Dr. Hong Youl and Mrs. Chung Soo Park

Dr. Hong Youl Park was born in Gongju, South Korea. He survived Japanese and Chinese invasions, the Korean War, and his service to the Korean Army. He received a BA in Economics from Kyung Hee University (1962) and an MA in Economics from Seoul National University (1966). In 1968, he moved to the United States and received an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University (1970) and a Ph.D. in Economics from Utah State University (1975).
In 1975, Dr. Park accepted a position to teach at Saginaw Valley State University, where he was a tenured professor for 43 of his 47 years and taught over 10,000 students. Dr. Park was Department Chair four times (1990-1992, 1996-98, 2004-2006, 2008-10); Editor of the SVSU Economic and Business Review (1983-1992); and Director of the Center for Economic and Business Research (1979-1992). In 2002, Dr. Park received a US Fulbright Scholarship to Korea.
He collected and published data for four articles on the Unified Theory of the Firm, Corporate Strategies and Dynamic Capabilities of the Firm. During 47 years of teaching, he published 58 articles and in 2011, at the annual Kyung Hee University Alumni Association’s North America Meeting, Dr. Park was named person of the year by his alma mater.
Dr. Park was active with the Korea-America Economic Association (KAEA) where he served as the Secretary-General, Vice President, President (2004), and Chair of the Advisory Board (2008, 2009). While serving as President of KAEA, he initiated the first joint conference with the Bank of Korea (Korean Central Bank) and organized five other joint conferences with (1) The Korean Economic Association, (2) Korea Development Institute, (3) Korea Financial Institute, (4) Korean Monetary and Financial Association, and (5) American Economic Association.
Chung Soo Lee Park was born in Seoul, South Korea. She graduated from Ewha Womans University, then immigrated to the United States in 1968 to join her husband. Mrs. Park pursued her master’s degree in education and taught at Kempton Elementary School in Saginaw. She loved the arts and music. She was a member of St. John Vianney Catholic Church and the Korean Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Park’s family lineage traces back to King Sejong, widely regarded as the greatest king in Korean history. He reigned from 1418 to 1450, and is remembered for the creation of Hangul, the native alphabet of the Korean Language. Her four daughters honor their mother’s contributions to their family success through this grant.