by Dr. David S.C. Kim-Poughkeepsie, NY
Dr. Sang Hun Lee lived a good and prosperous life. His time on earth was filled with joys, accomplishments and the love of family and friends. I came to know Dr. Lee when he and his entire family joined the Unification Church very early on in the history of our church. He appeared to me as a man of vision, character and a sincere heart.
After the 36-Couple Blessing, Dr. Lee's family and my family became part of the same trinity. Throughout the years, even when we were far apart, we always kept in touch. I knew that some day, later on, we would work together in some way.
The opportunity for us to work together came when Father founded the Unification Thought Institute of America. Dr. Lee had pioneered the systematization of Unification Thought and V.O.C. theory as an application of Father's thought, and he was the world's chief lecturer on Unification Thought. When Father founded UTI of America, we were pleased to have had Dr. Sang Hun Lee himself appointed by Father as president of UTI of America. Moreover, I was honored by Father with the position of vice president of UTI of America.
Since that day, which was more than ten years ago, Dr. Lee and I began to work very closely to develop Unification Thought and to spread it to the Western world. We established seminar programs for Unificationist scholars and started the teaching of Unification Thought on a large scale. Dr. Lee came to America on several occasions to teach both Unification Thought and V.O.C. theory. I always remember those times fondly.
When Dr. Lee's wife passed away a few years ago, I was surprised at the moral courage and strength of Dr. Lee. He continued his work with the same kind of dedication he had been doing all along. Besides, he began to received direct inspiration from his wife in the spirit world, which gave him even more strength and determination.
And now the two of them are joined together again. And we are happy to have had such a wonderful man as Dr. Sang Hun Lee with us on this earth. We wish him all the best as he goes on to this new stage of his life. We will keep fond memories of his kind heart and sincere dedication to God and True Parents.