Kyu Tai Lee

“A Delaware Treasure”

Kyu Tai Lee, an extraordinary man whose professional accomplishments have left an indelible impression in the fields of Chemistry and Biomedicine, was deeply respected, and loved by the community of Wilmington, Delaware, his home for over 60 years. Many knew him for his remarkable scientific acumen, having held the prestigious role of Director of Biomedicine at DuPont de Nemours for over three decades, but to his three children, he was an adoring and immensely supportive father who always lived by the principles of honesty and integrity.

Born on December 27, 1935, in Seoul, Korea to Ki-young Lee and Soo-dong Kim, Dr. Lee came from humble beginnings. As the fourth sibling among five children, he had an innate disposition for mathematics which proliferated through his high school years. In 1955, his parents sent him to Salinas, CA to complete his senior year at Salinas High School, famously known for being author John Steinbeck’s alma mater. That year, he was the only student in the U.S. to achieve a perfect score on his math SAT which generated national news both in the U.S. as well as in South Korea, making him a hometown hero. His academic achievements did not go unnoticed, and he was offered a full scholarship to attend Brown University where he would major in Chemistry. Continuing his meteoric rise within the scientific community, his prodigious talents in physical science made him a sought-after candidate for post graduate employment and during his tenure at Brown, he was recruited by DuPont de Nemours, Inc. prior to receiving a full scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he would receive his doctorate in Chemical Engineering in 1963. Currently, Dr. Lee has nine United States patents assigned to DuPont de Nemours and Bristol Meyers Squibb, memorializing his inventions on medicinal compounds. In 2015, his impact and contribution to Wilmington was recognized and honored by then Vice President Joe Biden on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

After his retirement from DuPont in 1995, he was able to fully embrace life including traveling to Europe and Southeast Asia, enjoying dinners at Michelin star restaurants, skiing, golfing, ballroom dancing with his late beloved partner Yum Kim, and spending time between the East and West Coasts with his children and later, his grandchildren. He had a lifelong passion for classical music and found comfort in the sanctity of simple things including gardening and reading. His ability to be in the present and enjoy every moment was inspirational. He was a source of reason for many and a moral compass for others and for those who never knew him, we are sorry for your loss.

Kyu Tai Lee passed away following a stroke on the morning of Friday, February 10th at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his three children, Laurence, Anna, and Benjamin and six grandchildren Jack, Sammy, Arman, Tyler, Dylan and Isabella.