Tryon Edwards, an American theologian once said, ?he secret of a good memory is attention, and attention to a subject depends upon our interest in it. We rarely forget that which has made a deep impression on our minds.
Attention, at this time, is given to six very special alumni of Ewha Voice. On Friday, March 19, in Jongno, six alumni and also the first reporters of the Ewha Voice, Sohn Kyung-im, Myung Yong-ae, Kim Soon-ja, Kim Tae-ok, Park Soon-ham, and Kim Seung-sook, met with the current reporters to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ewha Voice.
Located in a quiet neighborhood, the house they met seemed still until the six alumni reporters opened their hearts with stories full of past memories of the Ewha Voice as it was back in 1954. The house then turned into a place bursting with spirit and energy.
Kim Seung-sook spoke about how the Ewha Voice was founded. Kim said, ? remember when we first started learning about writing articles from Ms. Kathleen Crane, the instructor for the journalism class. It was not long after Koreans returned to the Seoul campus after their evacuation to Busan during the Korean War. About 80 students took the course in Busan, but only a half came back. The campus atmosphere during that time was heavily affected by the Korean War. Sohn Kyung-im explained that ?othing was like today back then. The students studied in a tent, and because of the war, some of the buildings at Ewha were destroyed. Also, huge tanks were moving inside the Ewha campus.
However, despite the hardships on the social environment, on June 4, 1954, the seniors of the Department of English Language & Literature who were taking the 3-credit journalism class published the first volume of the Ewha Voice. ?he name ?wha Voice was voted by the students taking the course, said Myoung Yong-ae. ?s. Crane told us that we should nominate names for the newspaper, and among those names, Ewha Voice was selected. It received a majority of votes, she added.
Kim Tae-ok, the first student editor of Ewha Voice recalled the voting process: ?ur colleague Park Sook-ja recommended the name Ewha Voice. When Sook-ja? suggestion got the highest number of votes, I felt a sense of democracy in the classroom, which was then very hard to feel. Ms. Crane said that all students should voice their opinions.
In the journalism class, students wrote essays in English, with the help of Ms. Crane. ?he essays that we wrote were reported in the Ewha Voice, says Myoung Yong-ae. ?hrough this, we could improve our English skills. I still remember the five Ws: Who, When, Where, What, and Why. she added.
The Volume 1, Number 2 of the Ewha Voice, published in 1954, was printed using a typewriter. During the 50s, all Korean newspapers were printed using typography, a process which compositions are set word by word. However, the reporters of Ewha Voice printed their writings line by line. It was the first English newspaper to be published at a Korean university. Park Soon-ham mentioned, ?? very proud to have been part of the original Ewha Voice. It was made through our hard work; without the help of Ms. Crane, we would never have made it.
At one point, all of the six alumni seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Then, slowly, the focus of conversation shifted to Ms. Crane. Kim Seung-sook and other past reporters started to recall their memories about Ms. Crane: ?o us, she was a friend-like teacher. She was popular among all students, said Park Soon-ham. ?he took care of every single student in the class. Her nickname, ?udrey Hepburn, shows her confidence and faith, continued Park.
Kim Seung-sook praised Ms. Crane. ? still remember her love for Korean culture and language. She was important to all of us that we even published a special edition of the Ewha Voice just for her. She was our source of inspiration, said Kim.
First printed on Friday, June 4, 1954, Volume 1, Number 1 edition of the Ewha Voice is approaching its 50th anniversary. ?ifty years is not a short period, during which memories can be erased, said Kim Sook-ja. ?o share these experiences as an original staff member of the Ewha Voice is an honor, she added. Kim Tae-ok said, ?s the first English newspaper among those published by Korean universities, the Ewha Voice should plan its future with the goal to become available worldwide. Not much later, the time will come when English language newspapers will be more important than Korean language newspapers, as we are living in a global village. As variety of readers should be reached, we should strive to improve the quality of the Ewha Voice.
The alumni of the first Ewha Voice gave the following advice: ?he secret of good work is attention, and attention depends upon our interest in it. Thus, good work from the Ewha Voice can be made by giving care and concern. To the Ewha Voice alumni, thank you for sharing the memories with us.
ejlee117@ewha.ac.kr
저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지