“I want him to be remembered”: Remembering Dr. Daehyun Moon

When asked if he wanted to add anything about Dr. Daehyun Moon before his interview concluded, Ed Bashaw, Dean of the School of Business and Technology, paused.

“I want him to be remembered,” he said. 

Daehyun Moon dedicated six years of his life to teaching students, both undergraduate and graduate, in the School of Business and Technology at Emporia State. His area of expertise? Accounting. 

This summer, Moon passed away unexpectedly after moving into a role where he would teach courses completely online. His passing came as a shock to his colleagues, who were made aware of his passing just days before classes were set to begin. 

“It was a surprise to all of us when that happened,” Bashaw said. 

A positive light

A South Korean native, Moon came to the United States for higher education. He received his PhD from Rutgers University before moving into a teaching role at the University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif. After a year teaching at the university’s College of Business and Public Management, he was hired at ESU and settled in the Kansas City area. 

Moon was an easy-going and friendly man whose position as a professor in the School of Business and Technology only scraped the surface of his person. He was a devoted husband and father of two boys who “put his family first.” He was a mentor to his students, a valued colleague and a friend. 

Danya Mi, an assistant professor of accounting and technology, first met Moon three years ago on a Zoom call in an interview for a tenure track position in the then School of Business. After the interview, Moon responded to her thank you email with what she called “kind and encouraging words.” 

When she first arrived at ESU, Mi said Moon checked in on her, stopping by her office to make sure she wasn’t struggling and was doing okay. Moon even helped her understand the student population at ESU, allowing her to get a better grasp on her students and become more effective as a teacher.

“He’s just very kind, and when I interact with him, I also find out he’s very, very humble,” Mi said. She hopes others remember his humility and kindness. “He’s a good person.” 

Moon was a “positive light” in the business school and among the small cohort of accounting faculty. His office was close to that of Payson Maydew, an ESU alumni and visiting instructor of accounting in his third year of teaching who described Moon as someone who always tried to be positive and upbeat. 

“He seemed to be the kind of one who would try to keep a positive spin on things and stuff,” he said. “I mean, everything was always lighthearted or if you know we had to ever have talks or whatever about anything, I mean it was always good.” 

A dedicated teacher and researcher

Moon was dedicated to his work, and Bashaw said he “worked very hard on his craft.” Maydew described him as productive and often being “in the zone” in his office while working on his research or things for his classes. He was one to always want to make things better than they were. 

As a teacher, Moon “distinguished” himself in his online courses in Bashaw’s eyes. Despite a technological barrier, he worked hard to communicate and build relationships with his students. He was responsive to his students and prompt at meeting their needs. If they needed information, he delivered it in a timely manner. 

“I know his marks were good from students, and his comments were very good, you know, because he turned this around,” said Bashaw. 

Even face to face, Moon was dedicated to his students in the classroom. He often had students in and out of his office and encouraged them to attend his office hours should they need help, something he never hesitated to provide to students and colleagues alike. Maydew said he heard “nothing but good things” about Moon from his students. He worked hard to transcend the cultural differences between the South Korean teaching styles he grew up with and American ones, said Bashaw, and adjust in a way that benefitted the relationship with his students. 

“He fought that struggle,” Bashaw said. “I have great respect for him for doing that.”