Another million dollar donation after a million dollar donation in 2012... Donated a total of 2 million dollars in the ‘Weolsan Scholarship Foundation’
Started Active U.S.A Inc. that has become the top in the LA clothing and fashion market
Strong love to alma mater and juniors at YU... Led the founding of the YU Alumni Association in the US and served as its first chairperson
YU gives ‘Proud YU Award’ and ‘Honorary Doctorates Degree in Business Administration’
[February 12, 2018]
Don Lee (64), the chairperson of Active U.S.A. Inc., a clothing giant based in LA, visited his alma mater at YU (President Sur Gil-soo) on February 12 and donated one million dollars. He also made a million dollar donation in 2012 to the ‘Weolsan Scholarship Foundation’ and donated an additional million dollars for a total of two million dollars.
The ‘Weolsan Scholarship Foundation’ is a scholarship fund under the name of his mother Lee Hong-shik and was named Weolsan after the nom de plume of his father, Weolsan Lee Dong-ho. Chairman Lee said, “Despite living through the desperate times of the Japanese Occupation and the Korean War, my parents practiced filial piety to their ancestors and always lived a life of love, devotion and sacrifice for the education of their children. My father past away in July 2011 and at the one year anniversary of his passing, I decided in 2012 to donate scholarships under the names of his late father and mother to honor them.”
YU chose three students as full-time scholarship students until now, but is planning to expand it to up to seven students by 2019.
President Sur Gil-soo said, “Students of YU should feel proud of the through of having a senior who is always thinking of and supporting YU and its students even in faraway countries.” He added, “We will honor the will of Weolsan Lee Dong-ho who devoted his life to the education of his children. YU will provide full support so that students at YU can become global leaders like Chairman Don Lee.”
Chairman Lee entered the YU Department of Architectural Engineering in 1973. After graduating, he joined Samhwan Corporation and Kolon Construction and worked at construction sites in the Middle East. In 1985, he moved to the United States and founded Active U.S.A. Inc. and business went well. In 1992, however, during the LA riots, he lost all of his belongings, but then came back. He is currently serving as the chairperson of the San Pedro Fashion Mart Association, Director of Pacific Bank, which is a Korean bank in the US, World Korean Business Convention Leading CEO, director of the Hoeje Lee Eon-jeok Memorial Association, director at the LA Chamber of Commerce, 3rd person of the Overseas Honor Society, and overseas advisor of Gyeongsangbuk-do.
Even before making donations to the Weolsan Scholarship Foundation, Mr. Lee continuously gave support for the development of his alma mater. Mr. Lee initiated the founding of the YU General Alumni Association in the US for the first time for a Korean university outside of the Seoul area and served as its first chairman. He also took the position of the scholarship foundation chairperson of the US Alumni Association to give scholarships to YU students studying abroad, which numbered to over 30 students. He also invited over 100 YU students as interns for Active U.S.A. up until now to help improve the work capacities of his juniors, while offering education on advanced technologies and business management to help give them an edge in gaining employment in Korean companies. He also donated 100 million won for the construction of the Cheonma Art Center to celebrate the 60th year anniversary of YU and donated the most amount of the 230,000 alumni in the YU General Alumni Association Scholarship Foundation.
In order to honor Chairman Don Lee’s contributions, YU awarded Mr. Lee with the ‘Proud YU’ award in 2006 and gave him an ‘honorary doctorate’s degree in business administration’ in 2014.
