with his courteous and graceful bearing, expressed his gratitude to the attendees for everything they had done for the celebration. But mixed with his heartfelt appreciation was the sadness of saying goodbye to friends and colleagues.
During the past five years, this approachable and unflappable elderly gentleman had revitalized the Asian Division. Throughout the library, no one failed to pay tribute to him. Hwa-Wei was known as being mild yet courageous, lenient yet principled, steady yet determined, low-keyed as a man yet highly committed as a professional. These personal attributes made Hwa-Wei the perfect administrator—one who, seemingly, could never be defeated by any hardship, obstacle, or challenge. Rather, his tolerance and wisdom would always point the positive energy and spirit of other people in the right direction.
Ms. Judy Lu, the head of the Collection Services Department of the Asian Division, once told a World Journal reporter:
Dr. Carolyn T. Brown, director of The John W. Kluge Center and head of the library’s Office of Scholarly Programs, hired Hwa-Wei as chief of the Asian Division at the Library of Congress.
Excerpt of a congratulatory letter, dated February 1, 2008, from Dr. James H. Billington, librarian of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Excerpt of a congratulatory letter, dated February 15, 2008, from Dr. Deanna B. Marcum, associate librarian for Library Services at the Library of Congress
The Asian Division was a “sleeping lion” five years ago, and then all of a sudden was awakened by Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee’s magic stick . . . As a savior, he aroused the once-isolated Asian Division, and led us to learn walking, running, and ultimately presenting ourselves in front of the world. Under his leadership, we have been able to gain a lot.1
Dr. Mi Chu, the head of the Scholarly Services Department of the Asian Division, also commented on Hwa-Wei’s years at LC. As an employee of the Library of Congress for thirty years, Dr. Chu had witnessed many changes; none of which, however, were comparable to those made under Hwa-Wei’s administration.
He has accomplished a lot with limited funding sources, having to undergo numerous negotiations with his supervisors on the sixth floor of the Madison Building. In addition to his already busy work in the library, Hwa-Wei has given numerous speeches and lectures all over the world in the promotion of the Asian collections and has written many papers about them. The newly established Asian-American Pacific Islander Collection by Dr. Lee should have a very profound and meaningful impact.
Dr. Chu also admitted that it had been her honor to be able to work under Hwa-Wei’s leadership.2
Hwa-Wei understood completely that all his success was reflected in the new and unprecedented public image of the Asian Division. It had been necessary to change the old public perception of the division. The Asian Division, revitalized by a positive public image combined with many improvements, now provided Asian studies readers and researchers a totally new experience. Of course, those five years were not always as rosy as were the compliments at the retirement party. At times, they seemed more like a journey full of weariness, confusion, obstacles, and even confrontation. However, once the final destination had been reached, all those unhappy moments were replaced by the wonder of the journey’s completion. What remained were memories of happy moments and pictures of smiling faces taken during those years.
Hwa-Wei understood deeply that hardly anything could be done in a bureaucratic organization without fighting, when necessary, some of its rules and regulations. Indeed, much of the work he completed at the Asian Division had required great skill and patience in persuasive negotiations with powerful labor unions and offices responsible for legal matters. In order to get things done quickly within his timetable, Hwa-Wei had challenged some of the policies and rules that could have delayed or postponed the implementation of many good plans and programs.
For all of these reasons, this day was a very special day for Hwa-Wei—a splendid finish to a vast movement. Hwa-Wei concluded his professional life right at the summit of his career. What an impeccable decision.
Walking along the extremely quiet hallway of the Jefferson Building, his figure reflected on the marble floor, Hwa-Wei hated to say goodbye to his Asian Division colleagues with whom he had worked together for five years. Even more difficult for him was departing from the library and librarianship to which he had devoted the last fifty years. Nevertheless, he had no choice but to leave everything behind. It was time for him to get back to his personal life, to take care of his health, and to face the reality of aging.
Mary was happy about Hwa-Wei’s retirement. Like many other American women, Mary, despite her graduate degrees, had worked as a homemaker ever since she married Hwa-Wei. Her family, husband, and children had been foremost in her life. She had always dreamed about an earlier retirement for Hwa-Wei, one that would allow them to fully enjoy their later years together. She had been excited about Hwa-Wei’s first retirement in 1999 from his former position as the dean of Ohio University Libraries. The excitement didn’t last, however: Hwa-Wei spent the next three years as a visiting distinguished scholar for the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), traveling from Athens, Ohio, to Columbus, Ohio, three times a week. During those three years, he had also served as a consultant for the OCLC Asian Pacific Services, traveling frequently to many countries in Asia. Then Hwa-Wei was offered the position as the chief of the Asian Division at LC, which turned out to be the busiest job of Hwa-Wei’s career.
For several weeks, in anticipation of Hwa-Wei’s second retirement, Mary had had everything packed. All their household items were already on a moving company’s truck to be hauled to Florida. The only things left in the apartment were a few pieces of carry-on luggage. The couple would take an early morning train to Florida the next day. The auto-train arrangement Mary had made included one private onboard sleeping room for Hwa-Wei and herself and the shipping of their 2003 Chevrolet minivan in a special car at the end of the same train.
Mary’s thoughtful arrangements for Hwa-Wei’s retirement had been made three years ago during a visit with their eldest daughter, Shirley, in Jacksonville, Florida. Shirley had taken Mary to several nearby retirement communities in the hope that her parents could settle in one of them after her father retired from the Library of Congress.
Nestled in the northeast of Florida, in a tropical zone adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean with all-year-round warm and moist weather, Jacksonville is a popular destination for the elderly and thus home to numerous retirement communities. Cypress Village was the community that Mary liked most. Luckily, she and Hwa-Wei were able to purchase a duplex in that area before his second retirement.
On the Lees’ weekend trips from Washington once every few months to check on the duplex, Hwa-Wei would breathe a sigh of relief. Unlike Washington’s endless traffic, very few cars were on the highway during the afternoon driving from the airport into Jacksonville. The sky was usually clear blue and cloudless. The sun was always shining. There were flowers everywhere. Even at Cypress Village, six miles from the Atlantic Ocean, he could feel an ocean breeze. With not much industry in the area, the air was fresh. It seemed like a tropical paradise. Here, Hwa-Wei felt, he would be able to feel relaxed and tranquil.
On April 9, a few days after his retirement from LC, Hwa-Wei received a phone call from Congressman Honda. He told Hwa-Wei, “Your retirement party at LC was very impressive. What you’ve accomplished during your tenure there is absolutely amazing. I’ve prepared a speech (about you) for tomorrow’s congressional meeting . . .”
On the next day, Congressman Honda delivered the following speech to Congress, heaping praise on Hwa-Wei’s outstanding contributions at LC. The text of the speech has been included in the Congressional Record of April 10, 2008.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the many contributions and achievements of Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee. After an esteemed five years as the chief of the Asian Division at the Library of Congress—a bookend to his dedicated fifty years