George McAfee McCune (June 16, 1908 – November 5, 1948)

GEORGE McAFEE McCUNE was one of the very few scholars in America who had made Korea his primary field of interest, and he was almost unique among Americans in his ability to use Korean, Japanese, and to some extent Chinese sources for historical research. His death on November 5, 1948, was an immeasurable loss because he was in the process of correcting the situation in regard to Korean studies--endeavoring almost single-handed to bring them to the level of the better-established Japanese and Chinese fields.