THOUGHTS of THE TIMES
Tedesco’s contribution to Korean studies
I have maintained friendships over the decades with a number of foreign scholars who are devoted to Korean studies.
Out of the many I’ve met, Dr. Frank M. Tedesco stands out because of his deep interest in old and new aspects of Korea — in fact, Koreans as people themselves and all things Korean — and their unique expressions in Korean Buddhist culture and Korean native religions.
Frank lived and studied in Korea for 16 years. He served in the last U.S. Peace Corps Korea in 1980. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from U.C. Berkeley and a master’s from the University of Lancaster in the U.K. and he completed doctoral coursework and exams in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania before his Korea venture.
Taking leave from graduate school, he served as a Peace Corps public health worker in North Gyeongsang Province and later immersed himself enthusiastically in studying Korean Buddhism and Cheondoism, a young native Korean religion, while working as an adviser and editor at the Korean National Commission of UNESCO during the 1988 Olympics.
Although he wished to remain in Korea, Frank felt compelled to return to the U.S. to care for his elderly mother in 2001. He taught Buddhism, world religions and anthropology at many schools including the University of Maryland and the University of South Florida in Tampa and St. Petersburg. Among his many scholarly writings, Frank co-translated “Diary of A Korean Zen Monk with Jong Kweon Yi” and “Grateful Offerings: Korean Mountain Temple Cooking with his wife Jinsuk.”
In most recent years Frank has focused on end-of-life spiritual care and dignity in dying. He provides emotional/psychosocial support to patients, their families and staff in hospices and hospitals and offers Advance Care Planning and Living Will counseling. He also lectures on Buddhism, death and dying and leads intensive workshops on preparing for a “Good Death” and an “Auspicious Rebirth.” Frank teaches that “Passing from this life doesn’t have to be a gloomy affair. We can approach the inevitable with clarity, honesty, humility, kindness and generosity.”
In recognition of his many selfless efforts to assist suffering beings in distress and at the end of life, Frank was awarded a 2018 Unsung Hero, Person of Distinction Humanitarian Award, in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 13. Although he resides far away now, his mind and heart are close to Korea, his second home. “Korea is a formidable economic powerhouse for such a small nation,” according to Dr. Tedesco, “but its humanistic values, inherent in its traditional culture, can guide the wider world to peace and social harmony, too, despite prevailing tensions.” Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.