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Roanoke professor addresses international audience at D.C. museum

November 10, 2023

Category: Faculty

Stella Xu speaking to a crowded room at the Old Korean Legation Museum.
Stella Xu, Roanoke College’s John R. Turbyfill Professor of History, was invited to speak at the Old Korean Legation Museum in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of the museum.

History Professor Stella Xu was invited to share a unique part of Roanoke College history during a Nov. 4 lecture that attracted diplomats, international relations scholars and the descendant of a Roanoke alumnus who rose to become a key figure in Korea’s independence movement in the 1900s. 
 
Xu, coordinator of Roanoke’s East Asian Studies concentration, has led multiple research trips to Korea and worked to uncover the college’s remarkable historical ties to that nation. Her talk was hosted by the Old Korean Legation Museum in Washington, D.C., a cultural facility housed in the historical home of Korea’s legation or diplomatic mission. 
 
Xu’s lecture examined the legacy of Roanoke’s third president, Julius D. Dreher, who opened the college’s doors to international students and cultivated a partnership with Korean diplomat Ye Cha Yun — an unusual move for a small college in the postbellum South. 
 
Roanoke enrolled its first Korean student in 1894 and went on to host more than 30 others, establishing itself as a “headquarter” institution for the first generation of Korean students to pursue a college education in the United States between the 1890s and 1930s. 

Collage of three photos: Professor Xu speaking at the museum. Close-up of a welcome table featuring a photo of a historical marker on campus. Historical photo of Dr. Dreher.

Photos (clockwise from left): Professor Stella Xu delivering her Nov. 4 lecture. Postcard display featuring a historical marker honoring Roanoke College alumnus Kim Kyusik. Roanoke College President Julius D. Dreher. Photos courtesy of the Old Korean Legation Museum and Roanoke College archives.

Xu described Dreher’s efforts as a form of grassroots diplomacy with ripple effects that stretched far beyond the borders of Roanoke’s campus. Korean students who matriculated here during that period included Prince Eui-hwa, second son of the emperor, and Kim Kyusik, who became a national leader in Korea.  
 
In 2022, Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources erected a historical marker honoring Kim and his connection to Roanoke. Kim’s grandniece, In Ku Kim, was among those who attended Xu’s talk. 

RELATED: Remembering alumnus Kim Kyusik 
 
RELATED: Roanoke research team invited to palace by family of Prince Eui-hwa  

Other guests on hand for the talk included members of the modern-day Korean Embassy and scholars studying international relations. Roanoke student Cameron McDonald ’24, who’s done research work with Xu, was also able to attend. McDonald, an international relations major, is currently working and studying in D.C. as part of the Washington Semester program. 
 
Xu serves as Roanoke’s John R. Turbyfill Professor of History. Her work has brought students opportunities to do research overseas and take part in international competitions. Her most recent research team is currently working on a podcast about their trip and findings.