미국 지도교수인 Cook교수로부터 메일을 받다.

 2011년 1월 7일 금요일 맑음

  날씨가 몹씨 춥다. 태기산 자락에 있는 머쉬텍은 그래도 양지 바른 위치에 있기 때문에 이러한 추위는 별로 문제가 될 것이 없을 것 같다. 메일을 보니 반갑게도 미국에서 학위를 할 때 지도교수인 Cook교수님으로부터 온 메일이다. Cook교수님은 식물병리학 공부하는 사람이면 다 알고 있는 세계적인 식물병리학자이다. 이러한 교수의 지도아래 공부를 하였기 때문에 지금 처럼 내가 성장을 하였다. 다시 한번 고마움을 표시하며 CooK 지도교수님의 건강하고 행복한 삶을 사시도록 지극한 마음으로 발원을 하려고 한다. 사진은 잘 나오지 않았지만 지도교수를 소개하준 Snyder박사와 한국에서 같이 공부를 한 홍병희 고려대학교 명에교수님과 함께 찍은 사진이다. Cook교수님의 Snyder 교수님의 제자이다.

 

Dear Jae-mo,

Thank you very much for your gift of fans and the Cordyceps militaris that you are now cultivating since your retirement from the university.  The fans were a big hit with my daughters and grand daughters.  The cordyceps fruiting bodies are still nicely wrapped in the packages as you sent them, so it is time to try some with tea as you recommend.  Bev also says thank you very much.

 

I am happy to know that you are doing well, and also that your son is now working at RDA after finishing his degree at OSU.  Washington State University plays OSU in basketball at Pullman tonight, so we will listen to the game on the radio.  As you know, Bev and I now live near Seattle and get back to Pullman only during the summer when we are living at our home on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

 

I have now been retired more than 5 years, although I continue to work on boards and committees of WSU, the National Academy of Sciences, the Washington State Academy of Sciences, the American Phytopathological Society, and my church.  I am currently president of the Washington State Academy of Sciences (http://www.washacad.org/) and serve on the board of directors of Washington State’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund (http://www.lsdfa.org/). 

 

Fortunately with email, cell phones and conference calls, I can do 90% of my work for these organizations from my home or at our lake home in the summer or the place we rent in Palm Springs in the winter.  I am still traveling to three or four meetings somewhere in the US each year.  Tomorrow, I will chair a board meeting of the WSAS by taking a city bus into the city of Seattle. 

 

The best part is that I have time for my grandchildren who are all close by.  This is why Bev and I moved to Bothell, just north of Seattle. 

Thank you again for always remembering Bev and me.  I shall never forget the nice work you did for your thesis and the good times we had while you were my student.  All the best,  Jim

 

 

R. James Cook