Emory Magazine | In Brief: Quote, Unquote

WHEN PAUL H. ANDERSON SR. ’38C-’40L received an honorary doctor of law degree from South Korea’s Yonsei University last October, the ceremony punctuated a lifelong family connection to the Asian country—a relationship in which Emory University continues to play a vital role.


				Paul H. Anderson Sr. ’38C-’40L recently was honored by South Korea’s Yonsei University for his support of ophthalmic research and scholarship.

Born in Choon Chun, Korea, in 1918, Anderson is the son of medical missionary Earl Wills Anderson ’01C, who founded one of that nation’s first ophthalmology departments at Yonsei University in the 1930s.

In 1987, Anderson established a fellowship in his father’s name that has, to date, brought five faculty members from Yonsei to study at the Emory Eye Center under director of research Henry Edelhauser in such areas as corneal diseases, ophthalmologic pathology, and retina research.

"We’ve certainly learned a lot about the Korean culture, and we think the people we’ve trained have become better doctors," Edelhauser says.

"I’m very pleased with the fellowship," Anderson says. "It is doing exactly what I intended it to do."

The honorary degree ceremony was Anderson’s second visit in recent years. In 1997, he attended the dedication of a new eye center at Yonsei, a ceremony that included the unveiling of a bust of his father.

"That was just as special, more special really," says Anderson. "Everything I have received is predicated on what he did."

Anderson is one of six family members to attend Emory. His uncle, Carl 1889C, was inducted posthumously into Emory’s Sports Hall of Fame last fall. Anderson’s son, Paul Jr., is a 1975 graduate of the School of Law.

As an alumnus, Anderson has served as president of the Association of Emory Alumni (AEA) and chair of the Board of Visitors. He received the Emory Award of Honor, precursor to the Emory Medal, in 1976. This year Anderson received the J. Pollard Turman Alumni Service Award, given by the AEA Board of Governors for continued support of the University.—G.F.