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Bong Lee Obituary
Bong-Soo Lee, of Tallahassee, Florida, was called to God on March 6, 2015. He was born in Jinchon, South Korea and was raised in Seoul by his parents, Hee-Tae and Hwa-Soo Lee. Bong-Soo graduated from Seoul National University in 1975 and worked for the Ministry of Government Administration and the Ministry of Finance in Korea as a Deputy Director for seven years.
In 1981, he decided to immigrate to the U.S. to further his education and provide a better opportunity for his family. He received his masters in Economics from Washington State University and then earned his Ph.D in Economics from the University of Minnesota, under the advisory of future Nobel Prize recipient, Christopher Sims. Bong-Soo has dedicated his entire career to academia as a professor of Finance at Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, University of Houston and eventually Florida State University as the Patty Hill Smith Eminent Scholar Chair in Finance. He also served as Dean of the KAIST Graduate School of Finance in Seoul, Korea from 2006-2007.
His passion for research was exemplified by his ability to publish over 94 articles in refereed finance journals and to serve as Editor for various journals such as the Financial Review, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Journal of Economic Development and numerous others. Outside of his academic passions, he served as the Chair of the pastoral council at St. Andrew Kim church in Houston, TX, President of the Korea America Finance Association and President of the Korea America Economic Association. He enjoyed fishing, hiking and ice skating in his free time.
Bong-Soo is survived by his two sons, Chris and Paul Lee. A memorial service will be held at 10:00am, Monday, March 9th at Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities of Tallahassee, 1380 Blountstown Hwy., Tallahassee, Fl., 32361.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Bong Lee
Lalith Samarakoon
May 30, 2015
I am so saddened to hear Dr. Lee's untimely passing away. You were such a brilliant academic in finance. You were always eager and willing to help others. You were such a rare person, and I was so glad to have known you. More importantly, you were such a nice and friendly human being. Thank you so much for all your help, support and encouragement. We will miss you dearly. May the God bless you with love and peace.
Madhu Kalimipalli
May 5, 2015
Dear Bong Soo: It is with deep shock and grief I record this note, for your exit was so sudden. You were a brilliant teacher and researcher, and your absence leaves a void that can never be filled. I immensely learnt and grew under your training and guidance, including as my Phd committee member. May your soul rest in peace and may your family be guided out of this tragedy. (Madhu Kalimipalli, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada)
Byung-Joo Lee
March 15, 2015
Dear Dr. Lee,
It is very sad to hear your sudden death. We have shared so many wonderful memories in many economic association meetings. You were very friendly and cheerful to many Korean economists in numerous meetings. I respected your scholarly achievement, and very proud of you being a Korean-American economist actively working in America. Next time I go to yet another meeting, I feel very sad to realize that I can not see your warm and friendly smile anymore. I miss you dearly.
May God be with you in peace.
Wen-I Chuang
March 9, 2015
Dear Dr. Lee,
It is unbelievable that you passed away and it is so difficult to express my sadness in words. I can't stop thinking your smile and voice and our prior conversation. I feel so honored to be your student and treasure everything I learned from youyour passion on research, serious attitude toward work, and always being nice to people. Your spirit will always be with me. I really appreciate your teaching, collaboration, encouragement, and support. It is you that makes me a scholar and enjoy my career. Time can't erase your contributions to the academic community and my memories of you. May God always bless you with His love, peace, and comfort. Love from Wen-I Chuang
Wen-I Chuang
March 9, 2015
It is unbelievable that you passed away, and it is so difficult to express my sadness in words. I can't stop thinking your smile and voice and our prior conversation. I feel so honored to be your student and treasure everything I learned from youyour great passion on research, serious attitude toward work, and always being nice to people. Your spirit will always be with me. I really appreciate your teaching, collaboration, encouragement, and support. It is you that makes me a scholar and enjoy my career. Time can't erase your contributions to the academic community as well as my memories of you. May God always bless you with His love, peace, and comfort.
Love from Wen-I Chuang
Hyeongwoo Kim
March 9, 2015
Professor Lee,
You will be remembered as a brilliant economist and great mentor who has a wonderful smile.
May God give you the comfort and peace.
Hyeongwoo
Xiaoquan Jiang
March 9, 2015
Dear Dr. Lee,
I am so sad you leave us. Your passion on research, your willingness to help students, your contribution to apply time series to understand finance issues, will be always, always remembered. I thank you so much for your teaching, collaboration, support, and friendship. May God blessing, love and peace be always with you.
Sincerely,
Xiaoquan Jiang
SEJIN KIM
March 9, 2015
Dear Dr. Lee, I will remember your passion for research and commitment to your students. Your academic achievement will be extended and developed further by many following scholars and students. I appreciate your teaching.
Love from SEJIN
Bang Nam Jeon
March 9, 2015
Prof. Bong Soo Lee will be remembered long by me and all KAEA members as a great man, outstanding economist, and beloved friend. Peace and rest, Prof. Lee. I will miss you for many years to come. Love and respect from Bang Jeon
Baixiao (Tony) Liu
March 7, 2015
Dear Dr. Lee,
With lots of love and with so many fond memories of happy times.
May you rest in peace.
Love from Tony Liu and Xue Wang
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