Grace Aiko Nakamura

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Grace Aiko Nakamura
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Grace Aiko Nakamura (February 18, 1927 – May 30, 2017) was a Japanese American educator and the first Japanese American teacher to be hired in the Pasadena Unified School District.[1][2]

Personal life[edit]

On February 18, 1927, Nakamura was born Grace Aiko Shinoda in Los Angeles, California to Hide Watanabe and Kiyoshi Shinoda.[3][2][4][1] Her father, Kiyoshi, died when she was six years old.[1] Her brother was Larry Shinoda, who is known for designing the 1963 Stingray Corvette.[2][5] Nakamura and her brother were known to be avid drawers throughout their lives.[2][1][6][7] Her aunt was Megumi Yamaguchi Shinoda.[8]

In May 1942, Nakamura and her family were forcibly sent to the Manzanar concentration camp in California as a result of Executive Order 9066.[8][9][10] Nakamura and her family were released from Manzanar to go live with her uncle in Grand Junction, Colorado.[2] She would late go on to testify about her experience in Manzanar to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians.[11]

She married Yoshio “Yosh” Nakamura in 1950 after meeting him at the Union Church in Los Angeles.[2][12][5][6] Yosh served in the 442nd Infantry Regiment during World War II.[2] They had three children together. Her daughter is Linda Nakamura Olberholtzer.[2][12][5][6] Her sons are Daniel Nakamura and Joel Nakamura.[2][12][5][6] As of 2017, she had two grandchildren.[2]

Education and career[edit]

With the assistance of a scholarship from American Friends Service, Nakamura started studying sociology and education in 1944 at the University of Redlands where she would graduate with a Bachelor of Arts.[2][1][6][13] After moving to South Pasadena, California with her husband, Nakamura became the first Japanese American teacher to be hired by the Pasadena Unified School District.[2]

In 1956, Yosh stated teaching art at Whittier High School.[2] Grace would go on to graduated from Whittier College with a Master of Arts in Teaching fine arts and a Master's degree in counseling in 1982.[2][7][13]

She would also work as a teacher for the Rowland Unified School District and the El Rancho Unified school district.[2]

In March 2007, her and her husband's multimedia artwork - “Twin Visions" - was exhibited by the Whittier College's Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts.[14]

In 2008, her art work was featured by the Whittier Public Library in an exhibit called “Ah! New Mexico! Inspired Images from the Land of Enchantment.”[7]

Affiliations[edit]

Nakamura and her husband supported the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) and it's “Go For Broke National Education Center.”[2] Nakamura had donated suitcases she had taken to Manzanar concentration camp to JANM's permanent collection.[15] Nakamura was interviewed by the National Park Service (NPS) twice - in 1999 and 2016 - for NPS Manzanar's Oral History Program.[16]

She was also active in her local community.[2] She was a Whittier Public Library trustee for eight years.[2][4][17] She was a member of the Hillcrest Congregational Church in La Habra Heights.[2] She was also a member of several organizations including the Whittier Area Audubon Society, the Whittier Art Association and the Rio Hondo Symphony Association.[2][17] The Whittier Area Audubon Society awarded her and her husband with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.[18][1]

Death and legacy[edit]

Nakamura died due to complications of pneumonia on May 30, 2017.[2][4] She donated her body to Keck School of Medicine of USC.[2] In August 2019, her husband made a donation to the organization Little Tokyo Service Center in her memory.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Kamei Susan H and Norman Yoshio Mineta. When Can We Go Back to America? : Voices of Japanese American Incarceration during World War Ii. First ed. Simon & Schuster BFYR 2021. pp. 478-479
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Grace Nakamura, longtime teacher, community activist and former Japanese-American detainee in WWII camp, dies at 90". Whittier Daily News. 2017-06-03. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  3. ^ Grace Shinoda Nakamura. https://ddr.densho.org/narrators/633/
  4. ^ a b c "Grace Shinoda Nakamura". Rafu Shimpo. 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  5. ^ a b c d Kao, Mary (2023-10-12). "THROUGH THE FIRE: Yosh Nakamura — 75 Years of Artistry at Whittier Art Gallery". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  6. ^ a b c d e Ko, Nalea (February 2014). "THE NAKAMURA FAMILY OF ARTISTS" (PDF). Pacific Citizen. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Around Whittier". www.dailynews.com. 7 September 2008. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  8. ^ a b Shinoda Nakamura Interview. January 25, 2012.Densho ID: denshovh-ngrace-01. https://ddr.densho.org/media/ddr-densho-1003/ddr-densho-1003-8-transcript-20f2fcd04c.htm
  9. ^ Doxsey, Patricia (2017-02-25). "FDR museum puts spotlight on Japanese internment". www.dailyfreeman.com. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  10. ^ Hirahara, Naomi (2018). Life after Manzanar. Berkeley, California : Independence, California: Heyday. ISBN 978-1597144001.
  11. ^ Barbash, Fred (6 December 1982). "In Desert Camp, Life Behind Barbed Wire". Washington Post. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  12. ^ a b c "Grace Shinoda Nakamura (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  13. ^ a b Whittier College, "1982 Commencement Program" (1982). Commencement Programs. 12. https://poetcommons.whittier.edu/commencement/12
  14. ^ "Around Whittier". www.whittierdailynews.com. 2007-03-18. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  15. ^ "Inside JANM's Permanent Collection - FIRST & CENTRAL: The JANM Blog". 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  16. ^ Independence, Mailing Address: Manzanar National Historic Site P. O. Box 426 5001 Highway 395; Us, CA 93526 Phone:878-2194 x3310 Need to speak with a ranger? Call this number for general information Contact. "Manzanar Oral History Interviews - Manzanar National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ a b "OBITUARY: Grace Nakamura, 90; Whittier-Based Artist, Educator". Rafu Shimpo. 2017-07-09. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  18. ^ "Remembering Grace Nakamura". Whittier Area Audubon Society. 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  19. ^ "LTSCene – August 2019 - Girl Scout Troop Kickstarts Positive Change". Little Tokyo Service Center. Retrieved 2023-11-29.

External links[edit]

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