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