Cho, Sung-hak: He collected Korean independence funds while he served his church.

He immigrated to Hawaii in 1905 as a sugar plantation laborer. He moved to San Francisco. He began to advocate Korean   independence as a youth activity worker at Korean Methodist Church in 1907. He enrolled an elementary school at the age of 27 for 5th grade. However, he was expelled from school because of racial discrimination. He hired an attorney to fight the case and won to return to school and finally graduated. He was most active in collecting independence funds after the March First Independence Movement. He was a devout religious man, a young educator and national activist. He thought it was most worthwhile to work for the independence efforts. He joined the Korean National Association to assume an accountant in the organization. In 1913, he became a vice-president of the same  organization while Rev. David Lee was the president. He moved to Oakland and opened a barbershop,  a grocery store with ginseng products.  In 1946, he moved from Oakland to Reedley. He married Hwang, In-sung, a younger sister of Rev. Hwang, Sa-yong. They had three children: Daniel, Samu- el and Paul. He died on May 30, 1961. In 2014, the South Korean government posthu- mously recognized him with the Order of Merit of National Foundation / Patriotic People Award for his continuous contribution to the Korean in- dependence movement from 1907 through 1945.

▲ On August 15, 2013, church members of the Oakland Methodist Church visited the tomb of Cho, Sung-hak in Reedley.

▲ Cho, Sung-hak and his wife Hwang, In-sung.