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By Sharon Yoshida, JACL Seabrook Chapter

Seabrook Chapter JACL member John Fuyuume threw out the “first pitch” at the Philadelphia Phillies’ Asian Pacific Celebration Night game against the N.Y. Mets on April 18.

Fuyuume, of Shannondell, Pa., and formerly from Bridgeton, N.J., was selected for this honor after being recognized as a 2016 Legend at a Greater Bridgeton Legends dinner in March at the Centerton Country Club.

Fuyuume is co-founder and honorary trustee of the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center. The museum and research center focuses on the lives of Japanese Americans who were released from the incarceration camps during World War II and the lives of other ethnic groups who relocated to Seabrook, N.J.

Fuyuume has also dedicated himself to giving voice to the Japanese Americans in the community by acting as ambassador for the center. In 2012, he received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays from the government of Japan for his contributions to preserving and promoting the history and culture of Japanese Americans.