Victor Hum went `the extra step'

Family `leader' was their `safety net'

Jul. 21, 2006. 01:00 AM

THULASI SRIKANTHAN

STAFF REPORTER

Victor Hum was the kind of older brother who shielded his siblings from racial taunts, telling them to run away while he took the kicks and punches from neighbourhood bullies.

He was the kind of man who rose from a blue-collar neighbourhood to high-powered Toronto lawyer but never forgot his roots.

He was the kind of father who, despite the long hours he worked, stayed close to his children, knowing the littlest details about their lives, from their friendships to report cards.

Hum, 47, died last weekend at Sunnybrook hospital from a brain aneurysm that struck as he was running on his treadmill Saturday morning.

His death came out of the blue for his family, who say Hum was the picture of health, working out three times a week with a trainer.

"I am tired," he said before taking a Tylenol and trying to sleep it off. The subdued reaction was characteristic behaviour for a man who never liked to worry others, said his younger brother, Lyndon Hum.

Hum was rushed to Sunnybrook, where he was hooked to life support and where his family clung to hope, waiting for a miracle that never came.

Instead, on Sunday night, with his wife, children, mother and siblings gathered around him, Hum was removed from life support.

"A huge part of our family has passed away; our leader, our safety net is gone," his brother said.

Hum was born on Dec. 4, 1958, in a blue-collar area of Ottawa. He was the eldest of five children, one of three brothers and two sisters.

For many years, the Hums were the only Chinese family in the neighbourhood and other schoolchildren taunted them because of it. When the abuse went from verbal to physical, Hum would tell his siblings to run away so he could deal with it.

"He got bruised and kicked around for us," Lyndon Hum said.

As the eldest child growing up in a traditional first-generation Chinese family, Hum carried the weight of his parents' expectations on his shoulders. His father, a restaurant owner, never wanted his children to follow in his footsteps. He wanted them to do something bigger and better — become lawyers or doctors.

As a child, Hum strived to live up to these expectations. He pushed himself to get straight A's in school. His parents rarely had problems with him and he kept aiming high until he got accepted into McMaster University's bachelor of commerce program, becoming the first in the Hum family to go to university.

Straight after McMaster, he headed to U of T's law school. He articled at what is now Fraser Milner Casgrain, which was so impressed with him that he was hired right away.

Hum, described by his brother as a creature of habit, never thought of leaving the firm.

"You get a sense that if he is comfortable with what he has, he doesn't change."

That type of loyalty extended to his barber, whom he visited religiously for 25 years. He would always go every third Saturday at 7:50 a.m. because he wanted to be first in line.

It was the same with his red 1985 Honda Prelude. It was his first car and instead of upgrading, he kept pouring out more and more money to keep it in mint condition — much to the dismay of his wife, family members say.

As Hum and his siblings grew up, he became concerned with keeping the family close. He organized many family dinners at his house and was planning to host one for his newborn nephew on the same day the aneurysm struck.

To stay in touch, the family also got together for regular golf games — which they called the Hum Classic — and Hum, an avid golfer, was always upgrading his equipment in hopes of one day defeating his siblings.

For his family, Hum would do anything. When his father became ill, Hum flew at a moment's notice to see him. "To shield us from any concern and to comfort my mother, he would go first and care for both my parents' needs," Lyndon Hum said. "Victor did not want us to worry, he would do it for us."

At work, colleagues knew him as the man who always kept his door open, especially for younger colleagues. Hum, who was a partner, made a point of approaching younger colleagues to see how they were doing and if they needed any help, said Christopher Pinnington, managing partner at the law firm.

"I think Victor was one of those people who was made up to be a genuinely caring compassionate person," he said. "He was very interested in people, in what made them tick and how he could be helpful."

When Pinnington returned to the firm after a lengthy absence, he said it was Hum who helped make him feel comfortable.

"Victor was one of those people who reached out to make the transition very smooth."

Hum was also very involved in the management of the firm. He was a member of the sexual harassment committee and a previous manager of the Toronto office's business law department.

Hum's absence at the firm has been difficult, Pinnington said. Staff held a meeting early this week to share their memories of Hum. The firm will also create a bursary endowment at the University of Toronto in Hum's name to support diversity in the law profession — a cause Hum was passionate about.

Hum also kept busy outside the law firm, taking an active role in the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, where he served as director and chair of the nominating and governance committee.

"He was always someone you could go to," said Karen Campbell, president of the alliance. He was passionate about promoting diversity and said he wanted to be a role model for young professionals, particularly minorities, she recalled.

Hum was also vital in promoting Greater Toronto for foreign companies and investment, she said. When a trip to New York to attract American business came up, Campbell said Hum jumped at the chance, even though he didn't have to go.

"That was in my mind, going the extra step."

Hum leaves his wife of 17 years, Marion, and three children, 15-year-old Courtney, 13-year-old Alexander, and 10-year-old Andrew. A funeral was held Wednesday.