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By August 16, 1986, I had been in close proximity with a number of famous people: Dr. Charles Fuller (founder of The Old Fashion Revival Hour and Fuller Theological Seminary), Billy Graham, John Kennedy, Chet Huntley (of the NBC Huntley-Brinkley Report), and Jimmy Carter. But I had only shaken hands with and talked to one of them: Dr. Fuller. Today I would meet and talk to another.
By now I was closely involved with the Andover Korean Methodist Church. Every summer the New England Korean Association held a picnic in some park in the area. It was a day devoted to playing games, singing Korean songs, eating Korean food, and spending time with members of the Korean community.
This would be very special occasion for me in that I planned to shoot some video footage for a television production class I was taking in Lawrence through Emerson College. I was able to borrow a professional video camera through the class and two other students would be there to assist me. I also had my personal 8mm video camera. I was hoping that this would get me started with my planned project to make a video about Korean culture.
This year's picnic would be an even more important event than usual because Governor Michael Dukakis, Democratic presidential candidate, would be attending and speaking. A little less than a year later, he would be chosen as the party's nominee. But today, he would appear with one aide to try to win some Korean votes.
Chang, though very unassuming, was well-connected politically through his work with Asian-American leaders in Massachusetts. And he was on a first-name basis with Michael Dukakis. Chang had convinced Dukakis that the picnic would have a large turnout and that it would be a fertile field for seeking votes. But instead of the several hundred people Chang had estimated there were probably less than 100. But Dukakis went ahead as if there were hundreds present.
Dukakis has served in Korea during the Korean War and had learned several Korean words. Chang convinced him to deliver a short paragraph in Korean. Chang wrote out the paragraph in phonetic English. It would be Chang's job to meet Dukakis and his aide at the park entrance and deliver him to the picnic area as the aide had to tend to other business.
I drove the Chevrolet wagon to the picnic with the television equipment. After I unloaded the equipment, Chang ask me to drive him to the entrance to meet Dukakis. This put me in the middle of the action; just where I love to be.
We drove to the entrance just as Dukakis and his male aide were arriving. Chang introduced me. The aide left and we got into the wagon. I drove with Dukakis beside me in the passenger seat and Chang sitting behind me. Chang gave him the phonetic paragraph and helped him go over it as we drove the short distance to the picnic site.
Chang introduced Dukakis to the Korean leaders and he was seated with them at the center table. After lunch, Dukakis was introduced to the crowd. He attempted the phonetic paragraph. The few words he had learned when living in Korea were of no use to him. Neither he nor the assembled Koreans had the slightest idea of what he was saying and he got a big laugh as he finished. He certainly deserved an "A" for effort. After the laughter died down he went into his campaign speech.
After the speech he watch a tai-kwon-do exhibition and several Korean games.
Then it was into the wagon and back to the gate. As he and his aide sped off to the next campaign event, Chang and I drove back to the picnic area.
Later in the afternoon Donna arrived. She, Chang, Myong, and I sat on a blanket and talked about our Korean adoption plans. Chang mentioned that there was going to be a celebrity baseball game in Lynn tomorrow. Dukakis was going to play. He and Myong wanted Donna and me to come along. Of course I was elated to get another chance to interact with Dukakis. We invited Rev. Kim's two young sons to go to the game with us. It would give Donna and me some practice taking care of Korean children in preparation for those we would be adopting. |
