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March 2016 The Remarkable Markham: Contra Costa’s Only Arboretum By Jody Morgan
Serving Danville Japanese Americans in the San Ramon Valley: The Ajaris By Beverly Lane
In May of 1942, Japanese Americans in the valley met at the Danville Depot and left their homes here for good. The surprise attack at Pearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II focused government suspicion on 120,000 Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans, all of whom were sent to internment camps, surrounded by barbed wire and towers with armed guards. In hindsight, we see the wartime hysteria which created these camps and realize the injustice represented by them. There were about 15 Japanese American farm families in the San Ramon Valley, many of whom had lived here for decades. They were cooks and farmers, leasing land and cultivating pears, walnuts, tomatoes, and other crops. Immigrant parents were restricted from becoming citizens or owning property, but their American citizen children were not. The Ajari family farmed over 100 acres Phil Ajari next to the Danville Highway just north of Danville. Their five children attended local school five days a week, and then they went to Japanese language school in a room next to Fukuchi’s store (east of HartzAve. on School St. in Danville). Two of them, Jun and Phil, learned Japanese fluently. Jun was an excellent student who graduated from SRV High in 1934 and UC Berkeley and became a pharmacist. Their father, Eddie Ajari, had just been nominated president of the local Japanese-American Club. Not long after Pearl Harbor, Eddie was picked up by the FBI and removed to a camp in Bismarck, North Dakota. His family didn’t know where he was for months. Neighbors and some fellow students thought A few MRAS Board members pose beside the International Garden sign installed as Nick Lambert’s the worst and made life uncomfortable for the family. The Ajaris worried they Eagle Project. L to R: Ron Harryman, Treasurer; Judy Sherwood, President: Elaine Groen, Secretary; would be further condemned if they kept any Japanese items in their house and Stan Stansbury, new member; Arti Kirch (foreground), VP Fundraising. threw precious records and photographs into San Ramon Creek. Karen Mahshi, Founding Member and Past President of MRAS, met Ira Markham Long story short, the family ended up in the Gila River Reservation Inwhile serving on the City of Concord Street Tree Committee. The Markham ArboreSee Ajari continued on page 24 tum Society (“Regional” was added subsequently) gained non-profit status in 1981, as Karen and like-minded individuals joined forces to ensure ongoing upkeep and Grateful Gatherings Grateful Gatherings (grateful-gatherings.org) is a local non-profit continued enhancement of the Markham land. “When MRAS was founded,” she explains, “we were very involved with trees. The space was simply called ‘the Nature organization whose mission is to provide furniture and household items Park.’ We insisted that ‘arboretum’ should be included in the title to emphasize the to those transitioning out of homelessness or poverty. They also help struggling schools with items they may need for education or even assist unique resources of the property.” Mahshi, a landscape architect, drew plans for the International Garden in 1989. a family who may be in need from that school community. On March 5th, local resident Jacque Preble is collecting books for Following city approval, planting began in 1996. Today the site showcases plants from seven global areas with indigenous species adapted to East Bay’s hot dry sum- Grateful Gatherings to assist their efforts to help Allendale Elementary mers and cool wet winters. Each space is scaled to present a miniature landscape School in Oakland. Allendale is opening their library doors for the very first time and are in great need of early readeasily replicated in home gardens. Five acres added to the property contain 26 community gardens, an education/ ers, Accelerated Reading books, and reading/ Volume VII - Number 5 office building, and a nursery. After Ira remarried and moved in 1983, the city kept picture books for the learning-to-read grades. 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, A volunteer at the school said, “This will be the original house as a rental, demolishing it when deemed structurally unsound in Alamo, CA 94507 2001. That same year MRAS tagged and mapped 600 trees including 84 genera and the first year the library won’t be used as a (925) 405-6397 133 species. MRAS selected 45 native and exotic species to highlight on the Tree storage area! It’s wonderful to see all of these Fax (925) 406-0547 K-5 kids sit and listen to stories with 100% See MRAS continued on page 21 attention!” Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher editor@ Grateful Gatherings is a 501 (c)(3) nonyourmonthlypaper.com PRSRT STD profit organization serving the greater San U.S. Postage Francisco Bay Area. Driven by volunteers The opinions expressed herein belong PAID Local the writers, and do not necessarily and donations of furniture and household toreflect Permit 263 that of Danville Today News. Postal Customer Danville Today News is not goods they have furnished, delivered, and Alamo CA responsible for the content of any of set up over 60 homes and served over 400 the advertising herein, nor does ECRWSS Visitors to the remarkable Markham rarely fail to return repeatedly, whether they initially arrive to stroll the trail, attend workshops, admire the gardens, or purchase plants. Celebrating its 35th year of partnership with the City of Concord as steward of the Markham Nature Park and Arboretum, Markham Regional Arboretum Society (MRAS) continually presents timely programs, installs purposeful plantings, and propagates for sale unusual plants appropriate to the local climate. Winner of Sustainable Contra Costa’s 2015 Award for Sustainable Resource Management, MRAS preserves the natural environment of Galindo Creek and the 17 acres comprising the park. Recognizing the educational potential of their property, Ira and Bee Markham sold 12 acres including their house to the City of Concord in 1966 with the stipulation that they retain the right to remain in residence as long as they wished. They continued to plant trees supporting their vision for the nature preserve, but after Bee’s death in 1979, Ira worried about future maintenance of their legacy.
See Gatherings continued on page 27
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