Volunteers!

My list of volunteers is growing, its wonderful. I am going to start listing them all here! If I have missed your name, please let me know ASAP and I will add this.

Valerie Abe
Verna Abe
Jenn Anderson and Chris Flores + Joseph
Carrie Andreson - Manzanar Historical Site
Hayami Arakawa
Roy and Alice Asaki
Bryan Baldwin
Jerome Baldwin
Lill Barton
Margo Bebinger
Judith Bender
Sharon Black
Beverly Buehner
Lyle Boatman and Alberto Cortes
Jon Bonser
Kristen Bonser
Bif Brigman
Barbara Broadwell
Dale Broholm
Terri Bryson
Buddhist Temple San Diego
Olaitan Callendar-Scott
Linda Canada
Miriam Carpenter
Leslie Casey
Jorge Chang
Monica Chau
Ron Chun and Family
Tim Clark
Kathy Clenney
Joyce Corpuz
Gabby Kubo Dannemiller
Glen Date
MaryJean Date
Marc D'Estout
Jessica Dombrowski
Mary Donald
Steffanie Dotson and Alec Holcman
Henry Drewal and Sarah Kahn
Fran Ellis
Vicki Endow
Allison Endow
Al Endow
Christine Enos
Carol Estes
Jeremy Estil
Chris and Diane Feddersohn
Arline Fisch
LaBelle Fischl
Dennis FitzGerald
J. Michael Floyd
Logan Five
Terri Fong
Nancy Ford
Amy Forsythe
Franklin High School, Los Angeles
Doreen Fujii
Jasmine Kiyomura Fujii
Staci Kiyomura Fujii
Jonathan Fujimura
Coreen Fujinami
Trisha Fujinami
Bruce Fujinami
Leann Fujinami
Rachel Fuld
Dave and Kate Furukawa
David and Natchi Furukawa
Laura Furukawa
Marian Furukawa
Nicki Furukawa
Tooru and Mieko Furukawa
Duncan Gowdy and Elizabeth Siler
Jo and Juan Green
Michiko Grosvenor
Judy Gust
Larry and LaBelle Haeger
Jun Hanamoto
Bonnie Harkins
Julie Harris
Kristin Hashimoto
Susan Hasegawa
Grace Hauseur
Krystal Hauseur
Joanne Hayakawa
Lee Hayashi
Matthew Hebert and Lara Braff
Laura Henschen
Heidi Hester and Chris Ono
Jenny Higashi
Grace Honda
Wayne Hosaka and Kathleen Fabry
Erin Hutton
Chiz Imoto
Robert Ito
Miki Iwasaki
Therese James
The James Renwick Alliance, and the Renwick Gallery/Smithsonian Institute
Japanese American Historical Society San Diego
Japanese American National Museum Volunteer/Docents - Lee Hayashi
Gary Jio
Tami Joplin
Kirby Jones
Will Kaku
Trace and Mildred Kawasaki
Jerry Kamei
Sumi Kastelic
Martin Katz
Sakie Takahara Kawakawa
Mitsuko Kawamoto
Yuki Kawamoto
Umeko Kawamoto
Bree Keaveney
Mary Sue Kern
Cindy Kitade
Dot Kimura
Jim Kimura
Rebecca Kinder
Dianne Kiyomoto
Edward Kobayashi
Yuri Kobayashi
Fred Kochi
Debra Kodama
Garrett Kodama
Mari Koudi
AJ Koudi
Keiko Kubo
Doris Kuwada Kunimura
Sharon Kunugi
Kelsey Lamberto
Martha Lathrop
Annette Lau
Bob Leathers
Chris Lee
Rachelle Lim
Mary Little
Linda Muroi
Adam Manley and Amertah Perlman
Karen Maruyama
Laurie Maruyama
John and Reiko Maruyama
Heath Matysek-Snyder
Yuki Mathias (Tule Lake Pilgrimage)
Gail Schneider Matlin
Lori Matoba-Wun
Mary Matsunaga
Mary Oda Matsuoka
Heather McCalla
Ingrid Menken
Terry Mirashiro-Sonoda
Ken and Judy Miyamoto
Tosh Miyashita
Tara K. Mochizuki
Molly Momii
Gwen Momita
Alan Momohara
Emily Momohara
Kiku Mori
Susan Moribe
Beverly Morisako
Noel Myers
Chizu Nagano
Sam and Pauline Nakamura
Susan Nakamura
Patty Nakamura
Reiko Nakamura
Wendy Nakamura
Chizu Nagao
Anne Nakahiro
Terry Nakahiro
Andrea Nakano
Mira Nakashima
David Nesmith
Cheryl Nickle
Sachi Nishida
Yoshio Nishimoto
June Noda
Jill Oda
Amy Okamura
Malia Okamura
Melvin Okamura
Yas and Jim Okazaki
Karen Okuhara
Roy Okuhara
Shirly Omori
Gary Ono
Momii Palapaz
Chulyeon Park
Todd Partridge
DiAnne Patrick
William Peters and Guy Stiles
Amerta Perman and Adam Manley
Pioneer Ocean View United Church of Christ, San Diego
Poway High School - AVID Program
Jami Primmer
Dean Pulver
Richard Rachel
Lani Reifenrath
Karl Renz
David Richardson
Tedi Romero
Bird Ross
Gwynne Rukenbrod
San Diego High School
San Diego JACL
San Diego Japanese Christian Church
Ami Sanders
Lean Sanders
Jared Sanders
Shelly Sanders
Betty Santohigashi
Shun Santohigashi
Lill Sasaki
Steve Sato
Reid Schoonover
Bill Schairer
Cathy Schairer
Michelle Session
Roy and Sachi Shibata
Janice Shigehara
Jane Shigeta
Fusa Shimizu
Jamie Shimizu
Roger Shimomura (Minidoka Pilgrimage)
Jeannette Shin
Kimberly Shintaku
Amy Shinzaki
Dylan Shinzaki
Karen Shinzaki
Helen Shirk
Jane Shirk
Noah Shirk
Yone Shiwotsuka
Bob Sims
Libby Sinclair
Joshua Smith
Susan Smithey
Thomasina Stancil
Deborah and Bill Stern
Chris Steussy and Norma Pizarro
Connie (Hatsuko) Yahiro Stricklen
Roy Sumino
Masao Suzuki
Naoko Suzuki
Marie Switkes
Tom and Mitsy (Kiyomura)Takeoka
Janet Takahashi
Amy Takahashi
Steven Takahashi
Amy Takahashi
Edith Takeshita
Ruth Takeshita
Ramona Tamiyasu
Karen Tani
Joyce Teague
Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN
Rachel Saelid
Cassidy Duckett
Jordan Frye
Daniel Hassler
Billy George
Jordan Kear
Ryan Pate
Ellen Kleckner
Carey Harding
Daniel Bell
Miles Koester
Mike Linsten
Mirrah Johnson
Sydney Ray
Andrew Thompson
Tyler Reagan
Katie Svendson
Chris Mayville
Christian Gibbs
Robert Bruce
Jodie Masterson
Lucas Barker
Bree Beliles
Kelsea Gilliland
Timber Powell
Michael Floyd
Rachel Clark
Judith Sullivan
Kathryn Forbes
Chris Bogle
Kimberly Winkle
Graham Campbell
Sam Terasaki
Judy Teshima
Susan Thompson
Leslie Tiano
James Tiffany
Mits Tomita
Aki Tomiyama
Ginger Tuholski
Noreen Tuholski
Andrew Tuholski
Mariah Tuttle
UCLA Nikkei Student Union (Beth Uno, Edward Kobayashi and Miki Koga)
UC Riverside Asian Pacific Student Programs
Georgiana Uda
Taeko and Tom Udo
Yas Umeda
Massie (Horiuchi) Uyeda
Xavier Vasquez
Marcela Villasenor
Ruth U. Voorhies
Carol Van Heerden
Betty Walker
Beth Wallace
Lori Walton
Hanako Wakatsuki
Alicia Watanabe
Doug Watters
Charleen Weidell
Tracy Wells
Judy Wilkinson
Kim Winkle and Graham Campbell
Shuyi Wong
D Wood
Efton Woodford
Ben Wooten
Alisa Wright
Chris Wright
Karie Wright
Nick Wu
Shigeru Yabu
Jane Yagade
Fumie Yahiro
Martin Yahiro and crew in Maryland!
Janet Yahiro
Jennifer Yahiro
Liz and Joe Yamada
Keith Yamaguchi
June Yamamoto
Peter Yamamoto
Yuki Yamashita
Stella Yee
Vernone Yoshioka
Christine Yoshioka
Judy Zinn Dedek
Ollie Zinn

UCSF Honorary Degree Ceremony Remarks by Patrick Hayashi

Thank you to my cousin Jerry Kamei for sharing this. Please read this.

Honorary Degree Ceremony
Robertson Auditorium
University of California , San Francisco
December 4, 2009


Remarks by
Patrick Hayashi
Former Associate President, University of California System

What a wonderful, beautiful day!

I have the honor of speaking to the UC community on behalf of the Japanese American community.

I also have the honor of speaking to the Nisei who are being honored today on behalf of their children and grandchildren.

###

Today, when UC honors these Nisei students, the Japanese American community would like to honor UC.

Today is a wonderful day, but it is not surprising. During our darkest days, UC stood by us. When others treated us harshly, you treated us with kindness. When others persecuted us, you protected us. When others scorned us, you embraced us as family.

Few people know about how UC leaders fought to protect the Constitutional rights, the personal welfare, and, most important, the human dignity of Japanese Americans.

After Pearl Harbor , racial hysteria swept the nation. President Robert Gordon Sproul, Vice President Monroe Deutsch and several other UC leaders helped establish the Committee on American Principles and Fair Play to defend the rights of Japanese Americans.

When it became clear that Japanese Americans on the west coast would soon be put into concentration camps, many UC faculty tried their hardest to place their students in colleges in the mid-west.

Then, when we were imprisoned in temporary assembly centers, like Tanforan, a race track in South San Francisco , UC faculty came to visit. They wrote letters, sent books, passed final exams through the fence. They brought art supplies so that we could start art classes for the children.

At Berkeley , Harvey Itano earned the University Medal as the outstanding graduate of the Class of 1942. President Sproul could have easily given the medal to the next student in line. Instead, at the commencement ceremony, President Sproul said, " Harvey cannot be here today because his country has taken him elsewhere." And he arranged to have the medal presented to Harvey behind barbed wire.

Here at UCSF, Dean of Pharmacy Troy Daniels along with other faculty members displayed uncommon compassion, integrity and courage. Dean Daniels went to the Presidio to speak with the head of the western military command, General John DeWitt. He asked that his eight Nisei students be temporarily exempted from the order to evacuate and be allowed to complete their pharmacy degrees.

He also said that he and his wife would adopt Harry Iwamoto, his first graduate student, if that would allow Harry to stay. But, General DeWitt had publicly stated, “All Japanese, including those born in the United States, are members of an enemy race,” He told Dean Daniels that all Nisei students would have to clear out of San Francisco.

But the students and faculty had other ideas.

The students stayed and they studied. The faculty helped them finish their coursework in record time. And then they helped them prepare for their state boards. When the students made their way home after curfew, they had to dodge the soldiers patrolling the city. Dean Daniels arranged for them to take their state boards early.

One of these students, Masao Yamamoto, told me that he was overcome with relief and gratitude when he learned that he had passed because he now had the foundation upon which he could build his life. After the Nisei students passed their exams, Dean Daniels helped them get safe passage out of San Francisco . He personally contacted law enforcement agencies and told them that UCSF students would be traveling to rejoin their families.

How UCSF helped these Nisei students finish their studies is a wonderful, important story.

But, UCSF gave something much more valuable to the Japanese American community. You protected us from the bitterness, rage and despair that could have easily poisoned our hearts. At the worst of times, Dean Daniels and the UCSF faculty allowed us to see the very best in humankind.

Today, UCSF completes the honorable work President Sproul, Dean Daniels and many, many others began 67 years ago.

What UC does for our community today is kind and generous, decent and just.

On behalf of the Japanese American community, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you, we thank you very much.

Kokoro kara, arigaatoo, arigaato gozaimasu.

***
And now, I would like to speak to the Nisei - those who are here today, and those who are with us in spirit.

I speak on behalf of your children, grand children and great-grandchildren.

You never talked much about the camps because you wanted to protect us.

Immediately after Pearl Harbor , community leaders were picked up by the FBI. My mother’s cousin was arrested because he taught kendo. A week later, the FBI told his wife where she could claim his body. No word was heard about many others who had been arrested -- sometimes for weeks, months and even years.

This was a terrifying time.

You were given just seven days to prepare to go into the camps. You sold your family’s possessions for just pennies on the dollar. You desperately tried to find homes for your pets. Many of your parents were already quite old. My grandfather was 75 at the time. So much of the burden fell to you.

You were told that you could take only what you could carry.

In your hearts, you understood that all you could really carry were your aging parents and your little sisters and brothers.

You carried us with strength and grace and shielded us from pain.

You told us about the good parts of life in the camps – the dances, the baseball games, the festivals, the weddings.

Sometimes, very rarely, you spoke about the hard parts -- about the beatings by a few hateful guards, about the suicides, about the arguments over the demands of patriotism and the demands of democracy, bitter arguments that turned friend against friend, brother against brother.

You told us about old Mr. Wakasa who had adopted a stray dog. One day his dog got caught in the barbed wire. When he went to free him, the guard in the watchtower ordered him back away from the fence. But, Mr. Wakasa was deaf and he continued to help his little dog. So, the guard shot and killed him.

When you spoke of the harshness of the camps, you made sure we knew that there was always kindness.

My mom and dad told me that when I was born, the Quakers sent a bassinet.

Teachers from back home wrote letters and sent books.

At Gila River , 15-year-old Ruth Mix lied about her age, so she could help out in the camp hospital. There, she and other workers smuggled in medical supplies, sanitary napkins, clothing, shoes - anything to help.

You told us about their acts of kindness and courage. But you never talked about your own.

But, now your stories are being told.

One UC grad, Lillian Matsumoto, worked at an orphanage for Japanese American children. When the evacuation order was given, Lillian could have gone to the camp with her family. Instead, she, along with all the other orphanage workers, chose to stay with their orphans. Together, they all went to Manzanar and started the Children’s Village, a place where these children who had nobody else could grow up protected and loved.

At Mazanar, California; Topaz, Utah; Heart Mountain, Wyoming; Poston, Arizona; Jerome, Arkansas -- at all the camps, you immediately volunteered to teach classes in makeshift schools.

You cared for the sick in hospitals. You buried the dead. You helped deliver the next generation of children.

You never talked about your courage.

In 1943, the government gave you a questionnaire and asked “Are you willing to go into combat and fight for America ?”

Some, like my uncle and father, had the courage to say, “No. Hell no! We will not fight until our constitutional rights are restored!”

Many of you were sent to Tule Lake , an especially harsh, high security concentration camp.

Others had the courage to say, “Yes. Hell yes! Many, like Yori Wada, former chair of the UC Regents, joined the MIS and served as scouts, code-breakers and translators in the Pacific.

Many others joined the 100th/442nd, the Japanese American Regimental Combat Team, and fought in Europe and became the most decorated regimental combat team in history.

And today, we pay special tribute to those who never returned -- to those who fought and fell at Anzio , Salerno , Monte Cassino.


We remember the hundreds of men who were killed or wounded while saving the Texas Lost Battalion.


Today, we remember the Nisei broke through the Gothic Line. Two attempts to break through had already failed. The 100th/442nd decided to try. One night, for eight hours, they climbed up a 4,000 foot cliff face to get behind the Germans and break the Gothic Line. They climbed quietly. They could only hear each other breathing.

But every once in a while they felt a gust of wind. And they knew that one of their friends had lost his grip and was falling. The men who fell knew that if they cried out everyone would be slaughtered, so they fell to their deaths silently.

***

After the war, you came home to start your lives again.

America was characterized then, as now, by violence and prejudice, decency and generosity.

One of the Nisei we are honoring today, Grace Amemiya, pursued her nursing career and served in an Army hospital in Iowa caring for wounded GIs. The hospital director worried about her safety, because former POWs would be returning from the Pacific campaign for treatment at the hospital. The director told Grace that she should never walk alone and that he would provide her with escorts.

But, the GIs she cared for, those who could walk, said, “No, we will escort Grace wherever she wishes to go.”

With incredible forbearance and fortitude you rebuilt our homes and our communities.

Throughout your lives, you guided yourselves by one simple precept, “Kodomo no tame ni.” ”For the sake of the children.”

For our sake.

You taught us, by example, the importance of hard work, sacrifice and service. You helped us build our lives upon your lives.

Everything we have accomplished all the happiness we have felt was made possible by your sacrifices by your strength and resolve.

For all that you have given us, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts

Kokoro kara. Arigaato, Arigaato Gozaimasu.

**

And, most of all, on this wonderful day, we all congratulate you.

Let’s have a quick Japanese lesson.

In Japanese, congratulations is

“Omedeto Gozaimasu”

Now, everyone – on three

One - two - three.

OMEDETO GOZAIMASU!