The Florin Chapter turns 60, and JACL looks at its finances

Vol. 122, No. 2, January 19, 1996. 12 pages. View this issue

The Florin Chapter, JACL, marked its 60th anniversary with a tribute that raised $75,000 for the CSU Sacramento Archives Endowment Fund. Co-chairs George Takei and Congressman Robert Matsui led the event, and Frank Iritani told the chapter’s story on pages 1 and 7. JACL’s own finances ran through the issue. Herbert Yamanishi reported signs of improvement, and Denny Yasuhara warned that reserves remained depleted and suggested a phased dues increase.

Elsewhere, Sacramento announced a Day of Remembrance observance for Feb. 17, with Hiroki Sugihara as keynote speaker. Harry K. Honda recalled the Challenger disaster ten years on, and the Cleveland Chapter held an Asian bone marrow drive. Page 6 carries news of A. Wallace Tashima’s confirmation to the Ninth Circuit. Bill Hosokawa wrote on stereotyping, and Bill Marutani on New Year’s foods.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Florin Chapter, JACL, Marks 60th Anniversary, by Frank Iritani, page 1. The Florin Chapter, JACL, celebrated its 60th anniversary Nov. 3-5, 1995, raising $75,000 for the CSU Sacramento Archives Endowment Fund with co-chairs George Takei and Congressman Robert Matsui leading tributes to Issei pioneers and Nisei veterans. The article chronicles the chapter’s history since its 1935 founding, including school desegregation efforts, wartime internment, and postwar achievements.
• Asian American Groups Meet to Discuss Houston Police Issues, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Houston Chapter, JACL, along with other Asian American community groups, will meet with local police officials Feb. 1 to discuss concerns and promote cooperation. Topics include the department’s new Asian Task Force, photographing policies, and complaint procedures.
• West Los Angeles Donates to Local Organizations, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The West Los Angeles Chapter, JACL, presented donations from a 1995 fashion show luncheon to four nonprofit organizations including a church kitchen fund, a social services agency, a Buddhist church, and a police bike patrol program. Chapter auxiliary leaders formally presented the checks to representatives of each organization.
• Cleveland Holds Asian Marrow Drive, by Scott Furukawa, page 5. The Cleveland Chapter, JACL, partnered with the Red Cross to hold the area’s first Asian bone marrow donor drive on Nov. 25, 1995, registering 60 people including 29 Japanese Americans, to help find a match for Tim Nakashige. The drive was part of a national campaign to diversify the donor registry, which is only 4% Asian/Pacific Islander.
• Kunsho Awardees, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Several JACL members received Japanese government Kunsho awards for their community contributions, including Joseph Roy Allman, Fred Y. Hirasuna, and Henry T. Tanaka. The article details their decades of service to JACL chapters and Japanese American causes.
• A Top Achiever, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Seattle Times named Wing Luke Museum director Ron Chew among Puget Sound’s best achievers of the year for transforming the museum with popular exhibits including one on Vietnamese Americans and one on the Sugiharas. Chew received the National Award for Museum Service in October.
• Tragic Death, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Kazuko Ito, 20, a Claremont McKenna College student fluent in four languages, died aboard American Airlines flight 965 which crashed near Colombia on Dec. 20. She was an honor student majoring in economics and international relations.
• Golf Course Planner, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Former Microsoft executive Scott Oki designed a world-class 36-hole golf complex at Newcastle, Wash., with views of Puget Sound and the Cascades. Land clearing began in October at the 850-acre site near Bellevue and Renton.
• Community Service, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Carol Yoshino of the Chicago Chapter, JACL, will be honored with the Japanese American Community Service award by the Asian Lunar New Year Coalition at its Feb. 10 banquet. Yoshino has been an active JACL member for over 20 years and helped create a group health insurance plan for the community.
• In Education, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Art Kono, who oversees Seattle’s bilingual program, raised concerns about a proposal to centralize limited-English students in one international school due to legal and logistical barriers. Separately, retired Chicago principal Sam Ozaki continues educating students about diversity through workshops sharing his World War II internment and 442nd Regiment experiences.

National

• Seattle’s Kip Tokuda Named to Washington State Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington State Rep. Kip Tokuda (D-South Seattle) was named ranking minority member of the House Children and Family Services Committee. Tokuda, a Seattle JACL chapter member and former regional director, will help formulate laws on foster care, mental health services, welfare and at-risk children.
• Tashima Named to Appellate Court, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A. Wallace Tashima was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, becoming the first American of Japanese ancestry to serve at the federal appellate level. A UCLA and Harvard Law graduate, he previously served 15 years as a U.S. district court judge.

JACL

• JACL Finances Show Some Improvement, by Herbert Yamanishi, page 1. National Director Herbert Yamanishi reports that JACL’s finances are beginning to stabilize after financial woes, with year-end 1995 projections better than anticipated due to cost cutting and higher advertising revenues. He also discusses membership stabilization efforts and the challenge of rebuilding the organization’s infrastructure after major staff reductions.
• JACL Will More Than Survive, by Denny Yasuhara, page 3. National President Denny Yasuhara details JACL’s 1995 financial figures, noting expenses were reduced significantly from 1993 and 1994 levels while revenues held steady. He warns that reserves remain depleted and recommends the organization consider a phased dues increase to ensure long-term financial stability.
• Japan Chapter Names New Officers for Biennium, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Japan Chapter, JACL, named James Minamoto as president along with new vice president, secretary, and treasurer for the upcoming biennium. The article profiles the backgrounds of Minamoto, Jane Kaihatsu, Shawn Layden, and Janice Terakawa.
• Livingston/Merced Installs New Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Livingston/Merced Chapter installed Gordon Morimoto as president for a two-year term along with other new officers at a Jan. 29 banquet. The chapter also donated resource books on Japanese American history, including works about MIS soldiers and the Yamato Colony, to local libraries.
• Las Vegas Notes ’95 Achievements, by Betty Atkins, page 5. The Las Vegas Chapter, JACL, reviewed a year of achievements including honors for members Dr. Edgar Wakayama and George Goto, and hosting the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition on Japanese American women. The chapter also held its first APACE Conference on multicultural education attended by more than 150 teachers.
• Traci Endo Chosen as 4th Mike Masaoka Intern in D.C., by P.C. Staff, page 6. Traci Mayumi Endo of Sunnyvale, Calif., was named the fourth Mike M. Masaoka Fellowship Fund congressional intern, serving in Rep. Patsy Mink’s office starting late February 1996. Endo, a 1993 UCLA graduate active in Asian American organizations, receives a stipend of $6,000.

Incarceration & Redress

• Disaster of Challenger Spacecraft Recalled – After 10 Years, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Editor emeritus Harry Honda reflects on the 10th anniversary of the Challenger disaster that killed Japanese American astronaut Ellison Onizuka, recalling the Pacific Citizen’s coverage at the time. The piece also notes the recent successful shuttle flight of Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and mission specialist Leroy Chiao.
• Sacramento to Hold ‘Remembrance’, by Toko Fujii, page 5. The Sacramento Chapter, JACL, will observe Day of Remembrance on Feb. 17, 1996, featuring keynote speaker Hiroki Sugihara, son of humanitarian Chiune Sugihara who saved thousands of Jewish refugees during WWII. The chapter also honored several community leaders at a Nov. 16 dinner and installed new chapter officers.
• Florin (continued), by Frank Iritani, page 7. This continuation details further Florin Chapter history including its role assisting Issei naturalization after the 1952 Walter-McCarran Act, its oral history project with CSU Sacramento, and Mary Tsukamoto’s book on internment. It also covers the chapter’s redress fundraising, Time of Remembrance programs, and 1996 officer slate.
• Challenger (continued), by Harry K. Honda, page 7. This continuation of the Challenger article notes that investigators found cold temperatures had stiffened O-rings causing the 1986 disaster, and that NASA later used heaters to prevent recurrence. It also details the successful 1996 shuttle mission featuring Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and notes Toyohiro Akiyama as the first Japanese in space.

Commentary

• Lim Youngberg Named Director of Congressional APA Caucus, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Francey Lim Youngberg was named the first executive director of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Institute, a nonpartisan educational corporation founded to enhance APA participation in national public policy. A Harvard Law graduate, she previously served as president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of D.C.
• California Event Provides Forum for Women’s Issues, by Catherine Iseda, page 7. Nearly 7,000 women attended the 4th Annual Governor Pete Wilson’s Conference for Women in Long Beach on Nov. 14, featuring speakers including prosecutor Marcia Clark and author John Gray across 37 seminars on topics from finance to relationships. The author reflects on the conference’s mentoring spirit and the value of networking among professional women.
• Dealing with Stereotyping, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa recounts two personal experiences of being mistaken for a non-English-speaking Japanese national by an airline stewardess and a hotel greeter, prompting reflection on stereotyping of Asian faces as automatically foreign. He questions whether he should have corrected these assumptions or let them pass, noting the persistent stereotype that Americans must be white or black.
• And a Happy One to You, by Bill Marutani, page 8. Bill Marutani writes about the challenges of finding traditional Japanese New Year’s foods while living on the mid-Atlantic coast, describing trips to a Yaohan store in New Jersey for delicacies like matsutake and kazu-no-ko. He discusses the symbolism behind various New Year’s foods including ebi, kuromame, and kombu, and shares a humorous anecdote about a fellow JACL staffer’s polite Japanese phrasing.
• More Frequent Pacific Citizen Can Help the Nikkei Cause, page 8. A letter writer from Englewood, Colo., argues that more frequent PC publication could have helped rally support for Min Yasui’s nomination to a Colorado Hall of Fame, which was ultimately unsuccessful due to a short three-day voting window. The writer urges readers to contribute to the

Arts & Entertainment

• Heads Art Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Mark Masuoka was named the third full-time director of the Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art in Las Vegas, overseeing a $250,000-a-year organization. Masuoka previously operated a commercial gallery across the park from the institute.
• Asian Leads SAG, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Sumi Haru, who has served on the Screen Actors Guild board of directors for 21 years, was elected a vice president of the AFL-CIO, becoming the first Asian American to hold a post on the labor federation’s executive board. She was also the top vote getter in a national SAG election for a two-year board seat.

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