In May 2017, a retired military veteran reached out to KKOOM’s President, Aimee, saying he had photos of his time volunteering at Samsungwon Orphanage from 1972 to 1973. While Samsungwon Orphanage has been located in Gumi since 1980, it was previously located in Daegu. Mr. Stoll wanted to share the stories and memories from 44 years ago – what an unique opportunity to connect with him!
Delightfully, he shared 120 physical photos he digitized that we then uploaded to our Google drive. He also narrated 30 minutes of captions for the photos – we are inspired by his attention to detail. Aimee wanted some way to present these photos to Mrs. Shin, the Samsungwon President, at that time. While Aimee was in Korea in October, she made a few photo books to share the memories with the staff. It was very nostalgic for the staff to see photos from four decades ago.
We wanted to share a few photos of the children from the 70s with you.
Mr. Stoll heard about Samsungwon Orphanage in Daegu (now in Gumi) through a friend so when he first walked to the orphanage, he saw Air Force military personnel making a basketball goal by putting the pole in the ground (pictured behind the boy). This was a popular activity for both the kids and volunteers to enjoy together.
“They’re always smiling.” – Lee Stoll
Double exposed photo of the road from the military base to the orphanage in Daegu. To the right is an apple orchard (trees over the fence).
Pictured in the hanbok in the middle of the photo is Mr. Stoll. Samsungwon Orphanage gave him a going away party and as a gift, they presented him this handsewn hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) – such a kind gesture.
Just having fun, enjoying themselves. They’re really good kids. -Lee Stoll
The kids grew fond of a puppy that they were trying to feed milk to – so cute. We love sharing these precious moments with you that capture the orphan community during the 70s. The kids at Samsungwon Orphanage over several decades have gone from sleeping on the floors to having bunk bed style rooms in their houses with 7-9 other children/young adults. The location of the orphanage may have changed, but some things remain the same – the beautiful smiles of the children. Hope you enjoyed hearing these stories. Look out for more details in the future – we want to further share these little moments with you.
