was begun.
¡á The Cornerstone of Today's Alumni
Chung, Choong-Mo successively held the first and second chairmanship. Then Chun, Byoung-Chan was the third to fifth chairman from 5/1/77 to 4/30/82, followed by Choe, Chang-Kyu, the sixth chairman, from 5/1/83 to 4/30/86.
This period was replete with many lonely and rough efforts to be self-reliant and independent as well as with dedicated services. It was also the period when we layed the foundation for today's Kyung Hee University Dental College Alumni, consisting of as many as 2000 members and we saw a variety of development.
Around this time, since the opening of Kyung Hee Univ. Dental College, there was the opening of eight other new dental colleges, each producing new graduates. In this circumstance the alumni struggled to make the most of its organizing ability to protect Kyung Hee graduates who began to be on the forefront of the field of dentistry. This devoted help from many alumni members began to bear fruit.
Despite the unstable political situation, through the relentless protection and management of members, we successfully developed this alumni for the guide of recent graduates and the still incumbent students who will be future alumni, by ceaselessly visiting the university, alumni meetings and members' dental offices.
¡á Vitalization (5/1/86 ¡ 10/30/87)
Lee, Su-In who was elected as chairman at the Kamgnam-ku Dentists assembly hall on 4/19/86 with Lee, Chae-Dong (1st year alumni) and Kim, Ji-Tae (2nd year), as supervisors, has solidified the future of the alumni and strived against adverse situations for the welfare of 900 alumni members who were playing their roles superbly in a variety of fields of dentistry.
The aim of the alumni at that time was to deepen the fraternal friendships among members and to support the members' social activities and contribute to the development of the school. The alumni actively participated in school events and even now it spares nothing in supporting freshman orientations, the Kowhangchi festivals, the June 9 events and athletic meets, etc.
More importantly, by participating themselves, senior members encouraged the friendship between senior and junior members and they planted a love of the alma mater into the minds of junior members.
Scholarship regulations were made and scholarships through various funds were regularly provided. The nurturing fund, as much as 100 million won, the whole alumni's dream, began to be flooded with many contributions. In 1984, the Kyung Hee dental bulletin was published to inform the alumni on meeting news, alumni's recent news, and school news as well as to encourage local branches. As a result, the first bowling tournament was held as a Seoul branch meeting in July, 1985, followed by an athletic meet and hiking according to the other branches. Academic seminars were promoted by the alumni and the Home Coming day party was co-sponsored with Kyung Hee Medical Center in September, 1985, where alumni members had a good time together.
(written by Lee, Su-In : Seoul dental bulletin, the 9/26/86 issue : quoted from "Introduction of activities of the Kyung Hee University Dental College Alumni")
¡á Love of the Alma Mater (11/1/87 ¡ 10/30/89)
At the 16th general meeting held at the Cosmos Room in the Yoido 63 building on 10/16/87, Chang, Ji-Woo was chosen as the 8th alumni chairman with Chung, Kyu-Rim (1st year alumni, professor at Kyung Hee Univ, Orthodontics), Chong, Jae-Kyu (2nd year), Cho, Ho-Ku (9th year) as vice-chairmen.
The fundraising committee for constructing the Kyung Hee dental college building and its annex was established in July, 1988 with vice-chairman Chung, Kyu-Rim as the committee chairman and another vice-chairman Cho, Ho-Ku, as the committee vice-chairman. The committee started a fundraising campaign aiming to collect 100 million won. The names of those alumni who contributed at that time are inscribed on the bronze plate located on the current dental college building.
Meanwhile, the board of directors decided on the lifelong fee system of 200,000 won per each member, laying the foundation for alumni fundraising. On the basis of this system, chairman Chong, Jae-Kyu raised substantial amounts of alumni funds.
The interest of 5 million won, contributed to the alumni by professor Chung, Kyu-Rim in the past, has been given to a member who has brought glory to Kyung Hee University Dental College at regular annual general meetings. So far the Kyung Hee Dentist Award was given to dean of Chosun Dental College Cho, Jae-Oh (1st class of dental college) during his term and colonel Kim, Pan-Shik (3rd class).
In addition, a variety of activities were carried out, such as granting scholarships, creating golf clubs among members, actively contributing to members or professors at Kyung Hee University for the occasion of congratulations and condolences, activating local branches, supporting activities of the dental college student body, assisting studying abroad of professors at Kyung Hee Univ., and consolatory visiting of enlisted grads.
(written by Chang, Ji-Woo)
¡á Take-off (11/1/89¡10/30/96)
Chung, Jae-Kyu (2nd year alumni, current Vice-Chairman of Korean Dental Association) became the 9th chairman at the 18th general meeting on Oct. 28, 1989 and further vitalized the alumni activities. He introduced a lifelong fee system, laying the foundation for the alumni fund of 700 million won. Besides taking the national tour, he made it a chance to solidify the friendship between senior and junior members. A newspaper-like alumni bulletin as well as the first issue of the alumni address book was published.
The 19th annual general meeting was held at the Riviera Hotel on Oct. 27, 1990, where the budget of 42.8 million won was passed and the personal reference card system for all of the alumni members was implemented. At the 20th general meeting held at the Riviera Hotel on Nov. 23, 1991, Chung, Jae-Kyu remained in office as the 10th chairman and the ever snowballing budget of 77.6 million won was passed.
In the same year, on Nov. 20, a commemorative event celebrating Kyung Hee Medical Center's 20th anniversary along with an academic seminar was held at the Shilla Hotel and the Home Coming day party together with the 21st general meeting was held at Kyung Hee University. The presence of the dean of dental college, Cho, Young-Shik and president Kong, Young-Il as well as the chairman of the Korean Dental Association Yun, Heung-Ryeul and the general alumni chairman, the late Lee, Byoung-Hui (3rd year alumni, deceased in 1996), made the event more glorified. 100 million won worth of fund for constructing a dental college building and its annex was handed over to the president and the hanging ceremony of the bronze plate inscribed with the names of alumni contributors was performed.
From 12/30/92 to 1/5/93, the Kyung Hee Univ. Dental College Alumni Russian Medical Service Group, consisting of Chong, Jae-Kyu as leader and Park, Tae-Yong, Chi, Joon-Soon, Son, Young-Yu, Nam, Sang-Uk (2nd class), provided free medical services in St. Petersburg via Moscow, making the Kyung Hee Univ. Dental College alumni known worldwide.
Since the spring of 1993, the fundraising campaign for developing the dental college led by the dean of school Choe, Ho-Young and the alumni chairman Chung, Jae-Kyu was propelled in full and so far approximately 500 million won has been raised and promised with continuous contributions coming from alumni members.
The second issue of the alumni address book was published in the form of a book. Chung, Jae-Kyu remained in office as the 11th chairman. In September, 1994, we started publishing the magazine-style alumni bulletin "Isakeum", instead of the before newspaper-like one.
Now the Kyung Hee Univ. Dental College Alumni was organized nation-wide, playing a pivotal role in the local communities and also taking an initiative and leadership in the field of dentistry.
Especially, Chung, Jae-Kyu was elected as vice-chairman of the Korean Dental Association at the KDA's previous officers' election in May, 1996, where Shin, Dong-Kun (2nd class of dental college) became the chairman of Kangwon-do Dental Association and Lim, Chong-Seong (4th class), the chairman of Kwangju City Dental Association.
On June, 28 of last year, around 1,900 alumni attended the 24th regular general meeting held at the Hilton Hotel, showing off the solidarity and strong will towards the development of our alma mater.
(written by Chung, Jae-Kyu)
¡á The Great Leap Ahead (11/1/96 ¡present)
Since Chi, Joon-Soon became the current 12th chairman, the alumni has put on quite a new appearance. It was reorganized in a way that the number of supervisors changed from two to a few, and an honorary chairmanship was adopted to allow automatic honorary chairmanship to previous chairmen, enabling the vice-chairman of Korean Dental Association Chung, Jae-Kyu to be the first honorary chairman. The Public Relations directorship, in addition to the Information & Communications directorship was newly established and Kim, Se-Young was first appointed to the position. The Kyunggi-do East Branch (Namyangju, Kuri, Hanam, Kapyong) was formed.
Seoul branch was also reorganized so that now the Seoul branch chairman takes concurrent office as general alumni vice-chairman and each district chairman holds a Seoul branch directorship concurrently, activating local branches. We made our utmost effort to raise the school development fund and lifelong alumni fees.
Particularly in the year 1997, marking the 30th school foundation, a lot of events were carried out with the slogan "Our Kyung Hee, Our Dental College" and the addendum "All of the Kyung Hee men, in one place at the alma mater!"
Academic seminars touring the local branches were held as many as 14 times. The Alumni Friendship Golf Tournament was held, attracting 150 people, proceeds of which going to the "Let's help needy neighbors" campaign.
A book of the history of 30 year-long Kyung Hee Dental college was published with photo exhibition on the theme.
During the Seoul FOI, about 600 alumni visited our alumni booth.
(Written by Chi, Joon-Soon)
