Kwak Rim-dae (1884–1971), Director of the Willows Aviation School

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Kwak Rim-dae was born in a rural area of Gyeonggi Province in 1884. In 1911, he was implicated in the 105-Man Incident related to the Syuyang Dongwoo Association and served five years in prison before fleeing to the United States. There, he joined forces with Ahn Chang-ho to unite Korean immigrants and focused on organizing the Heungsadan (Young Korean Academy).

In November 1913, he became a new member of the Korean National Association in San Francisco and assisted with its activities. In January 1920, he met Noh Baek-rin in Chicago and planned the training of independence fighters. The following month, in February 1920, they established an aviation school in Willows, Northern California. Kwak Rim-dae served as the director of the school and continued to oversee it even after Noh Baek-rin departed.

Kwak Rim-dae during his time as an instructor at the Willows Aviation School in August 1920

Around 1926, Kwak Rim-dae criticized Heungsadan’s stance, arguing that its focus on fostering leaders for Korea’s independence or building national strength was too passive. He advocated for transforming the organization into a more direct revolutionary group.

In recognition of his contributions, the South Korean government posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Patriotic Medal) in 1993.

곽림대 | 대한인국민회 기념재단

곽림대의 삶은 파란만장했다. 한국에서 105인사건으로 옥고를 치른 뒤 미국 망명길에 오른다. 애국심으로 가득찬 젊은이는 대한인국민회와 흥사단 등 30여년을 국권 회복의 길을 걸었다. 60년의 세월후 다시 고국 땅을 그리워하며 영주 귀국을 했다. 그리고 망명객으로 한평생을 미국에 살면서 독립운동에 나선 이야기를 자서전으로 남겼다. 본인의 구술을 토대로 정리한 「못잊어 화려 강산」이 1973년 세상을 떠난 3년후, 출간되어서 미주독립운동사 연구에 좋은 자료가 되고 있다.