— 4 — Mark your calendars Thursday, October 18, 1:00 p.m. Kilong Ung, “An American Journey: From the Khmer Rouge’s Killing Fields to the Royal Rosaria” Thursday, November 15, 1:00 p.m. Pah Chen, “Hydrogen Economy—Real or Hype?” Tuesday, December 18, 6 to 9 p.m. Christmas dinner at Multnomah Athletic Club Survivor of Khmer Rouge tells story to RAPS Oct. 18 APortland resident will tell about his experience during the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia and his overcoming many obstacles to begin a new life in Oregon. The program will be Thursday, Oct. 18, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., in 338 Smith Memorial Union. Kilong Ung was just a child when the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia in 1975. Ten of his family members, including his parents, died either from starvation or were executed. Separated from his family, Kilong worked in labor camps 13 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year with little to no food. Kilong survived starvation, fear, and torture. In 1979 an older sister located him, and, together with other victims of the Khmer Rouge, they fled to Thailand. Eventually they received sponsorship and moved to Portland, where Kilong received his high school and college education. He will tell us about the brutal conditions in Cambodia’s killing fields, the treacherous trek to the Thai border under bullets and through minefields, the difficult life in refugee camps, and his life since coming to the United States. Today he is an advocate for Khmer community issues, a Rotarian and a Royal Rosarian. As his Web page (www.kilongung. com) says, he is “becoming a part of a force that makes the world a better place, one person at a time.” Kilong graduated from Cleveland High School in 1983, Reed College with a B.A. in mathematics in 1987, and Bowling Green State University with an M.S. in applied statistics and operations research in 1989. He has worked as a senior consultant for Anderson Consulting and an account manager at United Data Processing. Currently he is a senior software engineer at CheckFree and an adjunct instructor at Portland Community College. His volunteer work includes the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon (he is currently the president), Rotary Club of Portland, Royal Rosarians, and several committees and task forces. He has spoken frequently about the Khmer Rouge genocide, which claimed more than 2 million lives. September was an active month for RAPS with free tickets to the Vikings’ opening game and a tour of Leach Botanical Garden. The football game attracted 39 RAPS members and friends, who welcomed new coach Jerry Glanville and cheered on the team despite a loss to UC Davis. Twenty-four members toured the Leach Botanical Garden on Sept. 20; see story on page 1. —Marge Terdal
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