Meet the New Board
Members
By: Kathy Collins
In their own unique ways, and before either was inducted, the two newest members of the NVMC Board of Directors have made significant, priceless contributions toward preserving the legacy of the Nisei veterans.
Valerie Kubota Matsunaga
Married to Alan Matsunaga, with two adult children, Lehua Matsunaga and Chad Kosaka, Valerie Kubota Matsunaga was born in Kona but raised on Maui. She says her father, Toshio Kubota (442nd Regimental Combat Team, Company K), moved the family to the Valley Isle when she was a toddler, because “he didn’t want me to grow up picking coffee (like he did)…Dad did everything for the benefit of the kids.”
Toshio and his wife Misao were beloved, longtime teachers at Baldwin High School, and Val has followed in her parents’ footsteps, albeit after a long detour. A retired Kaiser Permanente pharmacist, Val is now an instructor in the University of Hawaii Maui College’s pharmacy technician certificate program. “It’s in my genetic makeup to want to continue to educate and tell stories,” she mused.
Her desire to learn and share her father’s story prompted an incredible journey, the final steps of which will be taken in April
It’s in my genetic makeup to want to continue to educate and tell stories.
VALERIE KUBOTA MATSUNAGA
NVMC Director
2024. The journey began nearly a decade ago, when Val traveled to Italy to find the site where her father lost his leg in battle. She wrote an eloquent, moving account of that trip (“Taking Hill 140,” Okage Sama De Spring 2015 issue) which was eventually discovered by an Italian historical association, Toscana 44. The group’s president, Damiano Bartoletti, reached out to Val and enlisted her assistance with a documentary commemorating the battle at Hill 140, also known as “Little Cassino.” The release of the film in 2021 led to an invitation from the Italian government for Val to return to the site, ten years after her first pilgrimage. On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Italy, Val and Maui County Mayor Richard T. Bissen will place a commemorative plaque at Hill 140, where, she says, local government has pledged to “develop an educational historical site for all the world to learn about the battle.”
Kirk Kurokawa
Like Val, through personal commitment and innate talent, artist Kirk Kurokawa has helped to ensure the remembrance of the Nisei veterans, in a way only he could.
“Quiet Dignity, Everlasting Honor” is the name of the 76-foot long mural that greets visitors to the NVMC. The remarkable work took 6 months to paint, after more than a year of research and preparation. Kirk pored through the center’s archives and conducted numerous interviews. “When I got to see the pictures and hear the stories from the men themselves, or their families, it made that much more of an impression on me…it was really touching,” he shared.
Upon completion, and even during the creative process, the mural and artist were featured in numerous news media features.
The Historic Hawai’i Foundation bestowed a Preservation Award to the NVMC and Kirk, recognizing the mural as an important educational resource. The press release announcing the honor stated, “Wordlessly and with striking imagery, it conveys an empathetic portrayal of the Nisei veterans, connecting today’s audience, be it descendants, residents, or visitors, to the veterans and their experience.”
NVMC Visitors Gallery
IMAGE 1: Company C Descendants Club 100 Oahu
IMAGE 2: 2023 Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans/ Maui AJA Veterans Scholarship Recipients (from left) Taylie Teraoka, Isabella Ayau, Troy Concepcion, Lance Morikawa Jr., Kaitlin Kitagawa, Aliyah Casayuran and Taelor Ferrer
IMAGE 3: Kelsie Tamayose & Peaceful Forest
Indeed, that connection is expressed in the mural itself. At the far right end of the wall, the Kurokawas – Kirk, his wife Karla, and their children Mason, Meiko, and Masa – are depicted, gazing thoughtfully, with admiration, at the soldiers’ images.
A Maui-born-and-raised Yonsei of Japanese, Hawaiian, and Chinese descent, Kirk credits his grandparents with instilling Nisei values through example. And he continues to feel deep gratitude for the lessons learned while painting the mural. As he stated in Maui No Ka Oi Magazine in 2021, “It humbles you to know these were regular guys from Hawai’i that did this amazing thing. I’ve gotten so much more from this project than I gave.”
Best known for his portraiture, Kirk is the first and only native Hawaiian to paint the official portrait of the Governor (Neil Abercrombie) of the State of Hawaii. He has been in every installment of the Schaefer Portrait Challenge at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, winning the Juror’s Choice Award in 2006 and the People’s Choice Award in 2015. In the 2022 Challenge, he was again awarded People’s Choice for his “Uncle Masa,” a portrait of WWII Nisei veteran Masao Motooka of Hana, who served as a Corporal 5 in the Military Intelligence Service.
We may be treated to more commemorative Nisei portraiture from Kirk in the future, as he explained, “Someone asked me if there were any women in the mural. And then I felt so horrible, ‘cause there wasn’t. I told myself, ‘What an idiot! You didn’t even think about that!’ So I mentioned to Melanie Agrabante (NVMC archivist) that I have to do another one, (with) all these women… veterans, nurses, even family, because they were part of it too. We’ll do it again.”
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STAFF SPOTLIGHT
KIRK KUROKAWA
NVMC Director
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
By: David Fukuda
It was the winter of 1965 when I last passed through Oklahoma City on the historic Route 66 Little did I imagine that almost 60 years letter, I would be invited back to Oklahoma’s capital city because of a sketch drawn in WWII. The sketch was by Brummett Echohawk, a renowned Pawnee artist and native Oklahoman. His works are presently featured in a special “Nations at War” exhibit at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Echohawk was a veteran of the 45th (Thunderbird) Division out of Oklahoma City, carrying on the Pawnee tradition of military service dating back to the Indian Wars. In WWII, Echohawk would do field sketches of battle scenes, soldiers, and prisoners. While recuperating from wounds (Echohawk was awarded three Purple Hearts) in a Naples hospital, he sketched fellow patients. One of these patients was Fred Morohashi from Specklesville, Maui, TH.
Curators David D’Andrea and Eric Singleton of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum were curious about the Japanese-American Battalion noted on Echohawk’s sketch and uncovered the story of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Their research led the two to Morohashi’s daughter, Jo, and then to Susan Murashige, designer of the 100th Infantry Battalion Education Center website. A conference call with these participants resulted in my being invited to give a presentation on “Fred Morohashi and the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate)” at the Cowboy Museum’s Brown Bag Lunch Series.
A FIELD SKETCH FROM WAR:
Katsusuke Fred Morohashi (Feb. 13, 1918 – Dec. 18, 1998)
By: David Fukuda
When visiting the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, many would be surprised to see a portrait of Maui veteran Fred Morohashi among the many exhibits. Morohashi, from Spreckelsville, was an original member of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate).
Morohashi’s portrait is part of a collection of sketches by renowned Pawnee artist Brummett Echohawk. Echohawk’s sketch of Morohashi was made when both were convalescing in a military hospital in Naples during the Italian Campaign in World War II. Echohawk was a member of the 179th RCT/45th Infantry “Thunderbird” Division out of Oklahoma City and a Pawnee “code talker.”
On Sept. 29, 2023, I made a presentation to a live audience of approximately two dozen attendees, in addition to online participants including Jo Morohashi. The NVMC video, “Our Nobler Selves,” was shown, followed by my presentation about the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy.
To describe the National Cowboy Museum as impressive would be an understatement. The facility with a 200,000 squarefoot area of art exhibits, statues, Indian crafts, and even a replica of an old west town and of American Indian dwellings was amazing.
The “Nations at War” Echohawk exhibit is scheduled to show until Jan. 31, 2024, and it may be extended to May. D’Andrea and
Singleton who recently returned from a visit to Cassino, Italy, also expressed interest in possibly delving deeper into the Nisei experience.
In addition to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Judy and I visited the 45th Infantry Division Museum, an impressive collection of firearms, and memorabilia from different wars. A room full of mementos from Hitler’s Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden, Germany was fascinating. And, of course, a visit to the National Memorial Museum, a tribute to the 168 victims of the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, was truly riveting. I would strongly recommend adding Oklahoma City to your bucket list.
While the 45th Division took part in the Sicily invasion, their subsequent campaigns in Italy, France, and Germany (Dachau) largely mirrored campaigns where the 442nd had its units engaged. It was after Monte Cassino that Echohawk and Morohashi found themselves together in the hospital.
While researching Morohashi’s background for inclusion into the upcoming exhibit, the museum staff learned about the Nisei soldiers in WWII. Their findings have led to a subsequent decision to include a supplemental display featuring the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd RCT.
Fred Katsusuke Morohashi was born in Spreckelsville, Maui, T.H. on Feb. 13, 1918, as the son of Matashiro and Kiku (Watanabe) Morohashi. In 1940, he was drafted while employed at HC&S and, in 1942,
was assigned to Company C of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Hospitalized in early 1944, Morohashi remained attached to the unit through the Battle of Bruyeres earning a Distinguished Unit Badge along with a Combat Infantryman Badge and Bronze Star.
Morohashi returned to Hawai‘i in August 1945 but later lived for a time on the U.S. Mainland to attend the National Trade School in Kansas City, Missouri, learning auto mechanics. In 1952, he married Jean Satsue Ueda, and together they started raising a family in Kahului. Fred went “Down Under” to the Pacific Proving Grounds in 1956–1958 participating in Operations Redwing and Hardtrack. After he returned to Maui, he joined Sam’s Contracting as a carpenter.
After retirement, Fred and Jean moved to Santa Rosa, California, to live closer to daughter Jo and son David. Fred passed away on Dec. 18, 1998, and was laid to rest in the Santa Rosa Memorial Park.
The Brummett Echohawk exhibit, “Nations at War: Field Sketches of a Pawnee Warrior,” will be on display at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum from Sept. 1, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2024. In conjunction with the Echohawk display, the museum invited guest speakers for talks about the artist and his works. On Sept. 28, former NVMC board member David Fukuda gave a short presentation at the museum on Fred Morohashi and the 100th Infantry Battalion. Included in the presentation was the showing of the NVMC video, “Our Nobler Selves.”
CAPTION:
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HISTORY SPOTLIGHT
PVT. Freddie Morohashi, by Brummett Echohawk, Pawnee, 1944, pencil on paper. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 2021.
An display panel introduces Echohawks’ Nation at War exhibit.
HISTORY SPOTLIGHT
Judy Fukuda stands next to a display describing Nisei experiences and a sketch of Fred Morohashi from Specklesville.
KUROKAWA & INOUYE
“People have asked me how I want to be remembered and I say very simply that I represented the people honestly and to the best of my abilities. I think I did okay.”
SENATOR DANIEL K. INOUYE, in a 2012 letter to then-Governor Neil Abercrombie
According to the Daniel K. Inouye Institute website, the letter referenced above was dated December 17, 2012, the day of the senator’s death. Numerous writers and speakers have repeated the quote, including President Barack Obama, in his eulogy at the senator’s funeral service. In doing so, many also echo President Obama’s sentiments: “Danny, you were more than okay. You were extraordinary.”
While the word “extraordinary” arguably describes the efforts and accomplishments of each and every Nisei veteran of World War II, Senator Inouye was certainly the most famous.
Hawaii residents are familiar with his post-war career; following the loss of his right arm in combat and his honorable discharge as Captain with more than a dozen medals and citations, he returned home in 1947 and graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa three years later. He went on to receive his law degree from George Washington University in 1952, and came back to Hawaii to join his fellow Nisei vets in revolutionizing the political and social structure of the islands. He became our first full member of the U.S. House of Representatives when statehood was granted in 1959, and in 1962, was elected to the U.S. Senate as its first Japanese-American member.
By: Kathy Collins
The rest of the nation began to take notice in 1968, when Senator Inouye delivered the keynote address at the volatile, and ultimately violent, Democratic National Convention in Chicago. As a member of the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973, then Chairman of the Senate Iran-Contra Committee in 1987, he captured the attention of a nationwide television audience with his dignified demeanor and baritone eloquence.
In 2010, he was appointed President Pro Tempore of the Senate (third in line of succession to the presidency), becoming not just the first person of color to hold that distinction, but also the highest ranking public official of Asian descent in U.S. history. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, which made him the first and, so far, only senator to receive both the Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Last October, more than a decade after his passing, Senator Inouye received yet another tribute to his storied career and legacy, with the unveiling of his portrait in the U.S. Capitol building. Maui artist and NVMC Board member Kirk Kurokawa painted such a realistic likeness, many who attended the ceremony in the Senate chambers thought, at first glance, that it was a photograph. Of course, that reaction is not surprising to folks who’ve seen Kurokawa’s work, particularly the 76-foot-long depiction of Nisei soldiers which graces the wall leading to the NVMC.
In fact, that mural, “Quiet Dignity, Everlasting Honor,” was the catalyst for Kirk’s selection as the portrait artist. Jennifer Sabas, former Chief of State for the late Senator and Director of the Daniel K. Inouye Institute, described how the commission came about.
“Irene (Senator Inouye’s widow) had taken it upon herself to look for the right artist to paint the portrait…she actually worked for years, looking for artists on the mainland…She researched which artists had painted Secretary Mineta and other Asian leaders, looking for the right one who would have the knack [for painting] Asian faces…She was a museum person, very accomplished in that area; she had been on the Smithsonian Board… so she had many connections, and she scoured, everywhere. But she just couldn’t find the right person, so we kind of put it on the shelf while we worked on other things.”
Then, in 2019, five years after Irene first began her search, “we actually, literally, stumbled on Kirk while he was painting the mural at the Nisei Veterans Center. At the time, Jill Tokuda (now Congresswoman) was on contract, supporting Deidre (Tegarden) at the center, and was also on contract, working with me on DKII activities. As soon as I saw that [mural], I reached out to Irene.”
11 10 OKAGE SAMA DE // SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024
Portrait of Senator Daniel K. Inouye pictured in the Senate Chambers (3x4’) by Kirk Kurokawa
CAPTION: Kirk Kurokawa & family in front of the finished portrait in the US Capitol.
Irene Hirano Inouye was, by then, in the late stages of leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects muscle tissue. But she came to Maui in December 2019 to meet Kirk and, as Jennifer said, “just chat with him a bit. Because she knew she was never going to see the portrait, she wanted to know that his heart was in the right place…So she was satisfied when she left, that the portrait was going to be in good hands. It was the last travel she made from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and she passed a few months after that.”
After being selected by Irene, Kirk had to undergo a long, arduous vetting process, submitting previous work and numerous sketches to the Senate. The painting itself took many months, as the artist worked from dozens of photographs of the senator from all angles, and incorporated details requested by Irene and the Institute: a maile and ‘ilima lei, a gavel from the Iran-Contra hearings, a pewter cup engraved with the Inouye family mon, a copy of Inouye’s 1967 memoir, “Journey to Washington,” and, naturally, the blueand-white flag of Company E of the 442nd RCT.
Kirk completed the 3x4 foot portrait last summer, and on August 8, 2023, the morning of the Maui wildfires, the framed oil painting left Kahului Airport for its
final destination of Washington, D.C.
The significance of the portrait’s departure date was incorporated into the October 25th unveiling reception in which, Jennifer said, “all of the goodies, the flowers, everything we took up was from Maui.” Again, a bittersweet moment.
In an Instagram post after the unveiling, Kirk stated, “I feel beyond honored to have been able to paint a legendary individual that did so much for Hawaii and our country. Grateful for all the people who have been able to work with in
Hawaii and in DC. I lived and breathed this portrait everyday for 4 years throughout the process. In a way, the painting is a part of me and it’s humbling to think that it now gets to live on in our nation’s Capitol. It was an unbelievable experience that my family and I will remember forever.”
One can imagine Kirk, as humble as he is talented, gazing at this portrait and saying to himself, “I think I did okay.”
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IMAGE 4: Iris Nitta and family IMAGE 5: Visitors & Members of Fukuyama City Staff and NVMC join Brian Tsuruta for a few hours of packing meals for fire survivors
IMAGE 6: WWII MIS Veteran
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DONORS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
DONORS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 →
April Gargas
Tetsuo K. and Margaret Hamada
Franklin Hamasaki
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Valerie & Bender Hashimoto
Glenn and Linda Hashiro
Anne Henrick
Thomas & Doris Higa
IN MEMORY OF HAROLD KAMETANI
Russell & Wendy Higa
IN MEMORY OF AIKO MOCHIZUKI
Alexa Higashi
Heidi Hiraoka
Sandra Hirata
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Susan Hirata
Lilian Hiyama
Margaret Honda
Kristine Hori
Donna Howard
Irene Hultquist
Francine Johansen
Hideo and Joyce Kawahara
IN MEMORY OF HOWARD TAGOMORI & ALBERT KAWAI
Craig & Joni Kawamura
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Ted & Naomi Kesaji
IN MEMORY OF MITSUO ARISUMI
Alan & Paula Kobayashi
Paula Kobayashi
Miki Kobayashi-Bautista
Tiara Kobayashi-Bautista
Dennis Koyonagi
Sherrie Kumashiro
Bob & Suzette Lamborn
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
W. Edward Linn
Judy Locke
Carole Makanui
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Jason Matsui
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Robert Mayeda
Gary & Madeline Meyer
Marvin & Sharon Mitani
Francis & Jean Miyamoto
Genji & Toshiko Miyamoto
Leona Morgan
Debra Morioka
Sheri Morrison
Karen Motooka
Michael and Lori Munekiyo
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
James & Pat Murayama
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Judy Nakamura
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Iris Nitta
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Robert Noble
Funakoshi Ohana
Glynis Okamura
Yoshi & Sandy Ota
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Greg & Diane Paresa
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Rodney & Karla Park
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Gary Ritchie
Audrey Rocha Reed
Roy and Eunice Saito
Sharon Sakamoto
Lee Seki
Rae Seki
Calvin & Betty Shibuya
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Glenn & Donna Shimabukuro
IN MEMORY OF SHINSEI MIYASATO
Vicki Shimaji
Robert & Colleen Shishido
IN MEMORY OF ALEXANDER NAKATANI
Patricia Shishido
Josette Sullins
Jill Sullivan
ALOHA from Maui Adult Day Care Centers
Happy New Year! It is hard to believe it is 2024 and already February! Time seems to be going faster with each year, so we need to live and enjoy every moment the best we can.
Maui Adult Day Care Centers (MADCC) definitely strives to bring enjoyment and the ability to live and enjoy life at the level one functions. The ability for older adults to relish life has never been more important than now, as we are aging. No one should be isolated at home where life has stopped. MADCC provides a range of activities, such as arts and crafts, large and fine motor activities, BINGO, virtual tours and mini trips around the world, baking, games to challenge each other in fun ways, table-top activities, Karaoke, dancing to the oldies, live entertainment, and celebrating the holidays. We all need normalcy and engagement in life, and
Paul & Judy Suyama
Ralph Takata
Alexandra Takayesu
Doreen Tamura
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Ed Tamura
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Richard Tanabe
Steven and Ileene Tanabe
Allan and Linda Tanaka
Faith Tengan
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Shirley Tobita
David Toyama
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Douglas & Harriet Toyama
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Nelly Uehara
Les & Mikie Vida
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Stanley Vidinhar
Gerald & Patty Yahiro
IN MEMORY OF EDITH MISAO OMURO
Robert & Jane Yanabu
Esther Yokoyama
Elizabeth Yoshida
IMAGE 7: Deidre, Mitch Maki, Melanie Agrabante, Jill Tokuda, Tamlyn Tomita, and Shane Sato at Defining Courage
IMAGE 8: Brian Moto meets with Fukushima Mayor
IMAGE 9: 80th Anniversary MIS luncheon PC Ann Kabasawa and Clyde Sakamoto
IMAGE 10: Glenn Yamasaki and Kyoko Kimura meet with Fukuyama Mayor and Mrs. Edahiro
IMAGE 11: Deidre travelled to Hiroshima with Mayor and Mrs. Bissen
while our clients are with us in the centers our goal is to bring a spark of life back to their moments — so they are living and not just existing.
We were blessed to have “Gospel Choir” from Japan entertain us on Friday, Feb. 2. The choir group was so full of energy and positivity that we were still smiling and feeling lifted after they left. Gospel Choir was a group of 21 people who made the time with our clients and staff so meaningful. We were truly grateful for their beautiful gift of song and music that truly inspired us and left us feeling uplifted. We hope they come back again.
We were able to enjoy Uncle Wayne and two of his friends as they dropped by on Feb. 5 to entertain the children from the Kansha Preschool and our OV clients with their funny songs that allowed for move-
ment and interactions. Our clients are always so touched and amazed to watch the children laughing and smiling. The children spark wonderful memories of our clients’ own grandchildren. The intergenerational program is such a “win”!
Japan Gospel Choir
17 16 OKAGE SAMA DE // SPRING NEWSLETTER 2023
ON THE ROAD
NVMC
Internship connects heritage, community and learning
KELSIE TAMAYOSE, NVMC Summer Intern
My name is Kelsie Tamayose. I’m 16 years old and will be a junior at King Kekaulike High School. As a summer intern, my job at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center was to be an office assistant; answering phone calls, helping Deidre, and even making and presenting a sales proposal.
It felt good to help the center educate and reach out to the public. I enjoyed working with and making connections with community leaders and volunteers. This was a really cool experience to learn more about what happened in the past
Summer experience emersed in legacies of local heroes
MADDIE TANABE, NVMC Summer Intern
DONATE TO THE NVMC ENVELOPE ENCLOSED WITH NEWSLETTER
Please show your support for the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
Your tax-deductible contribution will help the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center maintain the NVMC “Living Memorial” campus and fulfill its mission of promoting understanding about the history, values and culture of the Nisei veterans among our community’s children, families and visitors.
For credit card contributions, please fill out and enclose bottom portion into donation envelope. For other donation options, please visit our website, www.nvmc.org or call (808) 244-6862 with any questions you may have.
Please charge my donation of $ to: VISA MASTERCARD
NAME (MR./MRS./MS.)
and all the different ways those stories are kept alive through the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center. It was important for me to work at the center because I feel like I have a connection here. My great-grandma was put into an internment camp during WWII, and working here makes me feel more connected to my family’s history.
Also, one of my projects was going through the center’s boxes of old papers and checks, and I found some of the checks that my grandpa, Wayne Maeda, signed when the building was first being built. I realized that my family has a lot of connections to the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center.
I am so grateful for this opportunity and everything that I learned this summer. My experience was very valuable and I’ve gained so much insight into the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center. I am very thankful to Deirdre and Melanie for teaching me
and guiding me through this experience. I can take all that I learned and use the skills I developed to empower me in my future career.
Over the summer, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work with the amazing folks at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center. Even though my time here has been short, I truly have learned so much about the invaluable work that the center does, along with building the skills and knowledge to accompany it.
My first project was digitalizing the research of Julie Checkoway on her book, “The Three-Year Swim Club.” It was fascinating to read through all the compiled
research and files that she accumulated over the years. From a reader’s standpoint, I enjoyed reading the transcripts of Checkoway’s interviews with the members of the swim club themselves and comparing them to the author’s portrayals of them in the book.
The main project I tackled consisted of the research requests, two big boxes full of files labeled with names of veterans requested by community members to be looked into. Hours were spent on Google as I sifted through search results and compared birthdates to find the most accurate information
I could for each name.
To round out the last couple days of my internship, I pulled out the files with more in-depth information to craft a few profiles for the “Our Local Heroes” ad in The Maui News that features a quick biography of a local 442 or 100th veteran on the weekends.
Overall, every day at the NVMC brought new things to learn, discuss, and build upon. I’ve had a fantastic summer working here and I’m sure I’ll be back!
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INTERN SPOTLIGHT
Over the summer, Kansha had the pleasure of entertaining good friends from Hakodate, Japan. The group from Kikyo enjoyed a day in the classroom exploring art and creating tie-dye shirts — a Kansha favorite — and then we headed to the always-exciting Maui Ocean Center to learn about ocean crea-...
Read more on page 04.
Read more on
Members
Meet the New Board
In June 2023, Kansha Preschool ended another great school year sending nine graduates off to kindergarten. Our families celebrated each child’s milestone in the Stanley Izumigawa Resource Center.
KANSHA PRESCHOOL: Nurturing Family Bonds & Embracing Global Ties STAFF SPOTLIGHT:
Abercrombie Read more on page 11.
Senator Daniel K. Inouye, in a 2012 letter to then-Governor Neil
“People have asked me how I want to be remembered and I say very simply that I represented the people honestly and to the best of my abilities. I think I did okay.”
Kurokawa &
When visiting the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, many would be surprised to see a portrait of Maui veteran Fred Morohashi among the many exhibits. Read more on page 09.
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HISTORICAL SPOTLIGHT: Katsusuke Fred Morohashi
Inouye PAGE 11 PAGE 04 PAGE 06 PAGE 09
