EUN-JUNG KATSIAFICAS

Katsiaficas, Eun-jung (Shin)
On November 2, Eun-jung (Shin) Katsiaficas, beloved wife of George, Professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and step-mother to Dalal and Cassandra, passed away. In her all-too-short 40 years, EJ moved from being a student activist at Chonnam National University in her native Gwangju to television writer, human rights film festival organizer, documentary filmmaker, and author. Her death is an enormous personal loss for all who basked in the generosity of her spirit, who experienced her beautiful smile, and who felt the openness with which she approached life. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Chonnam National University in Gwangju, South Korea (where a 1980 uprising led to the subsequent toppling of the military dictatorship), EJ began her decade-long career as a TV writer. Marrying in 2004, she began to make documentary films, which became internationally acclaimed. Verita$: Everybody Loves Harvard, a 60-minute exposé of Harvard's hidden history is a major and lasting contribution. To create both Korean and English versions, EJ spent the better part of a year in archival research and interviewing experts as she compiled with great accuracy dimensions of Harvard's history often concealed from public view. Verita$ won her the Best Director of a Documentary Film award at the New York International Film Festival in 2011. EJ then traveled with the film to Turkey, San Francisco, and South Korea. As a medical tragedy cut short her life, she was working on an English translation of her Korean book version of Verita$. A memorial service will be held at 5pm on Monday, November 5 at the MIT chapel. In lieu of flowers, work for peace, especially in Korea.