SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 783
In Memory
of
Waun Ki Hong
WHEREAS, Trailblazing scientist Dr. Waun Ki Hong died on
January 2, 2019, at the age of 76, bringing a great loss to
oncological medicine and to his colleagues at The University of
Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; and
WHEREAS, The son of Sung Koo Hong and Bok Young Shin, Ki
Hong was born in Korea on August 13, 1942; he graduated from
Yonsei University College of Medicine and served as a flight
surgeon in the South Korean Air Force during the Vietnam War; on
September 6, 1969, he married the love of his life, Mi Hwa, and
the following year, they immigrated to the United States; the
couple were blessed with two sons, Ed and Burt, and they later
welcomed into their family four grandchildren, Elizabeth,
Daniel, William, and Vivienne; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hong completed his internship at
Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in New York City, his residency at the
Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boston, and a fellowship at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York; returning to
the VA Medical Center as chief of medical oncology, he helped
establish its training program and led a series of landmark
laryngeal cancer trials that transformed treatment of the
disease and laid a foundation for organ preservation in numerous
cancer types; he joined MD Anderson in 1984 as section chief in
head and neck medical oncology; earning recognition as "the
father of chemoprevention," he conducted research leading to
targeted therapies, allowing the identification and treatment of
people at high risk of cancer and the fine-tuning of therapies
for individuals; he led the Division of Cancer Medicine from 2001
until his retirement in 2014 and then continued to serve as a
special advisor; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, Dr. Hong authored nearly 700
articles, edited 11 major books, and served on the editorial
boards of 17 scientific journals; he received over $70 million in
research funding, and he was recognized with numerous honors,
including the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor, as well as
awards from the American Association for Cancer Research, which
he served as president, and the American Society of Clinical
Oncology; he took greatest pride in having trained hundreds of
oncologists, and in 2016, the AACR established the Waun Ki Hong
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical
Cancer Research to encourage young scientists; and
WHEREAS, Ki Hong's groundbreaking research has extended
and improved the lives of countless cancer patients, and he has
left a further legacy through the many scientists and physicians
he mentored over the course of his accomplished career; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th
Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the life of Dr. Waun Ki Hong
and extend sincere condolences to all who mourn his passing; and,
be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns
this day, it do so in memory of Dr. Waun Ki Hong.
Miles
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 21, 2019, by a
rising vote.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate