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Tribute to Ku Sung Shin Hsu
Mother, Physician, Wife and Leader

When most of us think of great leaders we picture individuals who have accomplished great worldly things or have made a new discovery. It is true that some great leaders have done these things, but for my sisters, brother and me, greatness is also defined by the accomplishments and the way in which our mother has lived her life. Ku Sung Shin Hsu was born in Seoul, Korea in 1926. Soon after graduating from Seoul Women's Medical College in 1948 her homeland was torn in two by the threat of communism. She joined the medical staff of the US Civil Assistant Command, headed by Colonel John Livingston. The command oversaw the Korean local province government and carried out other duties including medical supply deliveries, public health, infectious disease control and refugee health. During the war, my mother provided medical care for soldiers and refugees—both American and South Koreans.

After the war ended, my mother came to the United States to continue her professional career in medicine. It was a difficult time for Asians to be in the United States, especially for a young woman alone. She landed in Baltimore, Maryland where she completed an internship at Maryland General Hospital and then a Pediatric Residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. This was followed by a pediatric fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. During this time she also met and married a young Chinese biochemist, Jeng Mein Hsu who was completing his postdoctoral work at Hopkins. With only each other for support, they started their lives together and raised four children. However, this did not stop my mother from pursuing her professional career, which spanned over forty years. While raising her family, my mother held several positions—staff pediatrician for the Baltimore HMO Clinic, Rosewood State Hospital for Mentally Retarded Children in Owings Mills, Maryland and Pinellas County Health Department in Florida. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and member of the American Women's Medical Association. She maintains her membership to the American Medical Association.

These professional accomplishments are noteworthy, but for her children, we are in awe of her for the lessons she has taught by the way she lives her life. We have each come to comprehend the meaning of greatness by her compassion for those who are weak and endless patience for those who are rash and fail to take time to listen. My sisters, brother and I are forever grateful for this quiet woman who has taught us that love is strong and gentle, compassion a strength and gentleness a foundation to reaching others. These characteristics are guided by truth, trust and respect for human beings regardless of their color, religion or abilities. We do not know how to thank her for all these life gifts, except only a promise that each day we will conduct our lives as she does. By doing so, our children will carry on the legacy of one Ku Sung Shin Hsu.

—Lovingly submitted by Lily Hsu