Remembering astronaut Ellison Onizuka, and the push for redress

Vol. 102, No. 5, February 7, 1986. 12 pages. View this issue

The front page of this issue turned to the Challenger disaster and the death of astronaut Ellison Onizuka. A Hawaii delegation of his relatives and friends watched the Jan. 28 liftoff, and his family later attended a memorial ceremony in Houston where President Reagan spoke. Onizuka’s own commencement essay to young JACL scholarship recipients runs on page 4, and page 12 carries tributes from Hawaii. The same page-one report recalled his flight with mementos from JACL and Buddhist organizations.

The paper also covered redress and the Day of Remembrance, with events planned across the country around Feb. 19 to mark Executive Order 9066. Grayce Uyehara reported on lobbying for redress bills H.R. 442 and S. 1053, and page 9 gathers reactions to the court ruling allowing the NCJAR suit to proceed. Chapter installation dinners fill page 6, and Hisaye Yamamoto’s stories were published in Japan.

What’s in this issue

National

• Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Claims Astronaut Ellison Onizuka, page 1. A Hawaii delegation of Ellison Onizuka’s relatives and friends witnessed the Challenger explosion during liftoff on Jan. 28, and the astronaut’s family later attended a memorial ceremony in Houston where President Reagan eulogized the crew. Onizuka, a Sansei from Kona, was the first Japanese American and first Buddhist to fly in space, and had carried mementos from JACL and Buddhist organizations on his earlier flight.
• Decision in Fujita Discrimination Complaint Stands, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. The Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission refused to change its finding that pharmacist F. Carole Fujita was not discriminated against when she applied for a Pharmacy Supervisor II position in 1988. Her attorney argued the exam process was flawed and that no woman has ever been appointed above Pharmacy Supervisor I level despite women making up 38% of county pharmacists.
• Senate Redress Bill Gets New Co-Sponsor, page 1. Senate redress bill S. 1058 gained Sen. Alan Dixon (D-Ill.) as a co-sponsor shortly after Congress reconvened on Jan. 21. The addition brings the total number of sponsors to 29, including 20 Democrats and 9 Republicans.

Incarceration & Redress

• Day of Remembrance Events Planned Nationwide, page 1. Communities across the country including New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose and Salinas are organizing Day of Remembrance programs around Feb. 19 to mark the anniversary of Executive Order 9066. Events feature speakers, films, candlelight processions, panel discussions on redress legislation and tributes to Japanese American veterans.
• Wartime State Employees Sought for Redress Bill, page 2. Washington State Rep. Gary Locke plans to introduce a bill allowing municipalities to grant redress to Japanese American employees terminated or forced to resign during WW2. The Seattle JACL Redress Committee is seeking to identify affected individuals outside Seattle to support the bill’s passage.
• County Supervisors Recall Feb. 19, 1942, page 2. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution declaring Feb. 19 a Day of Remembrance, recalling the issuance of Executive Order 9066 and its impact on Japanese Americans. The resolution echoed a similar declaration by Gov. George Deukmejian emphasizing the importance of remembering the internment to prevent future violations of civil liberties.
• Reactions to Ruling on NCJAR Suit, page 9. Reactions from Sen. Spark Matsunaga, Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins, and several newspaper editorials respond to the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling allowing the NCJAR lawsuit to proceed. Commentators generally supported the ruling as a step toward justice while noting it does not replace the need for congressional redress legislation.

Community

• Nisei Fund to Aid College Students, page 2. The Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund will grant eight $500 scholarships to college-bound Asian Pacific students in the Los Angeles area, marking its fifth anniversary. The fund, established in 1979, commemorates the council that helped over 3,000 interned Nisei attend colleges outside restricted zones during WW2.
• Retirement Home Gets Kikkoman Donation, page 2. Japanese Retirement Home received a $10,000 contribution from Kikkoman Foods as part of its $6.5 million fundraising campaign to meet earthquake safety standards and build a new resident hall. The campaign’s second phase, led by Ruth Watanabe, Harry Yamamoto and Betty Yumori, began soliciting donations from hundreds of people in the LA area in January.
• Two Added to JA Museum Staff, page 3. Japanese American National Museum project coordinator Nancy Araki announced the hiring of Dean Toji as program coordinator and Akiko Takeshita as project secretary. Both have backgrounds in community organizations and are assisting the museum’s development as it negotiates with the City of Los Angeles for a permanent site at the old Nishi Honganji temple.
• GFB’s Tanaka Leaves for Hawaii, page 3. Chester Tanaka, executive secretary of the National Japanese American Historical Society of Go For Broke, Inc., is taking a leave of absence to accompany his wife to Hawaii for her job assignment. He will represent the organization in meetings with Smithsonian officials and in returning confiscated diaries of 100th Battalion/442nd soldiers.
• Milwaukee JACL Holds Inaugural Dinner, page 6. Attorney Peter Irons, who helped reopen the wartime Supreme Court cases of Fred Korematsu, Min Yasui and Gordon Hirabayashi, spoke at Milwaukee JACL’s inaugural dinner. Irons emphasized the injustice of the internment and the ongoing need to work toward resolving it.
• Library Needs Info on JA Publications, page 7. The Japanese American Library in San Francisco is seeking information on books and publications relating to Japanese Americans, including histories, biographies and literary collections. The library’s 1985 Books-in-Print catalog contains over 400 titles and serves as a resource center for the JA community.
• JACCC Nearing Fund Drive Goal, page 8. The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s $23 million Challenge Countdown campaign is within 20% of its goal, boosted by a $500,000 Getty Trust grant and other major donations. The center needs to raise $450,000 more by year’s end to become mortgage-free, with the Community Redevelopment Agency expected to contribute the final $350,000.
• Aging Workshop Planned for National Convention, page 9. A special JACL meeting in Los Angeles discussed plans for a workshop on Nisei aging and retirement at the 1986 National JACL Convention in Chicago. Co-chairs Dr. Ford Kuramoto and Patrick Okura are planning an exhibit booth, field trip, and expanded materials on retirement preparation.

Arts & Entertainment

• Dancers to Present Lecture/Performance, page 3. Dancers Brenda Wong Aoki and Sachiko Nakamura will lecture and demonstrate performance pieces at Christ United Presbyterian Church, drawing on their training in kyogen and noh theater traditionally limited to men. Both performed in Japan in 1985 and will team with musicians in the group Sound/Seen for the free program.
• Yamamoto’s Works Published in Japan, page 3. A collection of works by Nisei writer Hisaye Yamamoto titled Seventeen Syllables: 5 Stories of Japanese American Life has been published in Japan by Kirihara Shoten, Inc. The book includes several short stories and an essay printed in English with Japanese introductions and notes.
• A Journey Worth Taking: Book Review of The Story of a People, by June Kizu, page 8. The reviewer praises The Story of a People, a book for 5th- to 8th-grade students chronicling Japanese American history from early immigration through redress, as informative and relevant. The book includes biographies of notable Japanese Americans and short stories from contemporary authors, providing a valuable educational resource.

Commentary

• Onizuka’s Message to Youth, by Ellison Shoji Onizuka, page 4. This commencement essay, written for JACL’s 1984 scholarship yearbook, congratulates young scholarship recipients on their achievements and urges them to fulfill their potential as Japanese Americans building on the Issei and Nisei legacy. Onizuka encourages the students to embrace challenges just as the space program continues to push boundaries despite past accomplishments.
• The Saga of War Orphans, page 4. A Japanese television program featured middle-aged Japanese war orphans raised by Chinese families in Manchuria after WW2, now seeking to locate their birth families using fragmented memories and physical clues. Six of those featured were successfully reunited with relatives, while most face the sobering reality that four decades is too long a gap to bridge.
• They’ve Grown Up, page 5. The columnist reflects on his grown son Mike, now a professor in Missouri, who has developed a strong attachment to Japanese cuisine despite growing up far from the Asian American community. Mike recently hosted a New Year’s open house featuring homemade sushi and other dishes inspired by feasts the columnist recalls from Denver decades earlier.
• Supporting the Sansei, by Lori Matsukawa, page 5. A letter writer responds to a previous column about Sansei disengagement from JACL, describing how Seattle JACL has thrived through strong Nisei support of Sansei leaders, including four Sansei chapter presidents in six years. The writer credits intergenerational respect and recognition for the chapter’s vibrant membership across all age groups.
• A Different View, page 5. A letter writer praises a recent Pacific Citizen issue and offers detailed feedback on the newspaper’s coverage, including suggestions for surveying readers and recruiting more writers. The letter also addresses the lack of JACL news and suggests pairing local chapters with dedicated reporters.
• Showing Responsibility, by Yosh Nakashima, page 5. A National Board member argues that JACL must maintain balanced funding across all programs, not just redress, and warns against further staff cuts or salary reductions. He calls for transparency, cooperation between chapter leaders and the National Board, and careful consideration of alternative redress funding mechanisms.

JACL

• PSW Accepts the Challenge: Redress Lobbying Update, by Grayce Uyehara, page 6. Over 500 people attended the Pacific Southwest District JACL-LEC dinner honoring members of Congress and raising funds for lobbying efforts on redress bills H.R. 442 and S. 1053. A coordinating committee was formed with 15 volunteers to expand constituent contacts with members of Congress who have not yet supported the bills.
• Watsonville Chapter Installs New Officers, page 6. Watsonville JACL installed Gerry Kondo as president along with a slate of new officers at a December ceremony at Aptos Seascape Lodge. JACL national director Ron Wakabayashi addressed the gathering.
• Florin Chapter Installation Dinner Held, page 6. Florin JACL held its annual installation dinner at the historic Fransinetti Winery, featuring a speech by Dr. Kenneth H. Ozawa, a Deukmejian appointee to the State Board of Medical Quality Assurance. George Miyao was installed as president along with a full slate of chapter officers.
• Salt Lake City Building Committee Updates, page 6. The Utah Historical Building Sites Foundation is registering Spenser Library as a historic site, allowing the Salt Lake JACL Building Committee to obtain a low interest loan for renovations. The chapter’s mochitsuki fundraiser also netted about $800 for the Building Committee.
• West Los Angeles Chapter to Hold General Meeting, page 6. West Los Angeles JACL will hold its general meeting Feb. 10 to present its 1986 program and discuss Day of Remembrance plans. Guest speaker R.H. Eaton of GTE of California will address telephone deregulation and long distance calls.
• Arizona Matsuri Festival Set for February, page 6. The Phoenix chapter will participate in the 1986 Matsuri festival at Heritage Square on Feb. 22-23, featuring craftsmen, artisans, entertainers and Japanese foods. The chapter will sell ozoni at the event, which is sponsored by several community organizations.
• Riverside JACL Holds 20th Annual Installation Dinner, page 6. LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara encouraged Riverside JACL members to support redress bills during the chapter’s installation dinner. Dr. Junji Kumamoto was reelected chapter president, and scholarship chair Michiko Yoshimura received the JACL silver pin for 10 years of service.
• Ventura County JACL Installation Dinner Announced, page 6. Sen. Spark Matsunaga will be keynote speaker and Sen. Alan Cranston will be special honored guest at the Ventura County JACL installation dinner on Feb. 15. Yas Umeda will be installed as president along with a full slate of officers.
• National Board Briefs: Endowment Fund, Speech Competition and More, page 7. JACL borrowed $60,000 from its endowment fund to cover 1985 redress efforts, with fourth-year chapter pledges now dedicated to repayment. Other updates include plans for district speech competitions, minority health fair sponsorships, distribution of JACL’s anti-Asian violence report, and the upcoming American premiere of the documentary Yankee Samurai.
• LEC Update: Chapter Installations and Lobbying Efforts, by Grayce Uyehara, page 7. LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara reports on visits to Selanoco and Riverside chapter installation dinners to encourage lobbying for redress bills H.R. 442 and S. 1053. Chapters are organizing committees with specific assignments to contact members of Congress during an upcoming district work period.
• Credit Union to Meet Feb. 15, page 8. The National JACL Credit Union will hold its 42nd annual meeting in Salt Lake City on Feb. 15, with elections for two three-year board positions. As of Dec. 31, 1985, the Credit Union had over $7 million in assets with 2,930 members.

Military & Veterans

• New Head of Nisei Vets Sworn In, page 7. George Nishinaka, retired executive director of Special Services Group, was installed as president of the 100th/442nd Veterans Assn. at the 26th annual installation dinner at New Otani Hotel. Speakers including Col. Christopher Keegan and H. Cooke Sunoo discussed the legacy of the 100th/442nd and the planned Japanese American National Museum.
• Onizuka Continued: Tributes Pour in From Hawaii and Beyond, page 12. Hawaii officials and residents paid tribute to astronaut Ellison Onizuka following the Challenger disaster, including a moment of silence in the state legislature and calls to rename the Mauna Kea Observatory after him. Onizuka’s family store in Keopu was closed in mourning, and his hometown schools were particularly affected by his death.

In-Depth

• A Garden of Friendship, by Shigeya Kihara, page 9. The Garden of Peace in Fredericksburg, Texas memorializes the friendship between Fleet Admirals Chester Nimitz and Heihachiro Togo, which began when Nimitz, as a young midshipman, met Togo in 1905. The garden, built by Japanese craftsmen in 1976, stands adjacent to the Museum of the Pacific War, which now also houses the Yankee Samurai exhibit on the Military Intelligence Service.

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