Published by Ontario Veterinary College (519) 824-4120, Ext. 54401

October 20, 2006

Remembering "Tiger Grandfather" Schofield

Fierce devotion to his adopted homeland of Korea earned Dr. Francis Schofield the nickname “Tiger Grandfather.”
But it was his frail yet confident touch that made a lasting impression upon Marion Current, who spent more than 37 years in Korea as a missionary, occupational therapist and educator.
“I can still feel that friendly touch,” said Current, describing a Sunday afternoon encounter more than 40 years ago.

Current said Schofield, who was coping with the debilitating effects of polio, would often reach out for support as he descended the stairs with fellow worshippers following services at the Seoul Union Church.
“It was a gesture of confidence in me as a Canadian physiotherapist,” said Current, who was a special guest of the Ontario Veterinary College at the 2006 Schofield Memorial Lecture.
She shared personal reflections on the heroic life of a man revered in Korea — think Norman Bethune in China — but virtually unknown in Canada.
“He was a unique and unforgettable character,” Current said, “a bright light from Canada who went to Korea and dedicated his life to that country and its people, then asked to be buried there. He was a heroic man who should be more well-known.”
That may yet come to pass. A memorial garden dedicated to Schofield has been proposed for the Metro Toronto Zoo.
It would be part of a new Korean complex in the zoo’s Eurasian section and include plants and animals native to Korea as well as cultural attractions. The centerpiece of the $1.6-million project would be a 3-metre statue of Schofield.
Organizers hope to unveil the statue in the spring of 2008.
Schofield graduated from OVC (University of Toronto) in 1910, more than a decade before the college was relocated to Guelph. He would go on to become a renowned veterinary pathologist and taught at OVC from 1921 to 1955.
His seminal contribution was the discovery of a substance called dicumarol, found in mouldy sweet clover, that causes life-threatening clotting problems in livestock. His work formed the basis of anticoagulant therapy in humans; modern surgery depends upon it.
But it was as a humanitarian that Schofield left perhaps his most important legacy.
In 1916, he went to Korea and took up a lectureship in bacteriology at Seoul National University. There he became embroiled in the fight for Korean independence from Imperial Japan.
An ardent advocate of democracy and human rights, Schofield earned the nickname “Tiger Grandfather” for pro-nationalist lectures that urged his students to nurture a heart like a dove and the sharp mind of a tiger. His activities so riled colonial authorities that he was jailed for nearly a year and finally deported to Canada in 1920. But not before he recorded Japanese atrocities with his own camera and smuggled the photographs out of the country. The authorities didn’t have the nerve to check the bandages covering his polio-ravaged legs, Current said.
Following retirement, Schofield returned to Korea where he continued his work as a teacher, Christian missionary, and advocate for social justice.
He also continued to live up to his nickname, Current said, adding Schofield never shied away from speaking his mind. Even if it meant speaking out against corruption to authoritarian South Korean presidents, who would tolerate such criticism from no one but their Tiger Grandfather.
Schofield’s death in 1970 at age 81 sparked nationwide mourning in Korea. He was laid to rest in the National Cemetery, and is the only foreigner buried in the patriot’s section.
Current, who spoke at his funeral, said she would never forget the solemnity of the service nor the huge crowd that attended to pay tribute.
“I am very happy and impressed that here at the Ontario Veterinary College, you know what a truly heroic man Dr. Frank Schofield was, even if the rest of Canada does not.”

Photo: Marion Current pauses in front of a portrait of Frank Schofield in the foyer of the Department of Pathobiology.