Frederic H Dustin - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Frederic H. Dustin, Ph.D.

PHD

PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

, (1930–present) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

, author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

, businessman and philanthropist

Philanthropist

A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...

. He is the creator and owner of the Kimnyoung Maze Park on Jeju Island, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. Dr. Dustin, a former professor at Jeju National University, is an honorary citizen of the Jeju Self-governing Province. He is also reportedly the longest independently living foreigner in Korea and continues to maintain his U.S. citizenship.

Personal life

Frederic H. Dustin was born on January 12, 1930 in Bellingham at St. Luke's Hospital to Fred H Dustin and Mayme Hall. He has lived in Korea since 1958 and on Jeju since 1971. He was married in 1971 to Marie-Louise Gebhardt, a Lutheran missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

. She died in 1973 after contracting cancer.

Education

His original academic interest was Native Americans but he later focused on traditional Korean culture. Dustin is the first American to receive a Master’s in Korean Language and Literature. His Master's thesis was entitled An Aspect of Korean Contemporary Literature with Special Reference to Bulggot (a Korean novel).

He entered the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

in September 1948 and attended until June 1949. He then entered Western Washington State University from September 1949 until June 1951. Two years later, he re-entered Western Washington State University in July 1953 and graduated the following year on June 11, 1954 with a Bachelor's Degree in Education.

Dustin later attended the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

in July and August 1955. There, he entered the University of Washington Graduate School in September 1957. He graduated on December 19, 1958, with the first Master of Arts Degree in Korean Language and Literature in the U.S.

Military career

Dustin joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps

Reserve Officers' Training Corps

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...

(ROTC) in his first year of college. He was drafted in September, 1951, during the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, and spent December and January in the Band Training Unit at Camp Roberts

Camp Roberts, California

Camp Roberts is a California National Guard post in central California, located on both sides of the Salinas River in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, now run by the California Army National Guard. It is named after Harold W. Roberts, a World War I Medal of Honor recipient...

in Fort Ord, California. He went home before going to Camp Stoneman

Camp Stoneman

Camp Stoneman was a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major staging area for the Army in World War II and the Korean War....

.

Dustin first came to Korea as a Bandsman, a Clarinetist in the 7th Division Band. He was honorably discharged and returned to Washington in May 1953. He began working for the 19th Battalion, 8th Regiment, 7th Division, in November 1968 as a Supply Officer, Grade GS-9. He finished working for the 19th Battalion in February 1971.

Teaching career

Dustin began teaching at Yonhi University

Yonsei University

Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...

(연희대학교) in Seoul on September 11, 1955 as a Lecturer in English, his position funded by The Asia Foundation. He was actively associated with the introduction of basketball into the Republic of Korea through the formation of the Yonhi University team during this period. He finished teaching at Yonhi University in August 1957.

After returning to America to study for his M.A Degree, Dustin returned to South Korea and began teaching at Chung-Ang University (중아대학교) in Seoul on September 30, 1958, again as a Lecturer in English. In addition to his regular academic duties as an English instructor, he initiated sculling activities in the nearby Han River by assisting the school to obtain two sculling boats from the University of Washington. He instructed and supervised the sculling team and supervised hiking and mountain climbing trips of groups of students. He finished teaching at Chung-Ang University in February 1960.

Dustin first started teaching at Jeju National University (제주대학교) in September 1971. He began his career there as a Full-time Lecturer in English in the Department of Tourism Management. At that time, it never entered his mind that he'd work there for 23 years and retire as a full professor. During this period of teaching, he accompanied the school soccer team to the national soccer games in Daegu

Daegu

Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...

in 1976, as an advisor. He finished teaching at CNU in February 1979 to return to Seoul.

Back in the capitol, Dustin took up three positions teaching English, beginning in March 1979. He was a Visiting Professor at Sejong University

Sejong University

Sejong University is a private university located in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The history of Sejong University dates to 1940 when a trust established the Kyung Sung Humanities Institute...

(세종대학교), where he also served as a technical advisor to the student sailing club. He taught at Hongik University

Hongik University

Hongik University, usually known as "Hongdae" for short, is a private university in the Mapo-gu district of central Seoul, South Korea with a second campus in Jochiwon, Chungcheongnam-do. Hongik University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs...

(홍익대학교) as a visiting professor (객원교수) and was also a Lecturer in English at the Korea Institute of Finance (한국금융연구원). He finished his work in Seoul in 1981 as he was invited to return to Jeju National University, where he began teaching again in March 1982.

Dustin returned to CNU as a Full Associate Professor and did research in and taught tourism development policies in addition to his regular English courses in the Tourism Management Department. He represented Jeju's tourism industry interests in four international seminars on tourism development, as a main speaker. He assisted in the development of, and acted as technical advisor, to the university's sailing club. In addition, he served as an advisor to the provincial government, acting as a VIP Orientation Guide.

Dustin was a staff teacher for the University of Maryland

University of Maryland

When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...

's Far East department and he appeared weekly on an educational television program in 1986 and 1987. He finished teaching at Jeju National University on December 31, 1994, after 23 years. His classes are fondly remembered by a great number of Jeju residents, as well as the frequent social gatherings at his home in the forest outside of Kimnyoung Village.

Business career

Dustin began working at the Korean Consolidated Mining Company, Ltd. (KCMC, 한국합자광업), in January 1960, as a technical advisor and superintendent to help establish the Tongsan Mine. He worked in the remote village of Baewawi for two years until the spring of 1962 when an accidental chemical splash to his eyes forced him to consider other work. He finished working for the KCMC in December 1962 and moved to Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

.

He began working for the Korea Republic Newspaper (한국일보) in February 1962 as a copy reader. He finished working there in February 1963. He then began working as a field auditor for The Church International Field Service in March 1963. He finished working for the organization in October 1963. He began working at Kanaan Poultry Corporation (가나안양계주식회사) in September 1964. He was the Representative and Managing Director. He finished working there in July 1968.

Philanthropy

Under a grant from the Asia Foundation, Dr. Dustin prepared the first guidebook on Jeju, published as "An Introduction to Cheju Island" in 1978.

During his tenure at Jeju National University, Dustin reported gave away 80% of his earnings every year in order to support foreign faculty members and improve the quality of education at the university where he taught for 23 years. The money is divided roughly evenly between a “life-education” program for marine leisure sports activities and the university's development fund to pay for foreign professors’ salaries.