Dongkyu “Don” Bak ’57


Dongkyu “Don” Bak ’57 died May 15, 2011, at the Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, Pennsylvania, where he had lived for many years. Don was born in 1930 outside what is now known as Pyongyang, North Korea. When the Soviet Union then took control of North Korea, he and his family fled on foot to Seoul, South Korea, in 1947. They fled further south to Pusan when the North Korean army invaded in 1950. At that point Don, who had just started to attend college, was conscripted into the South Korean army, fighting alongside the U.S. Army 7th Division until the war’s end in 1953. Through a fortuitous twist of fate, Don had applied to Dartmouth in 1952 and was accepted on full scholarship. After graduating Don earned a master’s in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked for several architectural firms in Philadelphia, eventually in a position at George M. Ewing and Co., where his most notable achievement was as chief architect for Veterans Stadium. In 1975 he opened his own firm, Baggot & Bak, Ltd., where he served as president. Don’s civic and community contributions were many. He was a member of the Chester Friends (Quaker) Meeting through his marriage to his wife, Betsy, and its clerk for many years. He also served for many years as a trustee of Quaker-founded Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. He is survived by Betsy; children Larry, Randy ’83, Sandra and Tim; two sisters; a brother; and six grandchildren.