Chinese American Eyes

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Dong Kingman, Scovill Advertisement

Time, August 18, 1958

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Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Dong Kingman in The Artist

March 1958

April 1958

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Wednesday, December 3, 2025

A Long Time Ago, Tom Jung Painted a Galaxy Far, Far Away

In 1977 Tom Jung’s Star Wars: Episode IV painting debuted.

Program book cover without R2-D2 and C-3PO

R2-D2 and C-3PO were added to the painting

The painting is showcased at Heritage Auctions. Bidding ends December 9, 2025. Jung also did the Star Wars posters below. (The painting sold for $3.875 million.)

A Few Details About the Artist

Thomas Y. M. Jung was born 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts. (The Internet Movie Database has an incorrect birth date.) His parents were Wing Jung (California) and Wong Shee (China).

In the 1930 United States Census, Jung was the youngest of five siblings, who were Annie (17), Harry (6), George (5) and James (3). The family lived at 58 Beach Street in Boston’s Chinatown. Jung’s father had a grocery store.

In 1940, Jung had three younger siblings, Rose (8), Philip (7) and Elizabeth (5). The Jungs’ Boston address was 18 Hudson Street. Jung’s father was a laundryman who passed away later that year.

Jung graduated English High School in 1947.

The Record 1947 yearbook

According to the 1950 census, Jung’s mother was head of the household and proprietor of a laundry where Jung and his brother, Harry, worked. Their address was 103 Hudson Street.

The 1952 directory of Boston residents, at Ancestry.com, said Jung, a designer, and his wife, Blanche, resided in New York as of January 1, 1951. Their previous address was 103 Hudson Street.

Jung served during the Korean War. He was profiled in the Army Times, January 9, 1954.

Jackson’s ‘Artist-on-Call’ Is Another Name for Jung

Andrew Jackson, the general and former president for whom Fort Jackson, S. C., is named, takes a place of honor on the post under the talented hands of Cpl. Thomas Jung, shown here beside the mural he has painted in the post NCO Club.

Fort Jackson, S. C.—Whether it’s a mural or a one-line invitation, when one wants art work here the solution is to “Call Jung.”

Officially, he’s Cpl. Thomas Jung, training aids NCO of the 8th Inf. Div. radio school. Unofficially, he’s the post’s artist-at-large.

Soon to be discharged, he will leave behind a lot of work which will be part of Fort Jackson for years to come. His latest project, perhaps the most ambitious he has undertaken here, is a huge mural decorating the entrance of the NCO Club. Central figure of the 50-foot painting is General and former President Andrew Jackson, the South Carolinian for whom the post is named.

Another mural he did last year covers a wall of the USARPAC Personnel Center in Honolulu. He did this one while there on 30-day leave visiting members of his family.

Though not a member of the staff, he is also a regular cartoon contributor to the post newspaper, the Jackson Journal. His work here is chiefly editorial—cartoons reminding soldiers of the results of playing with duds, reckless driving, or just plain sloppy soldiering.

In his training aids assignment, he has eased radio schooling for many. Circuit diagrams, with his art work, have become eye-catchers. Parts of a radio have become as familiar as Mickey Mouse or Steve Canyon. Humor and color have replaced staid lines.

On the side, he finds time to turn out posters, the latest for the Jackson Community Chest campaign, and invitations for various post organizations.

Jung, who attended the Boston School of Fine Arts on a scholarship for two years, started as a muralist, incidentally. As a kid, he explains, his first work was on his mother’s wall in Boston. He hopes to make art his career, and will be looking for a job on the outside in that line before long.

On February 19, 1955, Jung married Patricia Kay Simonson in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the time, Jung lived in Columbia, South Carolina. The Television Age 1956 Yearbook entry for Cox Advertising Agency included Jung.

At some point, Jung moved to New York where he was an illustrator and art director. A 1957 Manhattan city directory said his address was 1501 Broadway.

Further Reading
Rebelscum Forums, My Meeting with Mr. Tom Jung...
Illustrated 007, Exclusive With Tom Jung
Los Angeles Times, Sketching out the action, he loves making a scene
Sand Pebbles, Tom Jung–Concept Artist

Dead 2 Rights, Tom Jung and the iconic ‘Plan 9’ poster
Online Archive of California, Tom Jung papers
Wikipedia

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(Next post on Wednesday: Dong Kingman in The Artist)