Joo-Yon Ohm Cederberg was born February 28, 1927, in troubled North Korea. Little is known of his childhood but his ambition and high intellect lead him to his first career: a School Teacher. As national tensions rose, encroaching his surroundings, a young Ohm swam across a river into a small town in South Korea. Most of these cities had been overrun by refugees leading in turn to the implementation of strict measures to turn them away; however, an elderly South Korean man befriended Ohm and gave him passage way into his home. Ohm joined the South Korean Army soon after his stay.

Fate would soon take its course and Ohm would find himself working in cooperation with American troops as an interpreter in the Korean War. He was assigned to the command of Major Kermit Cederberg in the field artillery unit. The two became friends and Major Cederberg, along with his wife, Marion, took measures to adopt Ohm at the end of Cederberg’s tour of duty.

Once a citizen of the United States, Joo-Yon Ohm-Cederberg enrolled in the Minneapolis Institute of Art and then obtained his Master’s degree in Fine Art from a college in Michigan. From there, Ohm submitted a few of his works into exhibitions and had a few pieces hung in such prestigious galleries as the Guggenheim. His background in education lead him to become a professor of Fine Arts department head at Albany State College in Georgia. He taught and lead the art department there for many years, retiring with distinguished honors.

He retired to Washington State where he maintained his involvement with the arts through various channels, including Korean American Artist Association. Mr. Ohm-Cederberg passed away on April 30, 2011. His memories and passion for the arts live on through his work and through the works of those he mentored and influenced.

Book of Memories