Chonghan Kim
The Department sadly notes the passing of Professor Emeritus Chonghan Kim, who died on Saturday, April 7, 2007.
In nearly three decades at the College, Professor Kim distinguished himself as a teacher and scholar. Throughout his life, he was also active in the Korean-American community. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Chonghan Kim was born in Korea in 1923. His initial studies took place in his home country as well as in Japan. He came to the United States in 1948, to study at the University of Indiana, from which he would receive his Bachelors, Masters and PhD. After teaching at Marquette University from 1957 to 1961, he joined the foreign service of South Korea in 1960, serving as special assistant to that country's Ambassador to the United Nations, Charge d-Affaires at its mission in Uganda, and Director of the Foreign Ministry's Bureau of International Relations.
Professor Kim joined the Government Department at the College of William and Mary in 1964, and was promoted to the rank of full Professor in 1970. During his time here, he taught courses in International Relations, with a focus on International Organization, International Law, and East Asia.
Throughout his career, Professor Kim's major scholarly interest was the politics of Korean reunification. His works appeared in journals like Orbis and The Journal of Asiatic Studies. In 1984, he co-edited book entitled Korean Unification: New Perspectives and Approaches. During his academic career, he was a regular participant at conferences and symposia on this issue, as well as Korean-American relations, Korean foreign policy and the People's Republic of China.
In addition to serving on groups such as the Advisory Council for a Peaceful Unification Policy, Professor Kim was the first President of the Korean Association of the Virginia Peninsula Area and actively involved in the life of the regional Korean and Korean-American communities, including after his retirement from teaching in 1992.
Professor Kim is survived by his wife Taehee and three children.
—Government Department, The College of William and Mary
Steven Poe
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Steve C. Poe, Professor of Political Science at the University of North Texas. Dr. Poe suffered a heart attack while enjoying one of his favorite activities—playing tennis with his daughters. He is survived by his wife Sunny and three daughters, Mary, Jamie, and Megan.
Steve Poe received his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1989 and joined the faculty of the Department of Political Science at the University of North Texas in 1989. Steve Poe was a pioneer in the study of human rights studies. His teaching and research in that field have made him a well-respected scholar in the fi eld. He has always been passionate about his work, and he sincerely believed that his passion is what allowed him to be successful. Aside from making a signifi cant contribution to our understanding of international politics, Dr. Poe was actively involved in human rights organizations, such as the local chapter of the Center for the Survivors of Torture.
Steve Poe was the first Johnie Christian Family Peace Professor from 1998–2000 and the founder of UNT's Peace Studies Program, which is the only Peace Studies program in the region that offers a minor and a certificate. He also took the lead in establishing four endowed scholarships in Peace Studies at UNT. He had been serving as editor-in-chief of International Studies Quarterly since 2003.
Dr. Poe was a favorite among students because of his accessibility and his genuine concern for the welfare of his students. During his time at UNT he won almost every teaching award for which he was eligible, and deserved them all. While a professor at the University of North Texas, he accumulated a following of students whom he inspired both professionally and personally. His doctoral students have gone on to build successful careers as teachers and researchers. Dr. Poe far exceeded his duties as professor, serving for many years as a mentor to students involved in the McNair Program and also as an unofficial mentor to all. The McNair Program pairs faculty with promising students who are the first in their family to attend college. One of Steve's McNair advisees went on to earn a law degree from Harvard and is currently working on a Ph.D. at George Washington. Another is in the Ph.D. program at Binghamton University. He has mentored more McNair scholars than any other faculty at this university and all have gone on to successful careers.
Dr. Poe was a dedicated husband, father, teacher, and scholar, and he managed to excel in all these roles. As an avid sports fan and former college athlete, he always managed to make time for recreation, using sports as a way to bond with colleagues and students alike. Those who spent time with Dr. Poe will miss him dearly, and he will be remembered by all for his kindness, generosity, and sincere interest in the lives of others.
—James Meernik, University of North Texas
William C. Spragens
Dr. William C. (Clark) Spragens, 81 died of a heart attack at his residency in Reston, Virginia on July 17, 2007. He was professor emeritus of political science at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio where he taught from 1969 until his retirement in 1986. His research and teaching focused on the presidency and the media.
Dr. Spragens was born in Lebanon, Kentucky where he received his high school degree. Upon graduation from the University of Kentucky in 1943 with a Bachelor's degree in journalism, he entered the United States Army where he served stateside until 1945.
Following his military service, Dr. Spragens returned to the University of Kentucky where he received his Master's degree in journalism in 1953. From then until 1960 he worked for newspapers in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana as a reporter or editor.
In 1960 he enrolled in the political science doctoral program at Michigan State University where he graduated with his PhD in 1966. His dissertation was a content analysis of press coverage of the 1960 congressional campaigns in Michigan and Tennessee.
After receiving his doctorate Dr. Spragens taught briefly at Millikin University and Wisconsin State at Oshkosh before joining the political science department at Bowling Green State University as an associate professor in 1969.
At Bowling Green, in addition to teaching American Government, the Presidency, and Politics and the Mass Media, Dr. Spragens was particularly proud of his field study course work with political science and journalism students. In 1972 he began a summer school national convention course where students would spend part of their time on campus and the remaining time at the Republican National Convention in Miami. At the convention they attended class, observed convention action, and served as volunteer or paid media workers.
In 1976 Dr. Spragens teamed with a Bowling Green State University journalism department faculty member to offer the summer convention course at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. After their campus course, students in the program would attend the national convention and receive daily briefings and then work up to 16 hours a day as volunteer or paid media workers for university credits. The very popular summer convention course was offered for both conventions in both 1980 and 1984. In 1981 the two professors made arrangements to offer a similar course for the 1981 inauguration of President Ronald Reagan.
Professor Spragens was author of seven books including The Presidency and the Mass Media in the Age of Television, From Spokesman to Press Secretary: White House Media Operations, and his most recent New Media for the New Milennium: Federal and State Executive Press Aides and Ambition Theory. In connection with his latest book he spoke at the National Press Club in 2003.
In addition to his books Dr. Spragens published in the Presidential Studies Quarterly and the Western Political Quarterly and presented numerous refereed papers at professional conferences. He served on the board of editors and was book review editor for the Presidential Studies Quarterly.
Dr. Spragens was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Affairs Council, the American Political Science Association, and the Center for the Study of the Presidency. He was a deacon in his church, the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Spragens and his wife Elaine, who survives, moved to the Washington, D.C. area following his retirement so he could more easily pursue his research interests. In retirement he continued to do his research, pursue charitable activities, and pursue his hobby, the collection of campaign buttons and political memorabilia.
In addition to his wife, his sister Ruth Spragens Gilbert survives. Funeral services were held in July in Lebanon, Kentucky and a memorial service in August at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Memorials can be made to the church's archives' fund or to the Spragen's Memorial Fund at the University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy, in care of Farmer's National Bank, P.O. Box 631, Lebanon, Kentucky.
—Roger Anderson, Bowling Green State University
