Below are some of my recollections during your time in Malaysia as a Peace Corps volunteer. Please feel free to correct me if my memory has failed me.

I enrolled the University of Malaya in 1963 as did Siew Chak Yun and Goh Poh Teck. All three of us were from the V.I. in Kuala Lumpur. Both Chak Yun and I managed to work part time in the University's Library as a student assistant. The Chief Librarian then was Mr. Beda Lim. Initially, both Chak Yun and I were engaged to work in the Cataloging Section. At that time the newly established Faculty of Medicine was formed and because it was located away from the main university campus it had their own Medical Library. We were helping to sort out the medical books for their own library.

Around that time, the university also decided to change the cataloging code from the British system to that of the USA Library of Congress system. So our main tasks were to use black ink to blank off the old codes. We used stabilo pens to fill in the new Library of Congress codes.

After this main project of switching to the Library of Congress Cataloging, I managed to secure employment as a student assistant in the library between my lecture periods. My main job was in the Red Spot section was to collect the Red Spot books returned by students and file them properly. I was paid RM1.50/hour. I worked in the library until my final year in 1965. We had introduced you to other of our VI classmate Wong Kin Sun, Kwong Lok Wah, Ho Yik Chee and a VI girl by the name of Quah Chooi Hon, who eventually after graduation became a librarian in the UM Library.

A little bit about the Peace Corps that I could remember hearing from you. It was initiated by President Kennedy to introduce the USA to the rest of the world which at that was basically under British and European influence.

The Peace Corps volunteers did not go as expatriates to the countries they were assigned to as expatriates. They were paid the same salaries as the locals (though the actual difference was set aside back in the US for them). This was unlike the British expatriates in Malaya who were paid exorbitant salaries and enjoyed extraordinary living conditions.

I remembered you were living in a small apartment in Brickfields. Chak Yun and Poh Teck had their own cars when in the university and occasionally we visited you in your Brickfields apartment. Sometimes we brought along some local hawker food for supper with you and sometimes you cooked some of your American dishes for us to try. Now and then either Poh Teck or Chak Yun would drive you out for a meal. There were also good local hawker food in Jalan Brickfields.

Around that time Koh Tong Bak was a medical student in the University of Singapore. He frequently returned to KL to visit his parents and family. It was possibly during one of his trips back that we introduced him to you. Like the three of us, Tong Bak was also very active with the First KL Scout Troop in the V.I. The scouts of the First KL were very active indeed and the numbers had increased substantially.

The scout den in the main block of the school had become too small for the two scout troops in the school. (The other troop is the 2nd KL.) Now and then the troops would have an annual campfire gathering to which the old scouts and parents were invited to attend. Sometimes it was in the school compound and sometimes in a clearing near a forest that they went camping in. I understand that around this time the two scout troops were informed by the school to raise funds for a larger scout den away from the main building. Possibly, you were at one of the campfires and it was suggested that the current scouts formed a choir and perhaps to raise some funds singing to the public. The funds raised were for the building of a new scout den.

Joe, as you were involved then, you will have to update the various fund-raising activities in your memoirs. I am not sure eventually how much we raised but it was mainly from the 1st KL efforts that adequate funds were raised to build a really sizeable den for both the 1st KL and 2nd KL. Sadly, about ten years ago the whole den was burned to the ground by a fire. Not sure how that happened. Anyway, a separate fund in being organised to rebuild the den. [Unfortunately, I remember very little about the fund-raising project. JHH]

After completion of your duty as Peace Corps volunteer you returned to the US. We continued to keep in touch and, in those days, it was mostly by the traditional Christmas and New Year greeting cards. I had always looked forward to receiving your letter which would have enclosed also an annual family report.

Chak Yun, Poh Teck and I completed our university education in Malaya while Tong Bak did his in Singapore. In 1989 I decided to migrate to Melbourne, Australia and with the whole family and Chak Yun did so the following year to Toronto, Canada. Tong Bak subsequently did so too, to Wisconsin, USA. Pok Teck remained behind in Malaysia. We continued to keep in touch but, with the fast-changing social media systems, we kept losing touch now and then. Fortunately, I had not changed my house address since arriving in Melbourne but you had changed yours about a couple of times. Thanks to either Tong Bak or Tong Chui we managed to maintain contact.

Then in 1994 when I was working in Hong Kong, I decided to take Sylvia for holiday in North America to celebrate our 25th Silver Anniversary. It was in that trip that we ended up in Washington DC and we caught up with you and Pat for a dinner together.

Joe, time flies. This year we are celebrating our 50th Golden Anniversary. Unfortunately, we will not have the energy nor the time to do another trip. We now have four granddaughters and two grandsons to keep us very busy. Joe, do keep in touch and wishing you and Pat all the very best of health & happiness in the Years to come.

Sek Kum

10 July 2019