The Sage in the Cathedral of Books. Yang Sun Yang
condemn him; how he would never be overhasty in anything; not give ear to slanders and false accusations, but examine and observe with best diligence the several actions and dispositions of men. Again, how he was no backbiter, not easily frightened, not suspicious, and in his language free from all affectation and curiosity . . . able through his spare diet to continue from morning to evening without any necessity of withdrawing before his accustomed hours to the necessities of nature; his uniformity and constancy in matter of friendship. How he would bear with them that with all boldness and liberty opposed his opinions, and even rejoice if any man could better advise him.
—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
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ON THE LAST day of March 2008 in Washington, D.C., the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and a soft spring breeze was blowing the pink and white petals in the air around both sides of the Potomac River. For Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee, it was the day to say goodbye to the workplace where he had spent the past five years. Dressed in his normal business suit, Hwa-Wei left his Clarendon Boulevard apartment and made his usual short walk to the Clarendon metro station. It was still early (before 7:00 a.m.) and there were still empty seats in the middle section of the train. Hwa-Wei didn’t take a seat, but chose to stand near the closing doors, deep in thought. It was a special day. Today he would step down from his position as chief of the Asian Division and retire from the Library of Congress.
It had been five years since Hwa-Wei had become the first Chinese American appointed to this important position. A renowned senior library administrator, Hwa-Wei had served twenty-one years as the dean of the Ohio University Libraries until his previous retirement in September 1999. Originally from China, Hwa-Wei has been well regarded as a leader among thousands of Chinese American librarians, primarily because of his remarkable contribution to and influence on international collaboration among libraries. In the past thirty years, Hwa-Wei has played an indispensable role in advancing Chinese librarianship to a world-class level. His continued tireless bridging efforts between the United States and China have provided a shortcut for Chinese libraries to learn and to adapt the most advanced information technology and management practices. And his vital spirit and valued contributions have earned him a reputation among Chinese library professionals as “a hub connecting the East and the West and a bridge between China and the United States.”
Hwa-Wei’s retirement party was originally planned to be held in the Thomas Jefferson Building where the Asian Division is located, allowing a small gathering to take place among acquaintances, colleagues, and friends. However, the number registering to attend far exceeded the estimated headcount. A last-minute arrangement was made to relocate the party to the conference hall on the fifth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building. The hall, with a room capacity of up to three hundred people, often was used for large-scale speeches or gatherings. Having recently celebrated his seventy-seventh birthday with his wife, Mary, and his children and grandchildren, Hwa-Wei seemed ready to fully enjoy his retirement now that his service commitment to the Asian Division of LC was ending.
Hwa-Wei felt quite energetic as he walked out of the metro station and was immediately exposed to the fresh and cool spring air and the early morning sunshine. Washington, D.C., is one of Hwa-Wei’s favorite cities. Prior to his tenure at LC, Hwa-Wei had taken a few trips to Washington, D.C., for conferences or tours, during which he had allocated time for sightseeing. But during his five-year-long residence, he had little chance to look around and enjoy the beauty of this capital city because of his full-time working schedule, involving even weekends. At this moment, Hwa-Wei felt a bit regretful as he knew he would soon leave this beautiful city without having further explored its many historical and cultural attractions.
Hwa-Wei sped up his pace; he hoped his last day at LC would be relaxing and his retirement party would go well. Roomy and spacious, the conference hall had been set up with a few rows of seats in the front and buffet tables with sandwiches, salads, pastries, and drinks in the back. It is a LC tradition to arrange a farewell party for each retiring employee, allowing the library’s other employees a chance to summarize the retiree’s contribution to the organization, express their appreciation, and say goodbye to their departing colleague. The atmosphere for this kind of farewell party is usually casual, and informal because a retirement symbolizes the end of a busy public life and the beginning of a leisurely personal life with absolute freedom to arrange one’s own activities 24/7.
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As Hwa-Wei walked into the conference hall, he was immediately greeted by many familiar faces. His wife Mary, son Charles, and daughter-in-law Erika were there, mingling with administrators and his colleagues from the Asian Division and other parts of the LC. There were also reporters from the World Journal and other news media, as well as members of the Asian Division Friends Society. Permeating the warm party ambience was a reluctance to part from many of Hwa-Wei’s friends and colleagues.
Hwa-Wei was surprised to see Dr. James H. Billington, librarian of Congress, and Dr. Deanna Marcum, associate librarian for Library Services, show up simultaneously at the party. In most cases, only Dr. Marcum, or one of the directors, would have attended such a retirement party. And, in addition to the two LC top administrators, several congressmen and senior federal officials including Mike Honda, a highly acclaimed congressman, were among the attendees. Honda, a Japanese-American, had long fought for minority rights and was the chair of the Congressional Asian-Pacific American Caucus. He was also one of the deputy chairs of the Democratic National Committee.
Dr. Billington, a renowned historian and scholar, began the proceedings with his heartwarming speech:
Thank you for your dedicated service to the Library of Congress and the breadth of institutional and international experience that you brought with you five years ago . . .
Your international librarianship and professionalism have been exceptional since your arrival at the Library of Congress on February 10, 2003. During your tenure, you worked tirelessly to build our collections and to ensure that our reference service and outreach activities served the nation in the best possible ways. The reorganization of the division; the establishment of collaborative digitization projects with major national libraries and research institutions in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan; your establishment and support of the Asian Division Friends Society and the Florence Tan Moeson Fund; as well as your recent establishment of the Asian-Pacific American Collection Fund will carry on your good work long after you leave these halls.
The speech by Dr. Marcum was also most sincere and personal. She had direct supervision over two-thirds of the more than four thousand employees at LC and had been active in academia and various organizations across the country. As an efficient and demanding administrator, Dr. Marcum always appreciated dependable and hardworking library employees. She thought highly of Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee.
It is an honor to write this tribute on the occasion of your retirement. You should feel enormously gratified in knowing that you have made a huge difference in this institution, and you have touched the lives of a great number of LC staff, librarians around the world, and international scholars. The phrase “a life well lived” refers specifically to you!
You know better than anyone else how badly you were needed when the library recruited you to head the Asian Division. Collections were unavailable to the public, bibliographic records were not in the online catalog, staff relations and morale were in disrepair. You had already enjoyed a highly successful career at Ohio University as the University Librarian and, as a consultant, you set OCLC on a path to become highly influential in China. You could have insisted—with complete justification—on enjoying retirement with your family. Instead, your sense of obligation and service led you to accept the job here, and the scholarly and library communities owe you a great deal.
There is almost no comparison of today’s Asian Division to the one you inherited. The reorganization has removed the language-based independent units. The staff works harmoniously and productively. The collections are well organized and can be served to the public. You have exponentially raised the public profile of the Asian Division with your seminars and the formation of a Friends group. We have partnerships with countless libraries in all parts of Asia.
At your stage of life, it would have been perfectly understandable if you had been