Harold / Will

Harold with David Goldbloom and James LeMoyne at Oxford in 1977.

Harold with Richie Greenberg.

Will (2nd from left) with Matthew Gabel, David Amory, and Sukie Taylor, “long ago.”

Will “more recently.”

Harold Hongju Koh talks with Will Englund about how his father’s legacy defined his life as both diplomat and academic.

Former dean of Yale Law School Harold Hongju Koh explains to Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize recipient Will Englund how a chance encounter on campus sophomore year led him to change classes, which led him to change majors, which led him into a distinguished diplomatic career, serving five US presidents over five decades.

The child of parents who grew up in South Korea under Japanese colonial rule who were forbidden to speak Korean or even use their Korean names, Harold speaks movingly of how they molded his life and shaped his values—in sometimes surprising ways, including how Boston Red Sox great Ted Williams’ strike zone defined him and why his moral compass is still guided by his father’s example. “I’ve gotten a chance,” he says simply, “to lead the life he never did.”

It’s yet another example of the richness of experience to be found on PasstheMic75.