Pershing Sun, HK 1994
He opened his home, his heart and his wallet for multiple decades of Kroks and is forever part of the fabric of our brotherhood.” Per Jason Sobol.
In 1994 the group was dealing with the fallout from some unexpected financial and mis-management issues. They had to cut the South American leg of their World Tour and it appeared that they were going to be forced to cut several other stops as well. Pershing, the father of Michael Sun a member of the Kroks of 1994, was a magnanimous soul and became a tremendous supporter of the group, stepping in to save the rest of tour during this bleak period.
He hosted the group in NY and arranged concerts during intersession to help reacquire lost funds. As his great grandfather was the brother of Sun Yat-sen, his connections in China ran deep and he personally set up the China portion of the tour.
His generosity and good will helped to rescue the Kroks from what could have been a serious financial calamity.
Pershing has remained close to the group, attending our major anniversary celebrations.
From the recollections of Jason Sobol, Adam Wolfsdorf and Michael Sun.
Pershing was born in Canton, China in 1942, grew up in Hong Kong, and came to the U.S. to attend college. He received a B.S. in Engineering Science from Purdue University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T., and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Mechanical Science from Princeton.
He currently lives in Newton, MA with his wife, Betty, with whom he recently celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary. Pershing’s greatest joy is spending time with his children, Jennifer and Michael, their spouses, Maryellen Morris and David Friedman, and his grandchildren, Daniel, Robbie, Elina, Mikey, and Matt.
Pershing has an enormous appreciation for the superb talent and accomplishments demonstrated by the Kroks across decades. He treasures his association with the Krokodiloes, and is both honored and humbled by their friendship. An avid Krok fan, Pershing can be spotted enthusiastically belting out “Johnny O’Connor” alongside his son, Michael, at Sanders Theater Krok concerts.