Sang Whang

Sang Whang is a Korean American community leader and politician in Florida. The eldest of four children, he emigrated to the United States in December 1951 at the age of 20, arriving at San Francisco by ship.cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4D17C21628E2C&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|last=Lawrence|first=David|publisher=Miami Herald|date=5 March 1995|title=A little thing ... to encourage more unity|accessdate=2007-09-20] After arriving, he enrolled in the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn to study electrical engineering; he received his bachelor's degree in 1956, and his master's from the same school in 1966. [cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/MH/lib00245,0F72E2E989D31A93.html|publisher=Miami Herald|date=2 November 2002|accessdate=2007-09-20|title=Three Asian Americans lauded for community work|last=Suarez|first=Yellini] He met his wife Mary, who was born in Pyongyang, while a student there; she had emigrated to the States along with her father, who worked with the U.S. Army in Korea.cite news|title=Mary Whang, cooked for neighbours after hurricane|date=8 April 1995|publisher=Miami Herald|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/MH/lib00256,0EB4D1AF6531F433.html|last=Strouse|first=Charles|accessdate=2007-09-20] He was the founder and first president of the Korean Association of Greater Miami. In 1976, he became an elder at the Korean Presbyterian Church of Miami. [cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/MH/lib00246,0EB3631C3791A392.html|date=25 July 1985|accessdate=2007-09-20|title=Korean church works to communicate ideals|last=Green|first=Amy|publisher=Miami Herald] His wife died in 1995 after a ten-year battle with lung disease. In 1998, he received the Essie Silva Community Builder Award from the United Way of America's Miami-Dade branch. [cite news|title=5 volunteers get United Way awards|publisher=Miami Herald|date=26 June 1998|accessdate=2007-09-20|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB4DA81C0FC03DE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] In 1999, he became the first Asian American to serve as chairman of the county Community Relations Board, which was established in 1963. [cite news|title=Relations board gets new leader|last=Robinson|first=Andrea|date=30 October 1999|accessdate=2007-09-20|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB5D3F4931A0D06&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM] He is especially interested in promoting better relations between the Korean American and African American communities, an issue which became of greater concern to him in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Apart from his political activities, Whang runs his own business, Alkalife, which promotes alternative health practices such as the use of far infrared radiation to promote growth and health of living cells. [cite news|date=December 5 2002|publisher=New Straits Times|title=FIR treatment|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-82662168.html|accessdate=2007-09-20] He has self-published a book entitled "Aging and Reverse Aging", about the alleged health benefits of high-alkaline water and other alternative health practices. [cite web|url=http://www.alkalife.com/cart.php?&catID=300|publisher=Alkalife|title=Reverse Aging|accessdate=2007-09-20]

References

External links

* [http://www.alkalife.com Official site]