The Ambassador. Spring, 2017

The Ambassador Developing compassionate, inquisitive learners prepared for global responsibility

 JOHN SEEVERS

Retiring PE teacher Coach Seevers reflects on 40 years at ASIJ

Spring 2017

 BRENT HUBER

Colleagues and alumni remember our iconic teacher and musical director

The American School in Japan

 KI NIMORI

A look back at the life of ASIJ’s longserving art teacher

 JOAN FONTAINE

The life, times and sibling rivalry of our Oscar-winning alumna

The Ambassador Developing compassionate, inquisitive learners prepared for global responsibility

 JOHN SEEVERS

Retiring PE teacher Coach Seevers reflects on 40 years at ASIJ

Spring 2017

 BRENT HUBER

Colleagues and alumni remember our iconic teacher and musical director

The American School in Japan

 KI NIMORI

A look back at the life of ASIJ’s longserving art teacher

 JOAN FONTAINE

The life, times and sibling rivalry of our Oscar-winning alumna

The Ambassador Developing compassionate, inquisitive learners prepared for global responsibility

 JOHN SEEVERS

Retiring PE teacher Coach Seevers reflects on 40 years at ASIJ

Spring 2017

 BRENT HUBER

Colleagues and alumni remember our iconic teacher and musical director

The American School in Japan

 KI NIMORI

A look back at the life of ASIJ’s longserving art teacher

 JOAN FONTAINE

The life, times and sibling rivalry of our Oscar-winning alumna

The Ambassador Developing compassionate, inquisitive learners prepared for global responsibility

 JOHN SEEVERS

Retiring PE teacher Coach Seevers reflects on 40 years at ASIJ

Spring 2017

 BRENT HUBER

Colleagues and alumni remember our iconic teacher and musical director

The American School in Japan

 KI NIMORI

A look back at the life of ASIJ’s longserving art teacher

 JOAN FONTAINE

The life, times and sibling rivalry of our Oscar-winning alumna

In this Issue Cover Stories

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Joan Fontaine

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The life of ASIJ’s Oscar-winning alumna

Brent Huber

Celebrating an iconic music teacher

22

A look back at a 40-year career at ASIJ

72

Celebrating an artistic life

John Seevers

Ki Nimori

Features

29

Problems, Possibilities, Power

47

President’s Day at ASIJ

President George W. Bush visits campus

Women in Japan conference at ASIJ

36

Sister Act

Mara ‘68 and Linda ‘73 Purl on their showbiz careers

40

Paper Lanterns Interview with film producer Peter Grilli ‘59

More 03 \\ Head of School’s Message 53 \\ Fundraising Report 61 \\ Reunions 68 \\ Upcoming Reunions 70 \\ Class Agents 71 \\ Artifacts 76 \\ Obituaries 80 \\ The Big Short

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Strength and Courage Award Karin Kitsuda ‘17 talks about her service work

Editor | Director of Communications Matt Wilce Art Director Simon Wise Photography Jarrad Jinks Simon Wise Interim Head of School Areta Williams Director of Advancement Erin Nelson Communications | Alumni Relations Jarrad Jinks Database Specialist Jean Ren Intern Emily Colosimo Editorial Inquiries communications@asij.ac.jp alumni@asij.ac.jp — The American School in Japan 1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi Tokyo 182-0031, Japan The Ambassador is published by the Advancement Office, The American School in Japan ASIJ alumni, families, faculty and friends receive The Ambassador

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HEAD OF SCHOOL

Message

After a gap of several years, this spring sees us relaunch The Ambassador magazine, and I hope our alumni and present school community will enjoy the return of this showcase of ASIJ talent. As I approach the end of my year as interim head of school, I look back at the wonderful work our students have created during my time here. Their achievements in the classroom, at public events, on the stage, in the pool, on the field, in the gym and in the community, have been so impressive. Supported by a dedicated and talented faculty, it is easy for me to understand why our students leave ASIJ wanting to be Mustangs for life.

One faculty member who is the epitome of the Mustang spirit is John Seevers, who retires after decades of teaching and coaching at ASIJ. There are not many schools where teachers devote a lifetime to the community in the way that John has and I know that our whole community is sad to see him leave and wishes him well for retirement.

This school year we unfortunately had an untimely departure when music teacher Brent Huber passed away following a battle with cancer. Brent will be sorely missed by our community and the outpouring of kind words from our alumni and his colleagues, some of which are shared in the magazine, was very moving. As I write this message to you, preparations are underway for this year’s spring musical, Leap of Faith, which Brent chose shortly before his passing. I know that the entire cast and crew will miss Brent and remember him as they produce a show to make him and his family proud.

Our community also lost another iconic teacher when Ki Nimori passed away in January. His passion for art inspired many generations of ASIJers.

As summer approaches, we are looking ahead to further transitions at school. Tim Thornton, our deputy head of school, leaves ASIJ after 19 years of service. Many of the changes to the physical shape of the school are down to Tim’s vision, planning and hard work. Without him the field would still become a dustbowl in summer and a bog in winter, our buses wouldn’t have covered parking, our theater would not be as impressive and our school would lack a Creative Arts Design Center. The final project that Tim has been instrumental in steering is the renewal of the student courtyard, due to be completed this summer. I know that everyone at school is looking forward to seeing the iconic gate return to its home once the construction is completed.

I continue to work closely with Jim Hardin, the next head of school, in preparing for his move and to ensure there is a smooth turnover. Although my time here has been short, becoming part of ASIJ’s vibrant community and experiencing life in Japan has been a wonderful experience. It has been a pleasure to serve the school and work with a great team on campus and Board members who all support our talented students.

Areta Williams Interim Head of School

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(Cover and lead photos from the collections of the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

Joan Fontaine ’35 ASIJ’s only Oscar-winner, Joan Fontaine ’35, passed away on December 15, 2013. Matt Wilce looks back on her early years in Tokyo and the notorious sibling rivalry that became press fodder for decades.

A hush falls over the ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel as Ginger Rogers finishes reading the nominees for Best Actress at the 1942 Academy Awards. At studio executive and producer David O Selznick’s table sits the second actress to be announced—Joan Fontaine for her role in Suspicion. She’s hardly touched the “fruit cocktail-to-parfait” dinner that’s been served while Oscars have been handed out to John Ford, Walt Disney and Gary Cooper—but not to Orson Welles for Citizen Kane (1941). If it weren’t for one of the other Best Actress nominees sitting across from her at the same table, Joan wouldn’t even be here. A man from Price Waterhouse steps onto the stage and, trembling slightly, hands Ginger Rogers an envelope.

The microphone at the podium amplifies the sound of ripping paper and Ginger clears her throat. “And I have the pleasure of telling a secret…”

Earlier that day, Joan was on set at the Warner Brothers Burbank Studios when she received a phone call from the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who called to confirm that Joan would be attending the Oscars that evening. [Joan recalled that it was Danish actor Jean Hersholt who called, although Walter Wanger, the producer of Stagecoach (1939) and later Cleopatra (1963), was actually president at that time.] She replied that she was not going to attend.

She was in the middle of filming The Constant Nymph (1943) and had no desire to have a late night and then have to get up at 6:30am to drive across town to the studio from Beverly Hills. Joan’s disinterest must have appeared quite odd to the Academy, but then the Oscars were still in their infancy and not yet the hive of hype they are today. In fact it was only a few weeks before on February 3, while reading The Hollywood Reporter, that Joan learned that she was up for a statuette. RKO had screened Suspicion (1941) for just one day at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater on January 11—the last day for films to qualify for the awards.

Having been nominated and losing the year before for Hitchcock’s adaptation of Rebecca (1940)—which she considered a stronger film than Suspicion—Joan felt her chances of winning the Oscar this time were negligible. The newspaper also revealed that one of her fellow nominees was her sister Olivia de Havilland.

After Joan hung up, it didn’t take long for Olivia to call her on set. Her sister was insistent that Joan attend the Oscars that night—her absence would look odd. All the other nominees would be present and Olivia reminded her sister that Joan was also a member of the Academy and expected to attend. In her autobiography, Joan recalled protesting “But I haven’t anything to wear!”

Olivia was not to be thwarted by something so easy to address and within an hour she arrived at Joan’s dressing room with a saleslady from I. Magnin & Co and stacks of beige striped boxes from the store containing every dress they had in a size six. Between takes on set, Joan tried on outfits until she settled on a black ankle-length dress, which was hastily altered to fit her. The hairdresser and makeup man from the movie obligingly stayed after filming ended to help turn Joan’s pigtails and freckles into a look more befitting an evening awards presentation.

A few hours later, Joan and Olivia sit opposite each other at a long table at the ceremony—the first sisters to be nominated for the same category—their attention focused on Ginger Rogers and her envelope. “Joan Fontaine!” exclaims Ginger to rapturous applause.

Joan freezes and stares across the table to Olivia. “Get up there, get up there!” she whispers commandingly at her sister. Joan takes to the stage to receive the iconic golden statuette and makes her short impromptu speech. “I don’t believe it! I want to thank the ladies and gentlemen that voted for me in this award. I want to thank David Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock who is here tonight. I’d like to say to him, ‘Thank you Hitch with all my heart.’”

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Despite Olivia’s grace in accepting defeat for a second year running—after losing for her supporting role as Melanie in Gone with the Wind (1939)—Joan was appalled that she had triumphed over her sister and felt a rush of mixed emotions and pent up childhood animus resurface. Olivia would go on to win two Oscars of her own, for To Each his Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949), but the damage was already done. That moment in the ballroom of The Biltmore Hotel seemingly crystallized the fraught relationship and uneasy rivalry the sisters had already endured. The hair-pulling, childhood wrestling matches and the fractured collarbone Joan received were already in the past, but now, with their joint nomination and Joan’s win, the sisters were catapulted into very public professional enmity that would endure as Hollywood gossip for decades. Joan’s probably unintentional slight of omitting mention of Olivia in her acceptance speech would be repaid in 1946 when Olivia would allegedly snub Joan backstage after winning—wheeling away from her outstretched hand and leaving her sister to shrug things off in a moment famously captured by a Photoplay photographer. The seeds of this sibling rivalry went all the way back to their unconventional early childhood in Tokyo. /////////////////////////////////////// Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland entered the world on October 22, 1917 in Tokyo. Her mother Lillian would later claim that she’d been conceived on the chaise longue when tall, handsome Walter de Havilland came home early from his chess club and had a moment before it was time to dress for dinner.

The couple had met at an embassy tea party in Tokyo, where Lillian’s brother was Walter’s colleague at Waseda University—Walter also taught at Imperial University and was a patent attorney. It was in that role that he assisted Tokyo School for Foreign Children (the former name for ASIJ) in obtaining property from the Union Church at #17 Tsukiji in 1910 when the school needed to move location. Prior to that he had stepped in to act as interim principal for the school in the 1906-07 academic year.

Walter pursued Lillian for the next year and followed her on a return voyage to England via the Panama Canal. As the ship steamed out of New Orleans harbor, he proposed marriage for the last of many times. Lillian replied that they should toss for it and a silver coin was duly flipped. She lost and when they docked in New York a hasty marriage was arranged, an equally hasty honeymoon taken at Niagara Falls and then the onward journey to their home country completed.

Back in Tokyo, they settled into a large, comfortable residence close to the American

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Embassy in Toranomon in what is now the new wing of The Okura Hotel. The couple soon started their family and Olivia Mary was born on July 1, 1916. A little over a year later Joan joined the family. Right from the start the sisters enjoyed separate existences, each with their own day and night nurses as amahs were plentiful and cheap.

Sickly Joan, with her baby eczema caused by her diet of goat’s milk, was of little interest to the active, olive-skinned Olivia.

Joan’s parents maintained an uneasy marriage those first few years. Lillian would later tell TIME magazine that her husband “spoke like God, but behaved like the devil.” Lillian had studied acting at RADA in London and had toured with renowned composer Ralph Vaughn Williams In Tokyo, she put her talents to use entertaining the foreign community with dinner shows, much to the annoyance of her husband. Joan would later quip that Walter “felt women should be seen, preferably undressed, and not heard at all.” He pursued his own interests—chess, go, tennis and geisha—and “delighted in upsetting the social smugness of the British colony as much as possible.” Soon it was his young wife who was upset, when one of the upstairs maids began wearing increasingly costly kimono. It was clear that she’d become more than just a maid and an ultimatum was issued—either the family or Yoki-san would have to go.

The de Havillands set sail for San Francisco in February 1919 for a climate that Lillian felt was more suitable for the children. Walter immediately headed back to Tokyo alone, to Yoki-san, leaving the children and his wife in an apartment near Golden Gate Park. Lillian consulted lawyers and abandoned the idea of continuing on to Italy, as California divorce and custody laws were more sympathetic to mothers.

It was an uncertain few years that followed with the family first moving to the Vendome Hotel in San Jose, then to The Lundblands, a Swedish-run boarding house, and finally Green Cottages in Saratoga. The family also spent time at Hakone, a beautiful Japanese estate in the hills near Saratoga complete with tatami rooms, teahouses, ornamental gardens and ponds.

Joan later remembered the estate as a “child’s paradise” and a place she felt reconnected with the land of her birth—today it is open to the public and appeared as a location in the film Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).

While they waited for the divorce proceedings to be figured out, Lillian and the girls got on with their lives. Olivia and Joan had already identified their mother’s next husband in the park in San Francisco. Olivia had spotted a mild-looking American gentleman reading a newspaper and decided that he was a good candidate.

She pointed at him and called out “Dana-san, Dana-san!” to her mother. Lillian recognized that she was still speaking Japanese and saying

“husband” and soon the two little girls had introduced her to their choice of future stepfather, part owner and manager of Hale Brother’s department store, George Fontaine. The nickname stuck and the girls continued to call George “Danny.” While her prospects in America began to look up, things with Walter were getting progressively worse and by the time Joan was 6, he’d begun to cut Lillian off financially. It became clear after consulting with British, American and Japanese legal experts that the only way forward was for Lillian to return to Tokyo and for Walter to sue for divorce there.

By this point Lillian and the girls had moved into a new home with Danny and so it was decided that Olivia and Joan would remain in California with their new guardian and his housekeeper while their mother went to Japan. Joan was inconsolable. It took almost a year for the divorce to be granted by the courts in Tokyo on February 23, 1925 and Lillian returned to California a free woman bearing gifts of Japanese dolls for her daughters. With so much expectation and longing to see her mother, Joan was disappointed by the reality. Her mother, unrecognizable in fashionable new clothes, was more interested in flirting with Danny

on the way home from the Embarcadero and the Japanese doll was a stiff ceramic geisha housed in a sandalwood box like a coffin lined with silk.

Three months later the former Mrs de Havilland became Mrs Fontaine. A new Japanese housekeeper moved in but fortunately she turned out to be far different to Yoki-san. The family settled into a routine and the girls, already in school, began their real education— diction lessons, walking lessons, ballet classes and instruction in domestic science. Joan’s early years would continue to be plagued by illness with two serious later incidents that almost killed her. The first saw her contract German measles and strep throat simultaneously which resulted in a fever-induced coma. The second was a case of rheumatic fever at the age of 10 that produced a near-death out of body experience. Double pneumonia and pleurisy and a string of other complaints dogged her childhood.

 Joan with her Best Actress Oscar and Gary Cooper (From the collections of the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)

Even when she was well, Joan suffered at the hands of others. Her relationship with Olivia continued to be strained and her stepfather grew increasingly dictatorial with middle age. Olivia’s memories of the period cast doubt on Joan’s preferred role of victim and she recalls being slapped in the face, taunting and

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merciless mimicry from her younger sibling. Only when pushed to the limit would Olivia snap and retaliate.

Both sisters, however, were brutally punished by their stepfather who they nicknamed the “Iron Duke.”

Forbidden from dallying on the way back from school, Joan stopped one day to answer an inquiry from a classmate’s mother, only to be interrogated by Danny when she arrived home. When she confessed, he grew enraged and struck her with a blow to the face strong enough to send her reeling through the glass door. Olivia faced his wrath too. She was to play the lead in the Los Gatos High School production of Pride and Prejudice, but all extracurricular activities were deemed verboten

by Danny. Lillian refused to give permission and Olivia opted to keep things secret. The morning of the performance, Olivia came downstairs to be met with red-faced fury and an ultimatum. If she left the house that day then she would leave forever. The decision was made and Olivia left, took to the stage, and never returned. Refusing to stay under the same roof as Mr Fontaine any longer, especially now her sister had left, Joan was sent back to the Lundbland’s boarding house. From there, Joan was sent to be the live-in babysitter for the family of a local newspaper editor in return for room and board. The final straw came with another act of violence, this time at the hands of her sister.

It was a July day in 1933 and the sisters were swimming at a friend’s pool. Joan had brought the baby with her and was holding her when Olivia suddenly became outraged at something Joan had done and flew at her.

Olivia threw Joan down onto the flagstones and jumped on her. Joan dropped the baby, who fortunately escaped unscathed. Joan was not so lucky and ended up with a fractured collarbone. From the hospital, Joan wrote to her father in Tokyo.

In August, Walter arrived in the United States and took his now teenage daughters to Carmel for a two-week vacation while he

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decided how to deal with the disintegration of the family. At the La Playa Hotel it was decided that Olivia would continue to live by herself and would receive $50 a month, Joan would return to Japan with her father. Loaded up with new luggage, suits and evening dresses, 15-year-old Joan prepared to set sail on the Tastuta Maru with Walter, who was more stranger than father. The first three days aboard, Joan suffered from mal de mer, and homesickness, and remained close to the bathroom in her stateroom. Beyond Hawaii, she found her sea legs and companionship with Fred Maytag, the handsome 22-year-old heir to a washing-machine fortune. The attention of this dashing older man brought Joan out of her shell and their dances to the ship’s orchestra and deck-rail talks were much preferable to the deckchair Greek, Latin and chess lessons offered by her father. By the time the ship docked in Yokohama, Joan had blossomed into a sophisticated young lady.

Father and daughter were met by Yokisan, who Walter had married at the British Embassy in Hanzomon in 1927. Expecting a geisha-like figure in an elegant kimono, Joan was surprised to find her stepmother was a chubby, cigarette-toting, rouged lady in lizard-skin pumps. On the taxi ride to The Imperial Hotel, where the de Havillands resided, Joan was covered in sticky kisses and petted by Yoki-san.

 Lillian with Joan (center) and Olivia in San Francisco (1921)

were the self-appointed stars of the girls’ dorm and would remain lifelong friends.

Eleanor would later marry a French art dealer and her daughter Gigi Perreau would become a Hollywood child star in the 1950s.

 Walter de Havilland (Courtesy of Joan Fontaine)

Ensconced in the hotel in a small single room, Joan’s first night back in Japan was a whirlwind of emotions. Her newly reunited father and stepmother had other things on their mind and so she was left alone to ponder the new sounds—the clatter of wooden geta on the street, someone playing a distant shamisen—that drifted through the French windows as she looked out on the city at sunset. “Lonely, lost and confused,” is how she would later describe that first evening, but soon Joan would begin school and a new chapter of her life.

Dressed in the latest American fashions and sporting a renewed British accent courtesy of her father, Joan was enrolled at the Tokyo American School in Naka-Meguro.

The missionary children proved too naïve for this worldly teenager from California with the unconventional family and she discovered that only a few of the Embassy and expat kids could match her speed. It was decided that Joan should move into the dormitory, rather than stay with her father and Yoki-san, and so she now became Mrs Corbin the housemother’s problem. Fortunately Joan’s new roommate, Eleanor Child, proved to be the perfect partner in crime.

Eleanor’s American father was in Japan with Harley-Davidson and her British mother would often invite Joan to join them at their beach house in Hayama. Together the pair

Lucille Corbin remembered Joan as a “friendly and gracious addition to the school.”

Although one suspects that she wasn’t privy to everything that Joan and Eleanor got up to when they left their cluttered dorm room. The famous story of them shimmying down the drainpipe of the dorm building to head out for a night on the town was later dramatized as part of a showcase during ASIJ’s 75th anniversary celebrations. Given passes by the principal Mr Gladieux, the pair spent their weekends with the Childs in Yokohama dancing with US Ambassador Joseph Grew, drinking sloe gin fizzes with Belgian Ambassador Baron de Bassompierre and socializing with bachelors from British Standard Oil and Shell at Yokohama Country and Athletic Club. In addition to the naval attachés and young businessmen who filled her dance card, Joan’s schoolmate Alfred Nipkow ‘33 also came courting.

Alfred, “handsome and hazel-eyed,” was Joan’s favorite beau and she often spent weekends as the Nipkow’s guests in Yokohama. Alfred’s mother would lend her a fur coat to slip over her ballgown on chilly Saturday nights and send the pair back to school on a Sunday night with their chauffeur.

Although the classmates’ romance ended when Joan left Japan, she remained lifelong friends with Alfred, who went on to work intelligence during World War II and received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2011.

Joan’s life in Tokyo was, however, not “all gimlets and galas.”

Following a series of strained visits and vacations with her father and Yoki-san, the

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Joan’s high school sweetheart Al Nipkow ‘33 (1943)

Publicity still of Joan (1943)

Olivia de Havilland (1940)

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN 10 Joan and Lawrence Olivier in a publicity shot for Rebecca (1940)

Olivia and Joan in an at-home photoshoot (1942)

 Joan dances with Edwin Reischauer at the ASIJ Ball (Keystone Pictures USA/Alamy)

relationship between parent and child deteriorated further. Joan by now had moved out of the dorm and was rooming with her friend Margaret Raben ‘35 and her missionary family. Joan spent a good part of the summer of 1934 reading in her bedroom before another dreaded vacation en famille. Her father booked two rooms at the Keihin Hotel in Kamakura for the month of August and although Joan was delighted to be in close proximity to her friends in Hayama, escaping her sharp-eyed father proved difficult.

She did manage to slip away some nights after the eight-course dinner, and Alfred also managed to visit. Sensing that Joan preferred the company of her friends over family, Walter issued an ultimatum.

Joan could stay in Japan, subject to his largesse, forego college and be nursemaid to his new family— Yoki-san was pregnant—or return to America and her mother. There was no choice in Joan’s mind. Despite a slew of offers to get married to allow her to stay in Tokyo, Joan really didn’t have a choice. Having not yet reached the age of majority she couldn’t marry without Walter’s permission and so by September first she had a tourist-class ticket for the S.S. President Hoover. She was seen off by her father who, fishing $50 out of his dog-eared wallet, announced that it was the last money she’d receive from him and that it was “goodbye and good riddance.” Olivia’s allowance was also going to be cut-off.

Joan’s sojourn in Japan was over but her journey to stardom was about to begin—and Olivia’s had just begun. Joan’s immediate return to California was a continuation of her chaotic family life and saw her stay first with friends and later get her own apartment while she attended Los Gatos High School. Her sister Olivia, who was touring in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, soon found herself under contract to Warner Brothers for $200 a month. She now supplied Joan’s allowance in place of their father. Following her stage success, Olivia found herself cast as Hermia again in the film of the same Shakespeare play. Through some old friends of the family who knew the actress May

Robson, an audition for Joan to follow in her big sister’s shoes was arranged at Olivia’s apartment in the Chateau des Fleurs.

The rest, as they say, is history. /////////////////////////////////////// Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel has played host to any number of luminaries over the years, but on March 16, 1962 the Peacock Room, decked out in black and gold, sparkled with the presence of Hollywood royalty. Back in the city of her birth for the first time since 1934, Joan Fontaine was guest of honor at her alma mater’s International Ball.

Joan had arrived the day before on a PanAm jetliner and was met a Haneda Airport by sixth grader Alicia Fortinberry ‘69—whose father, Lane, worked for TIME/Life and was co-chair of the event—and TOHO actress Asami Hodaka who appeared in Born in Sin (1962) and Star of Hong Kong (1962).

The award-winning star of Rebecca (1960), Jane Eyre (1943) and Born to be Bad (1950) captivated the school community in a simple apricot dress with intricate brocade on the bodice, her head

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 Joan pulls the winning ticket for the raffle at the ASIJ Ball (1962)

adorned with a diamond and Mikimoto pearl tiara. Escorted by Richard Scott, she posed for photos with twelfth-grade girls in their national costumes. The “queen of the seventh annual International Ball” then held court with fellow alumnus and US Ambassador to Japan, Edwin O Reischauer ‘27 who was emcee for the evening. Ed’s wife, Haru ‘33 who was also in attendance, allowed her husband to lead the first dance of the evening with the Hollywood icon.

One of the highlights of the party was when Joan reached into a golden treasure chest to draw the raffle—the lucky winner Jim Suydan drove home in the grand prize, a Nissan Bluebird Deluxe.

Joan would spend a week back in Tokyo, at the invitation of ASIJ, during which she retraced her steps and visited the NakaMeguro campus. Catching up with friends, and even the amah who had cared for her as a small child, Joan noted that it felt good to be back in Japan. She had come full circle.

Always a somewhat unreliable narrator of her own drama, Joan’s recollections of what happened and what really occurred occasionally diverge. In a letter written later in her life, she claimed that she had danced with Reischauer at his embassy in Tokyo and that she’d cut the ribbon for the new Chofu campus the following day—evidence of any such ceremony is lacking while photos, programs and newspaper coverage clearly show that she danced with Reischauer at the ASIJ ball.

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The famous feud between the sisters is also debatable and often overshadows what was undoubtedly a complex, and at times caring, relationship. While Olivia waited until she turned 100 and Joan had passed away to give a brief glimpse into her side of the story in an interview with the Associated Press, Joan was always more willing to fan the flames of film journalists’ curiosity—although she did play down the vendetta later in life. The story of their turbulent childhood, their sibling rivalry spilling over into an Oscar race, the supposed snubs and reports of romantic rivalry, and their status as the only siblings to both win best actress Academy Awards, all make for a great Hollywood legend.

With a new TV show Feud in production chronicling the tale, Tinsletown continues to promote the story of sisterly struggles— true or not, it makes for great drama.

Behind the scenes, things may have been No Bed of Roses for Joan—the title of her 1978 autobiography—but her acting accomplishments speak for themselves.

Olivia’s response when her sister passed away in 2013 was certainly more loving than Joan gave her credit for, in effect ruining Joan’s punchline to their supposed lifelong rivalry. Joan’s quip to People magazine when promoting her life story was that, “I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she’ll undoubtedly be livid because I beat her to it!”

Curtain Call Alumni and former colleagues share their memories and reflect on music teacher Brent Huber’s time at ASIJ following his passing on February 6, 2017. Brent, who had been taking some time off for treatment of pancreatic cancer since the fall, came to ASIJ as a teacher in 1988 with his wife Susan.

On February 10, the ASIJ community came together to celebrate Brent Huber’s life. Brent’s wife Susan, who has taught in the Elementary School for 29 years, and their children Aria ‘00 and Albert ‘05 joined a packed auditorium in paying tribute to a dynamic and inspirational teacher, father, friend and coworker. Brent’s longtime colleague, David Neale, made the following tribute about his friend and theatrical co-conspirator.

This is a piece of cheese.

[Holding up a cheese slice.]

I don’t really like cheese.

But when put in the hands of a master chef—like those working at Domino’s Pizza— this icky, sticky, stinky piece of coagulated milk protein becomes part of a masterpiece of culinary excellence.

In the English language, the word “cheese” can also mean something that is chintzy, cliché or a little bit tacky.

This is a cheesy tie.

Pickup lines can be cheesy—“I’m learning about important dates in history. Wanna be one of them?”

Couples that wear matching outfits in public. That’s cheesy. Any song by Justin Bieber. Cheesy.

Take a look at this theater we are in right now. This is where we have our class meetings, our concerts and recitals. And occasionally it is where we gather to say goodbye to a dear friend. But for those of us that work in the theater, this stage is a huge blank canvas, waiting to be transformed into a place of magic. A place where we create a veneer of fantasy that wraps the truths we share as human beings.

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But even here in this magic place, the theater, there are some things generally considered to be cheesy. Disco balls, smoke machines, dry ice fog, party poppers, whip cream pies.

All extremely cheesy. But when put in the hands of a master, like Brent Huber, they become part of a masterpiece of theatrical excellence. Weapons of massive theatrical production. Over the 17 years that I worked with Brent, I never ceased to be amazed at his ability to take those things of cheese, put them in the hands of our students and somehow, for a brief moment take us away from Donald Trump, and Atlas Rubicon, and mock APs, and lead us to that most elusive of human emotions, true exuberant joy. Joy. We don’t use that word very often because we unfortunately don’t very often have a need to. I’m not talking about happiness, not contentment, not pleasure. Joy. Joy that transcends the cheese. That was and is Brent’s on-going invaluable gift to us.

Those moments he created on the stage were magic. The closest thing to real magic that we have on this earth. When you saw his work or heard his band or sat in his class, you were reminded that you are alive. That there really is hope for humanity. That there really is a thing called joy.

I can’t begin to count the number of other things that I learned from Brent Huber.

He taught me that in theater and in life, everything matters. That there is no detail, no matter how small, that’s not worth obsessing over and putting in hours and hours and hours of work, to get it just right.

He taught me that if you choose to do something, do it better than you ever thought you could.

He taught me how to not hold a grudge.

How to move on from moments of temporary ballistic anger.

He taught me that the show doesn’t “somehow come together.” That you pull it together with blood, sweat and tears. And then look at the beautiful thing you’ve created and immediately forget how hard it was.

He taught me that every single year, no matter what we put on this stage, people would tell us “Best show ever!” And that they weren’t wrong.

He taught me that our students are the source of OUR joy. And that the best gift we can give them is to hold them to standards that they don’t yet know they are capable of achieving.

He taught me the value of total and complete commitment.

He taught me that collaboration is always more difficult than doing something yourself.

And always better.

He taught me that the simplest solution is always the best, even when it’s cheesy.

He taught me to live every moment, in the moment.

He taught me to do what I believe is right, no matter what others around me say. And to live with the consequences of my choices.

He taught me that the show must go on.

And so it will.

When someone important passes away, it is tradition to have a moment of silence. I say that a moment is not enough for someone whose presence was such a huge part of our community. I say let’s have 30 moments, one for each year that Brent was at ASIJ. And not moments of silence because that’s not what he wanted. Let’s have 30 seconds of noise. Stand up. For the next 30 seconds let’s make the most raucous noise we can. You can clap, sing, shout, cry, whatever you want. Let’s raise the roof off this theater and let him know we love him!

[At this point the auditorium erupted into a cacophony of clapping, stomping, whoops and bangs as the audience let off party poppers.]

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 Brent fixes McKenzie Miller ‘12’s mic backstage of Anything Goes (2012)

As a senior, Mr Huber supported me making and recording music, he put up with me recording just godawful songs in his classroom during free periods, lunches and after school, and it’s because of his support and encouragement that I moved to Nashville for college to pursue audio engineering. He encouraged me to think outside of the box, to rebel when necessary, to fight for what I believe in. It’s because of him that I have the greatest friends and the girl of my dreams, and my future wife. I could never thank him enough, and I’m just one story from his teaching career, but he will be missed, and I hope his family finds some comfort in the incredible impact that he had on so many lives. I will be forever grateful for Brent Huber.

- Dylan Thomas Mitchell ‘09

Mr Huber truly believed in us, even though we were only 17. From vocal jazz rehearsals in the sunshine to harmonizing Imogen Heap chords in the pitch black stairwell before concerts, he taught us to work hard but also live in the moment. One day, he let us out of class early solely so we could enjoy the rare snowfall. The atmosphere he created bonded Vocal Jazz Ensemble (VJE) so close that we ended up spending the time singing in the snow, as a group. Huber was the type of person you could be yourself around—he was my first teacher-Facebook-friend. Five years later, when I returned to ASIJ as a teacher myself, Huber invited me to perform in his rock band at four gigs around Tokyo as he belted his heart out. His free spirit and faith in music led him to go against the grain at our graduation ceremony in 2010—he led VJE in performing the a cappella song Gene and I had arranged just for that day even though it meant overriding the convention that we stick to the printed programs Huber taught us to be confident and unafraid—referring to famous jazz singers on a first-name basis, directing us to scat like “Ella.” The world and ASIJ will not be the same without you, Mr Huber. You were an example of valuing freedom and believing in music and your light lives on, never to be dimmed.

- Janet Kanzawa ‘10

 Brent teaching one of the early digital composition classes (1989)

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 Brent with Vocal Jazz members Max Luton ‘13, Gabriel Bird ‘15 and Max Loveman ‘15 (2014)

I’m Gabriel Bird, and I’m singing in an a cappella group at university. I sing in the shower. I constantly hum and whistle and belt my heart out, driving my roommate up the walls.

But he accepts it as who I am. And it’s an integral part of me because Mr Huber fostered the kind of environment where not only music, but the love of music in general, could flourish.

I was in every high school musical I could be in, because after just one, I couldn’t stop there. I had to keep going, keep singing, keep performing. My friends at ASIJ all were musically inclined, and we could all be together because of Mr Huber.

 Susan and Brent with Albert ‘05, Aria ‘00 and their grandchildren

What he excelled at was leading, and organizing, and energizing, and directing, and pulling every last iota of effort from a group so that they can all work together to be a larger sum of their parts. That’s the legacy he has left in me. The legacy of being a part of something bigger than myself. The part of me that can now push forward when the end is far away, when I’m tired and overworked, and when I really don’t know how to go on - the part of me that soldiers on is because I know I’ve done it before. I’ve worked for months on end for his shows. I’ve practiced at lunches and free periods and at home, just to nail a specific measure of one song for VJE. I know that I can succeed in my role, and trust others to do theirs, both in performance, and in life.

Brent Huber gave me the opportunity to be a part of something larger, and gave me the tools to contribute to it myself. That’s what makes a great role model.

To me, he was my teacher, and occasionally, my friend. I know to you he was much more than that, and I can’t even begin to fathom how different he was to all of you. All I can say is thank you, to Mr Huber, and a commitment to bring what he taught me to my work and my passion.

- Gabriel Bird ‘15 THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING 2017

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 Brent gives production notes to Dave Rynerson backstage in the theater  Susan, Brent and Aria ‘00

To me, Mr Huber will always be remembered as the man that presided over what I would argue was actually the most embarrassing and uneasy moment of my high school experience. His encouragement to step up in front of my classmates and sing for the first time ever at auditions for the 2003 Spring Musical Bye Bye Birdie fundamentally changed the course of my high school experience. Despite what had to have been hands down the worst singing he had ever heard and the reddest most embarrassed face he had ever seen, he managed to see something else in me that led him to cast me as Randolph MacAfee. It was that role, as well as playing Albert’s father the following year as the Mute King (another indicator of how dismal of a singer I was...) in the production of Once Upon a Mattress, that provided me with the critical revelation that I had something of value to offer and that it was okay to put myself out there. All of that started with Mr Huber and the potential he saw in me and the confidence he had in me back then that led me to develop a confidence in myself that has fundamentally impacted who I am today. I can’t thank him enough for that.

I count myself and all others that were able to learn from him and witness his passion for teaching as some of the most fortunate to ever walk the halls of ASIJ. I am truly saddened that more will not be able to share the same experience in years to come.

My prayers and thoughts are with you all during this difficult time. I do hope, however, that you are able to find some comfort in the knowledge that so many others will never forget your husband and father and the undeniable positive impact he had on all of our lives.

- Tom Koerner ‘06

 A young Brent on a trip to Tachikawa

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All I can say is that I’m sad to not have Huber with us anymore. (I guess we all just called him Huber.) I wish I’d let him know how much I appreciated him, but he has left with me a gift, and for that I am forever grateful.

He taught me not to sneeze in “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (“I’ve GOT You,” not “I’ve Gotchoo!”). Michael Bublé could’ve used that lesson. There were many more lessons. He gave me the opportunity to share my voice, to perform on-stage in musicals and VJE. Man, some of my best times were spent with him!

And I’m not the only one. It’s pretty crazy to think of how his influence has stretched all over the world, living in his students. That’s pretty cool...

I wish the best for your family. I can’t imagine what you’re going through ... I’m very sorry for your loss. I know it’s not easy, that you’re not okay. But I hope you find strength, that we all find strength in each other. There is sadness now, but there is also love.

- Matthew Watanabe, ‘07

I have really fond memories of being in the school play that he wrote and directed, Invasion of the Killer Carrots in 1989 when I was in eighth grade. I remember his kindness and love of life. I have always marveled that he had us put on a send up of a b-horror movie for our middle school play and just how hilarious and imaginative it was. My relatively short time at ASIJ was a true turning point in my life and I am grateful that Mr Huber was a part of it.

 The cast of My Favorite Year. Albert ‘05 wears the red jacket on the left (2005)

- Allison Glenn Witton ‘94

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 Thomas Crow ‘17, Ryo Kamibayashi ‘19 and Ava Hall ‘18 on stage in Leap of Faith (2017)

Spring Musical 2017: Leap of Faith All it takes to move a man or a mountain is a little faith. So why is it so hard to believe that there could be a better way? That we can be better people?

These might be some heavy questions for a musical comedy, but the heavy dose of philosophy doesn’t prevent Leap of Faith from being a toe-tapping, feel-good extravaganza. With gospel-based music

by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin) the show tells the story of Jonas Nightengale, a con-man hoping to swindle money from the good folks of Sweetwater, Kansas. Instead he finds his soulmate and a possible road to personal redemption, if only he can learn the true meaning of faith.

This year’s spring musical featured 34 talented performers, a live orchestra and countless behind-the-scenes crew members. The show was performed in loving memory of Brent Huber.

Artist-in-residence Debra Barsha joined the musical team this year to lend her wealth of

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experience to the production. Debra won the Jonathan Larson Award for her score to Radiant Baby—the show, inspired by Keith Herring’s life, was recently produced by TOHO in Japan. For the past six years, Debra was the associate conductor for Broadway’s Jersey Boys.

“Brent picked a very challenging show,” Debra comments. “I am really trying to honor Brent and figure out how I can manifest his vision. It has been a really great collaborative experience working with such a talented team of teachers and students.” When a group of students visited New York in March to take a theater workshop, Debra was able to connect them with Jessica Phillips who originated the role of Marla on Broadway. Jessica had dinner with the group, sharing her experience, and later video conferenced with the cast in Tokyo.

Debra’s work with students and teachers at ASIJ was made possible by a PTA grant.

ď„€ Artist-in-residence Debra Barsha, music director Jessica Miller and director/producer David Neale oversee rehearsal in the Blackbox ď„ƒ Kyoko Takano, choreographer/ associate producer, works with cast members in the wings

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Coach On the eve of his retirement, John Seevers sits down with Jarrad Jinks to open the playbook on his 40-year coaching and teaching career at ASIJ.

The sun peeks out from behind a cloud, one of many that shift slowly across the mid-November sky as bodies clash hard at the 10-yard line, harsh shadows of well-trained student athletes cast across the evergreen turf. The Mustangs play in the Far East Championship football game, the final game of the 2016 season. After 40 years, Big John paces the sideline one last time.

Sharp eyes peer out from behind black shades as he slides a clipboard half-way into the back of his signature shorts—fashionably coordinated with sandals, despite the brisk fall weather. The water tower stands out, bright gold against a bluesky backdrop; unlike the old days, a fence now surrounds the field, separating players and spectators from Nogawa Park.

This game is the first Far East Championship football win for the Mustangs, having committed, also for the first time, to the division one league two years ago.

Joining the D-1 league was a long-considered decision but once made, the choice to move up improved the quality of competition and football schedule. The league currently contains five teams in addition to ASIJ: Kadena and Kubasaki in Okinawa, Seoul American High School in South Korea and Kinnick in Yokosuka.

John has seen many firsts for our athletics program.

He watched as the varsity football team played their first winning season in 1979, saw the varsity baseball players through their first league championship in 1983 and, more recently, has taken teams to face new rivals in Okinawa and even overseas to South Korea.

If you look at the Stars and Stripes records, you’ll find every Far East win and, in the yearbook archives, projections from past baseball seasons—records of losses, wins and firsts. John, however, never dwelled on the losses or kept a career count of championships won. His singular objective, each day, has been to push students to reach their full potential. He’s had plenty of opportunity to do so. In John’s time at ASIJ, his role has spanned three divisions teaching physical education, weight training and coaching three sports—basketball, football and baseball.

In those same Chochin, you’ll see John, who was the varsity football head coach for 33 seasons and varsity

baseball head coach for 37, through the eyes of his students, a man of endless positivity, a strong work ethic, mutual respect and humor. “Stories about Coach are often Paul Bunyan-like tall tales. He was a legend/ myth,” Daisuke Tanaka ‘99 told us. John Seevers: “Stylish walk…shorts…‘hey fellas’…always smoothing his beard…‘That’s life’.”

John’s wife, Karen, describes him as he first walked onto the ASIJ campus, as a man with “long hair, a full beard and piercing blue eyes.” Though the long hair is now gone, John still stands tall with a sporty goatee.

“Actually, to me he looked like a superstar,” she says.

John was hired to replace Brian Naber, the previous high school coach and teacher who left early in the summer in pursuit of his dream job as a college football coach with then-principal Jim Juergesen’s blessing. As John recalls, on the recommendation of Jim’s father who taught at his college, he had spoken to Jim regarding a position in Long Island, New York, where Jim had previously taught. It was an opportunity that he later decided to pass on—“Too big a city.” Knowing his availability, Jim, who also shared a hometown with John in Seward, Nebraska, forwent a simple phone call and headed to John’s home to meet regarding the position at ASIJ. He was greeted by a 22-year-old John Seevers, on the couch, with a significant number of stitches running down his leg. As Karen recalls, John had been in a ski boat accident not too long before.

John later accepted the job offer from Jim and, with an as-of-yet unhealed leg, arrived on campus for the first time in that summer of ‘77.

Just as one teacher was leaving for their dream job, John came into his.

“I grew up as an athlete. My father was a teacher and a coach as well at the high school and college level, so that’s something I always wanted to do. And to get those two positions, to be able to coach football and baseball these years, to me that was perfect,” John says. “You know, between that and teaching PE and being involved in the strength and conditioning program that’s getting going here and it’s a dream job really for me.”

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John scores a play in a faculty vs varsity flag football game

Kick-off “It’s a beautiful day for football!” rain pours down as John shouts across a field of students weighed down by soaked practice pads, running drills. Forty years is a long time to work at the same school and much has changed. John remembers a field that, for decades, would become an expanse of mud and dust after a season’s practice. In the early days of John’s career, matches were few and the athletics facilities were limited. The addition of artificial turf to the field, as well as new athletics facilities such as the weight room and fitness center, which bears his name, are invaluable assets to an ever-progressing physical education and athletics program. Improving athletics facilities allow John and his students to reach for greater heights.

“These are huge contributions to our program as well as the athletic program. Big difference makers.”

Even as competition, the leagues and our athletics programs grew, a balance between our athletes’

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levels and that of our competitors remained difficult to reconcile. Before joining the D-1 league, our teams occasionally found themselves matched unevenly, both against competitors that posed little challenge to “first and second year kids in college that would beat the snot out of us,” as John puts it. The years also saw an occasional wax and wane of students who tried out for baseball or football, seemingly by an invisible tide of interest or enrollment. John, however, regards his roles as coach and teacher in a light unencumbered by loss, disinterest and unfavorable tides.

“I’ve always been a high work ethic guy. I push kids to their limits,” John says. “You know, you don’t have expectations above and beyond, just expectations for what their potential is and whatever they do as long as they put the work into it. That’s always my goal, for them to reach their potential.” Jayson Matthews ‘94 remembers Coach Seevers’ challenging weight training classes: “We were just kids, but Seevers took our training as seriously as any professional sports trainer.

I remember how dedicated he always was to every aspect: form, diet, frequency, etc. It made you want to work harder and be better, simply for the sake of showing him you took it as seriously as he did.“ “I have some of my fondest memories doing back squats to ‘September’

by Earth, Wind & Fire first thing in the morning when, despite how early I thought it was to be working out, Coach Seevers had already been up and working out for over an hour before we had even walked into the gym.” recalls Kai McGuire ‘14.

Whether it is on the field or in a class, “it’s a matter of building camaraderie amongst the students. You know they can only reach their potential as an individual, but then you blend all those individuals together into a team,” John says. “When he spoke, we listened. We respected him because he respected us,” says Matthew Barber ‘02. “He pushed us to be our best, not because he wanted to win (maybe a little) but because he wanted us to reach our fullest potential.”

And when it came time for the big game, athletes demonstrated the value of the time, dedication and teamwork that John helped them cultivate—win or lose. When asked what a “Coach Seevers pep talk” sounds like, John’s initial answer is quite simple, “I’m not a big pep talk guy.”

John can be a man of few words.

“To me it’s all about preparation,” he elaborates. “If the kids are prepared and when they’re prepared, they’re confident and when they’re confident, that’s when they’re going to play well. Because what you say 10 minutes before a game is going to have really little effect on what happens after that first pitch or the opening kickoff whatever it happens to be… It’s short lived.”

 John pitches a game of wackoball

Curve-ball The thwok of a tennis ball flawlessly connecting with a racket and uproarious cheers echo into the trees of nearby Nogawa Park. Not fifteen minutes earlier, PE students gathered near John at the beginning of class, awaiting his instruction...”Today is an alternate activity day, and there’s only one alternate activity.”

Alternate activities in PE were just part of a larger strategy to make fitness and health more accessible to students—and a quirky game called wackoball was a favorite of many—but the aim, for John, has always included the need to imbue students with a lifelong love of fitness. While John has made it a point to push students, upping their game through valuing work ethic and discipline, he was alway sure to instill a sense of enjoyment in fitness, athleticism and training. John wants to show students that fitness is not just a semester-long endeavor, “it’s something that they embrace and then continue for the rest of their life and so it’s kind of a mindset that they take with them as well as a skill.“ As Jason Mothersill ‘04 discovered, it wasn’t just the games that impacted their learning, “recently one of our alums got married in what turned into a quasi high school reunion of sorts. We only had a couple days together but one of the few activities we chose to organize beyond the wedding was a game of wackoball. This is testament to the impact ‘Big John’ had on all of us.”

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 Baling hay at the Seevers farm, a family event (2010)

Homerun

John even has a history of engaging spectators—paying nearby students ¥100 for each home-run and foul-ball retrieved.

Although baseballs were expensive and ¥100 was a small price to pay to keep them in play, the memories remain long-lasting. ”I remember going to my older brother’s [Landon] baseball games as an elementary schooler,” said Sheri Budge Sotto ‘11 recalling her sideline-role. “Mr Seevers would pay me a ¥100 for every foul ball I brought back to him from the bleachers.

I remember hoping that every play would be a foul ball! When I think of Mr Seevers, I can see his great big smile and the genuine concern that he showed for everyone he met.”

While John has become a memorable part of the lives of countless students, they have had a profound impact on him as well. “You know I think the students at ASIJ are...to tell you the truth they don’t get any better. They’re kids that are that are self-motivated in their disciplines and they’re interested in education.” The school often receives visits from alumni, many of whom remember Big John Seevers.

They often say “I doubt if he will remember me.” But John has demonstrated an uncanny recollection for many of those visitors, his athletes and students, their years, sport and even jersey number.

“So as far as being a teacher and being a coach, it’s pretty sweet when you get those kind of kids that want to learn and they want to participate. They’re willing to give you that work ethic that it takes to reach their potential, that makes teaching and coaching pretty fun.“

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John’s years at ASIJ have never truly been “work” or just a “job.”

ASIJ is a community of people that have had an indefinable impact on his life. Although he first touched down in Tokyo, single, injured and with only a faint connection to ASIJ, he will retire with a wife, two sons who graduated from the school, lifelong friends with deep ties to the community and a second home.

“Karen and I met at ASIJ and were married here.” As two young physical education teachers, John and Karen found that they both also shared a love for the outdoors. They married in 1982 just across the park at International Christian University, on the only dry weekend of the year. Karen expresses her then concern as they presumably reconsidered that love for the outdoors, “it rained every single weekend of that entire year.” But, the big day did not fall to ruin, “that one day was just gorgeous.”

Just three years after their marriage, John and Karen had their first son and their second two years later. “Both of our sons, Ben ‘04 and Shawn ‘06 were raised here in Japan and went all the way through ASIJ.” John says, “They both had the opportunity to live and benefit from this fantastic school and community which we all are so appreciative of.”

John’s gratitude for the people that he has had an opportunity to surround himself and his family with for the past 40 years is clear. “The ‘ASIJ Connection’ is something I always talk about to my students/athletes—the importance of staying connected, and how strong and powerful that connection is. ASIJ is a common bond that extends all around the world, that promotes lasting memories, friendships, and even job opportunities. I had the opportunity to attend alumni gatherings of various sorts over the years and those experiences have always been extremely rewarding.”

Postgame A flock of Canadian geese fly over the endless, great plains of Nebraska grassland. Horses whinny and romp in the distance, roused by a gust of wind—a stark contrast to the Tokyo metropolis. John and Karen have built a new house atop his grandfather’s farm, which they purchased 20 years ago, adjacent to the endearingly monikered “Lake Seevers.”

We’re not rockingchair kind of people

After four decades of leading alternate activities, John will, in retirement, find ample time to explore his own. It comes as no surprise that many of John’s interests involve the great outdoors—images of golfing and biking in the Nebraska sun come to mind. But John mentions, specifically, what lies in his shed, back on the farm—as an avid fisherman, John expreses his anticipation to take his boat out…”I’m a bass boat kind of guy.” And although Karen is the true enthusiast, John admits he enjoys horse riding as well, “it’s been a big, big part of our family’s life.” Karen reinforces John’s outlook on retirement, “We’re not rockingchair kind of people.”

These changes, however, are bittersweet. While John and his family have much to look forward to, including family and friends in Nebraska, there is much that will be left behind. They’ll will miss o-furo and conbini and Japanese food, but most of all they will miss the ASIJ community—the students, coworkers and friends.

John and Karen have been “the rock in the river,” as Karen puts it, “the river flows around us and it changes all the time. So, every single year new people come,” people they have grown to love. As it comes time for John and Karen to retire, they find that while many of their friends will stay here, many others have moved on to homes all over the world—perhaps providing an excuse to travel, as John clearly expresses his desire to maintain those connections. Until then, John simply wants to express his gratitude.

“I would not want to leave without expressing my deepest appreciation for everything that ASIJ and its vast community has done for me and my family over the last 40 years. We feel truly blessed to have been a part of it.”

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John and Karen Seevers, Janet and Gene Witt enjoy onsen at Odaiba Tokyo Oedo-Onsen Monogatari

Problems, Possibilities, Power International Women’s Day on March 8 saw politicians, professors, business leaders and students come together at ASIJ to discuss the position of women in modern Japanese society.

The Women in Japan 2017: Problems, Possibilities, Power conference explored the social, economic and political challenges women in Japan face today and was hosted and organized by the high school club Students Advocating for Gender Equality (SAGE)—a group that aims to spread awareness regarding gender equality as it relates to women in Japan.

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Fumiko Hayashi — Opening Keynote

Fumiko Hayashi, the current mayor of Yokohama, discussed the discrepancies in the roles of men and women as well as her active role in creating a more equal society. Hayashi talked about her trailblazing career in the male-dominated automobile industry and the strength found in the ability of women to empathize in the Japanese society where hospitality (omotenashi) is so heavily stressed. She also emphasized the importance of selflessness and encouragement to create boundless possibilities for future generations. Lastly, she shared her work to provide child care centers for all children in Yokohama. “The biggest struggle for women is when they get pregnant and have to raise children. There is not enough childcare available in Japan.” This was a key issue she focused on during her campaign to become Mayor of Yokohama, as well as her efforts in female entrepreneurship and empowerment.

—Sally Maeda ‘17

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Nobuko Nagase

Women, Children and the Workplace In the first panel, “Women, Children and the Workplace,” our speakers Noriko Silvester (founder of Candlewick), Akiko Nakajo (APAC Google Partner Plex), Nobuko Nagase (professor of Labor Economics and Social Policy Sachin Shah, Noriko Silvester, Akiko Nakajo, Nobuko Nagase and Karin Kameya ‘04 at Ochanomizu University), Karin Kameya ‘04 (Oracle), along with moderator Sachin Shah (President & CEO MetLife Japan), discussed the obstacles working mothers in Japan face, and explored the possibilities for practical solutions to the obstacles. They opened the forum by exploring the current trends of Japanese culture that make it difficult for women. Noriko Silvester focused on becoming mindful of society’s attitude towards women in the workplace.

She emphasized the need to change the stereotype that “men work and women stay at home.” Nobuko Nagase showcased the immense tax breaks for men if their spouse is dependent on them. “When you get underneath what is driving the stereotype you find that it is often policy,” said Sachin Shah. Akiko Nakajo highlighted self promotion for women in the workplace, “We need to make obstacles into opportunities.” She discussed how encouraging talk in the workplace can create more successful and motivated employees. All of the women were emboldened by the progress they have seen but discussed the need for wider engagement from the community.

—An-Chi Tsai ‘18

Karin Kameya ‘04

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 Motoko Rich ‘87, Danielle Baca and Keiko Ishitani

Empowerment through Collaboration The second panel called “Empowerment through Collaboration” identified strategies for empowering women in the workplace through collaboration and support. Speakers Motoko Rich ‘87 (Tokyo bureau chief New York Times), Danielle Baca (managing director nike.com/jp), Keiko Ishitani (managing director Ueshima Coffee Company), explored this topic along with moderator Akiko Ryu Innes-Taylor (head of global communications, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals). The women opened the forum by exploring the difficulties of breaking the mold for women. Motoko Rich reviewed her career at The New York Times where she entered a predominately male field and had to define herself against male colleagues and how her honesty led her to success. Danielle Baca discussed the importance of uplifting other women. “Instead of looking around the table and thinking that I’m competing with her for that one seat, we should be thinking there should be more seats.” She opened up about her continual fight to have equal numbers of women employees at Nike. Keiko Ishitani talked about breaking free from the box that society puts women in by being a woman of courage. The three women applauded each other for their success and encouraged the students to follow their dreams.

—An-Chi Tsai ‘18

Peter Wihman & Mariana Castro Peter Wihman and Mariana Castro of Microsoft spoke in a joint session about the importance of diversity in companies, particularly in fields such as technology. Wihman and Castro spoke on the importance of diversity within business teams and the benefits that it brings, as well as talking about the future of the field for women and future generations in general. Wihman discussed how the language that some “tech geeks” use is a factor in making the field more exclusive, both for clients and for workers. He shared how he built a team that was diverse and how that led to more ideas being generated and ultimately a highly successful team. Along with Wihman, Castro discussed the importance of having a great team full of diversity. She showed how teams that leveraged diversity have shown a higher performance over time. Castro also spoke of collaborations between companies to try and create software that will allow mothers to have the option to work at home with flexible working hours.

In response to an audience question, Castro emphasized the importance of encouraging more women to enter science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

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—Varsha Shankar ‘17 and An-Chi Tsai ‘18

Peter Wihman

Emmy Harris In a speech entitled, “The Gender Gap in Japan: An Organizer’s Take,” alumna Emmy Suzuki Harris ‘02, Asia managing director for Change.org, spoke of how everyday, normal people need to take an active role in promoting women in Japan. To begin, she spoke about her personal journey and her reasons for joining Change.org. While working on the Obama Presidential campaign, she identified that as an international student, she had had a certain “degree of privilege” that obscured many of the problems everyday people in the world outside the school bubble face. Thus, she joined Change.org in order to do more for everyday people. She then moved on to argue that citizens need to demand change for change to really happen. Particularly when looking at the status of women in Japan, it is easy to complain about governments and businesses who do not create and implement real policies that help women. And if left alone, it will take 170 years for women to be on gender parity with men. Harris spoke about how we, as normal citizens, have to demand change from governments and businesses in order to increase this momentum. She then listed several instances in which citizens have used the internet and Change.org to create change as examples which the audience can learn from.

—Varsha Shankar ‘17

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Yumiko Murakami In a speech titled “The Power of Unconscious Bias” Yumiko Murakami, head of the Tokyo Center for the Organization for Economic and Cultural Development (OECD), spoke on the unconscious biases that we all have, and how those biases affect gender inequality.

She detailed the extent to which these unconscious biases affect our opinions on others and even ourselves, and how we can unconsciously take on sexist attitudes. She detailed how specifically in Japan, these unconscious biases manifest themselves in several issues involving gender inequality, and in particular, the unconscious bias that young students experience in Japan.

“Because of this unfairness, because of the biases and because women are put in difficult situations due to traditions and due to social pressure, I think that it actually creates a lot of opportunities.” To conclude she stated how recognition and awareness are the best ways to combat these biases, and to consciously process opinions is essential.

—Saya Okuno ‘17

Kuniko Inoguchi — Closing Keynote

Kuniko Inoguchi, former minister of state of Gender Equality and Social Affairs and current member of the House of Councillors, spoke about the importance of political change in tandem with gender equality. Inoguchi began her political career after realizing the institutional changes that needed to be made in Japan in order to really bring about both social and economic changes. She spoke on a range of issues, from the need for affordable day care services for working mothers, to moving towards a better balance between work and life. Her unique perspective as both a politician and former political science researcher allowed Inoguchi to speak about the broader implication of gender equality in Japanese society, and specifically about how it would greatly alleviate the problem of a shrinking workforce in Japan. “We are women in a time of transition,” she added, both applauding the progress Japan has made in regards to improving gender equality, but also drawing attention to the work that still needs to be done.

—An-Chi Tsai ‘18

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Sister Act It’s not every family that boasts three generations of thespians, so Jarrad Jinks took the opportunity to talk with Mara ’68 and Linda ’73 Purl during their visits to campus.

From the school stage to NHK, radio drama to Rolling Stone and the small screen to the silver screen, the Purl sisters have spent a lifetime in the spotlight. Mara ‘68 and Linda ‘73 visited their alma mater on the week of December 7, 2015 to meet with students, conduct workshops and offer their wealth of experience in music and performance.

Born in Connecticut, Linda and Mara Purl were largely raised in Japan and have deep familial ties to the theatrical community in Tokyo. Firmly supported by their mother and father, the Purl sisters have led parallel lives of creativity and talent with seemingly endless energy.

The Purl sisters boast a distinct theatrical pedigree. Their father, Ray, who graduated from Yale School of Drama, was a director of more than 200 plays as well as an actor.

Their mother, Marshie, sang and danced on Broadway during her 20s before moving to Los Angeles where she appeared in films such as The Walking Major (1970) and the cult classic The Time Travelers (1964). Their grandmother, a stage actress, was one of the founding members of the Actors’ Equity Association in 1913. Both Ray and Marshie also served as president, multiple times, for the Tokyo International Players, with whom many of our community members still perform.

Such a lineage encouraged the sisters’ dramatic talents from youth and Linda began her acting career especially early. Although she attended ASIJ from kindergarten in 1960 to eighth grade in 1969, Linda supplemented her school schedule with early appearances on screen as a first-grader—performing a regular role on an NHK TV show. Linda exhibited natural talent and an unceasing drive as a student, with other notable roles in her early life including two film performances, a soap spot and at least five stage performances before graduating from high school. During her time in Tokyo, she also became the only foreigner to train at the Toho Geino Academy, which led to a starring role as Louis Leonowens in The King and I at the Imperial Theatre.

With her theatrical roots dug deep, Linda grew a successful acting career, even being compared to a young Bette Davis in a 1978 TV Guide article which noted, “she has the presence.” She was a regular on the popular television series Matlock, as Charlene Matlock, and also played Ashley Pfister, Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli’s fiancée, on the iconic Happy Days. Younger generations may know Linda for her recurring roles as Helen Beasley, Pam’s mother and Michael Scott’s girlfriend in the US version of The Office, Barbara Pelt on True Blood and Elizabeth Gaines on Homeland.

She has been in over 45 made-for-TV movies.

Theater credits include over 35 plays in regional theaters across the US and on Broadway.

 Ray, Linda, Mara and Marshie Purl

Multi-talented, Linda is also a gifted singer.

Her recordings include the solo albums Alone Together, Out of the World - Live featuring special guest Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Midnight Caravan, featuring special guest Tom Wopat from Dukes Of Hazard. Linda recently released a new jazz album called Up Jumped Spring and has toured throughout the US, Japan and Europe with her solo concerts.

Linda visited campus on December 7, 2015. Her day began at activity period with a coffee-style Q&A for high school students and faculty interested in her career as a performer.

Students gathered in the ASIJ Theater to listen as Linda spoke briefly on her experiences as an actress and musician. She then opened the conversation to students who asked questions on topics ranging from the production side of television to recommendations for those interested in a career in performance. Students were especially keen to speak with Linda regarding her role in what may be considered a modern classic—The Office. “What was it like dating Michael Scott?” they inquired.

Linda spoke on working with Steve Carell, the actor who played manager of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, saying “he is a prince of a man, team player, funny and very smart.

It was such a pleasure to work with him.” The Q&A session concluded with the inevitable selfies with students.

During her visit, Linda also worked with Zach Noddin ‘15, who had made a recent

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 Happy Days with Henry Winkler  Linda answers students’ questions during her visit

An early publicity still of Linda

change-of-course towards acting. Zach had applied to drama school and, having heard that Linda would be on campus, asked for her help in preparing some Shakespearean monologues for his upcoming audition. Linda said, “I very much enjoyed the one-on-one with him and was impressed with his passion for and curiosity about acting.” Zach continues to pursue his passion in Los Angeles.

Mara attended ASIJ from fifth grade in 1960 to tenth grade in 1965—influential years as, according to Mara, much of her success reflects a legacy of having grown up in Tokyo and having studied with former music teacher, Don Berger. During her time at ASIJ, Mara showed a talent for writing, theater and music—even from a young age. Just a year after starting at ASIJ, in sixth grade, Mara accompanied her then first-grade sister, Linda, singing “Here Comes Susie Snowflake” at the Third ASIJ Talent Show and, thereafter, performed regularly on the school stage. Her first leading role in the ASIJ spotlight was as Cinderella in Cinderella in Flowerland.

In high school she played a notable role as Lady Larken in the 1965 high school musical Once Upon a Mattress and even fostered a talent for the koto—a stringed Japanese instrument. “By the time I was in my late teens, I had become proficient enough on the classical Japanese koto that I was asked by composer Teiji Ito to bring my instrument to New York to help compose and perform in a piece for the New York City Ballet.” That project turned out to be Teiji Ito’s masterpiece Watermill, created in 1971 for the controversial ballet by Jerome Robbins. By the time Mara left ASIJ, she had also demonstrated her talent as a writer, reporting for the Mainichi Daily News—precursors to a Rolling Stone magazine cover interview with Jon Voight and an exposé on whale-saving with Greenpeace. NHK TV even scouted Mara on the Naka-Meguro campus, “I was called to the principal’s office.

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‘Oh no!’ I thought, ‘I must be in trouble!’ They asked her to perform in an episode of a “little drama to teach English,” which turned into a role she performed for several years—perhaps an experience she would draw from when performing as Darla Cook on the television soap opera Days of Our Lives.

From Days of Our Lives Mara went on to produce, write and act in the widly successful radio drama Milford-Haven, U.S.A—the first American radio drama ever licensed and broadcast by the BBC—with an audience of 4.5 million listeners in the UK. The success of her drama inspired Mara to write an ongoing series of Milford-Haven short stories and novels, to the reception of thirty gold and finalist literary awards. Merging two talents, Mara is also the co-author of the book Act Right, an industryrecognized guide for on-screen actors.

Mara began her December 8 campus visit as many of our students do—with an early morning bus ride. “I slept a few hours and rose at 5am to meet one of the school buses.

Walking in the pre-dawn of a chilly morning, I joined the neighborhood parents and children as we waited, and our bus arrived exactly on schedule. Riding with the students was both geographic travel and time-travel, as memories of my own fifth-grade bus journeys surfaced as though they’d happened only yesterday.”

Living up to the high-energy many know of her, Mara arrived at campus at 7:45am, the morning after a long international flight, with just enough time for coffee before setting foot

Mara as Lady Larken in Once Upon a Mattress (1965)

 Mara as Darla Cook on Days of Our Lives

into a first period class. As the guest of tenth-grade English teacher Karen Noll, Mara joined the students to discuss text and subtext in theater, “a perfect match to the students’ just-completed study of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and an appropriate precursor to their upcoming acting work.” She led the class with the authority of an experienced thespian.

Mara reflects on the students, “as bright, aware and diverse as I remembered.”

Mara began the class with stories of her own recent performances, then dug into the task at hand. She directed the students to push all the desks to the outside edge of the room— changing the space changed the energy and dynamic. They sat on top of the desks to listen and watch. “Mara stood in the open space and spoke to all of us ‘in the round.’ She walked and stopped and walked and stopped, telling us about posture and body language in acting.

Mara had a calm, controlled voice and started by telling us about herself a little but then switched the focus to us and our work on our voices,” students of Karen’s class recall. “She knew we were studying Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and knew the play really well. She asked us to volunteer to read from a scene that had a lot of characters.” Mara directed the students to read slowly and loudly.

“She wanted us to feel at ease and confident, sometimes asking us to read again, trying a new focus or speed. She was very poised.”

Having collaborated with two of Karen’s classes that day, Mara recollects a synergy,

Mara works with high school English students

“Karen and I worked as if we’d been teamteaching for years. And for me, the work itself was seamless, as I was a guest-teacher/visiting artist for 15 years at schools in Los Angeles, California, Colorado Springs, Colorado and Fairbanks, Alaska.” Included among those schools, Mara has also taught at ASIJ once before, nearly a decade prior to her most recent visit—teaching her course “STAR,” Student Theatre And Radio. During that time, she taught two full courses where she guided students to create two three-episode radio dramas: Tokyo Time Travelers and The Journal.

After her classroom workshops, Mara met with Linda Hayakaya, head librarian, and donated audio book copies of three of her short stories as well as three novels. She concluded her day with a tour of the campus and she left as she arrived, on the school bus.

Both the Purl sisters departed campus reminiscing on their visit and their student days. Mara enthused about her visit to “the spectacular new theater, where my mind immediately began to imagine new workshops and productions. And one final unexpected treasure. Because I mentioned I’d played Lady Larkin in Once Upon a Mattress, before I left, an envelope was presented to me of stills I’d never seen, co-starring in that wonderful musical. What fun!” And Linda parted with a thought on the school’s impact on her life, “What has been played out in my adult life is a keen awareness of the advantage the international world of ASIJ gave me. My fellow students and I were living in a global reality long before the world shifted so dynamically into that paradigm. That advantage has only become more so, more sophisticated, cutting edge for the students today. The campus was mind-blowing, state of the art everything!”

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(Chad Ehlers / Alamy Stock Photo)

Paper Lanterns Documentary producer Peter Grilli ‘59 talks to Matt Wilce about Paper Lanterns, his visit to ASIJ and a lifelong love of Japanese culture.

It was a scene many never expected to see in their lifetimes—a sitting US President visiting Hiroshima and embracing a survivor of the atomic bomb blast. Seventy-one years after the devastating bombing of the city, President Obama made a historic speech at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial on Friday, May 27, 2016. Among the survivors the President met was Shigeaki Mori, who was 8 years old when the bomb fell. For decades, Mori has spent his time researching the fate of American prisoners of war who were killed in the bombing, reaching out to their families and working tirelessly to see them acknowledged as victims of the bombing. While the President’s embrace brought him briefly to the attention of the world, Mori’s story was already known to a team of documentarians working to shine a light on this overlooked piece of history.

Among the filmmakers was producer Peter Grilli ‘59, President Emeritus of the Japan Society of Boston, who brought Paper Lanterns and its director Barry Frechette to ASIJ, where he spoke to us about his involvement in the project and his family’s role in post-war Japan.

On August 6, 1945, “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima. Among the hundreds of thousands of people killed in the blast were 12 American POWs who were imprisoned 1,300 feet from ground zero. Among the survivors, witnesses to the devastation that morning, was Shigeaki Mori, who later discovered that the American victims were not recognized among Japan’s memorials and consequently set about registering the victims’ names, tracing their histories and families, with the goal of creating a memorial where there was none. Paper Lanterns centers around Normand Brissette and Ralph Neal, two of the American POW casualties. Mori worked tirelessly over 35 years

to track down each of the prisoner’s families with the aim to give some closure and even solace by letting them know what happened.

Mori “looked at them not as merely as a symbol of those who had dropped the bomb, but as victims,” says Frechette who directed Paper Lanterns. “They were sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. And they deserved to be treated as such. No matter what uniform they wore.

That is Shigeaki Mori’s legacy.” The film is the story of that search and the reconciliation of former foes through simple acts of kindness.

“I had nothing to do with the beginning of the film,” says Peter regarding the project that Barry had already begun work on after his interest was piqued by stories of his uncle’s friend. Barry recalls “My uncle Eddie always talked about his friend who died in Hiroshima, but the magnitude of that never really sank in ... In 2012, I came across a document that the Brissette family had put together and I was just mesmerized by this picture of a 19-yearold man who found himself in Hiroshima and died there.” After initial research online and discovering “the common thread” that ran between all of the POWs’ stories—Mr Mori— Barry journeyed to Japan and shot some research footage at the Moris’ house.

When he saw the early footage, Peter decided to get involved. “My whole life since graduating from the American School has been about bringing Japan and America together in various different ways,” he explains. “Every once in awhile, in order to get a sense of what people out there are interested in with regard to Japan, I’ll go onto Kickstarter and I’ll punch in ‘Japan’ and start looking at Japan-related projects seeking funding. It’s very informative to me

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 Peter with Akira Kurosawa during his 1981 visit to New York (Courtesy of Peter Grilli)

the first complete retrospective of the famed Japanese director’s films, a project for the Japan Society of New York. This event became the subject of a fascinating profile in the New Yorker, authored by the esteemed writer Lillian Ross. “I’ll never forget the whole Kurosawa experience and the experience of working with Ross on that long profile,” Peter told us.

He would continue to work with the renowned director over the following decades, visiting him on set in Japan and interviewing him for the New York Times in 1985. Peter later drew on his relationship with the filmmaker to coproduce for PBS and the BBC a two-hour TV biography titled Akira Kurosawa in 2001. in an indirect way, even though most of the projects are of no interest to me. Every once in a while a project pops up that fascinates me and that seems incredibly valuable in some larger way. That’s how I discovered Barry and the Paper Lanterns film project.” Watching the initial interview that Barry had recorded with Mori and hearing the details of his fascinating quest in the Kickstarter campaign Barry had put together convinced Peter to come on board the project as a producer.

Despite a lifetime involved in US-Japan relations Peter admits, “I didn’t know 12 Americans had been killed by our bomb … I’d been to Hiroshima and Hiroshima had always somehow been part of my life because I grew up in Japan, but I didn’t know anything about this.” Once he got in contact with Barry, they discovered that they lived about 10-miles apart and from there the project really took off.

Peter was no stranger to the world of film, having worked for decades to promote Japanese cinema in the United States. Peter’s work as director of the Japan Society’s New York Film Center also led him to produce several award-winning films “I didn’t consider myself a filmmaker, but I had to bring Japanese content to films I worked on,” Peter told Vivienne Kenrick, whose children also attended ASIJ, in a Japan Times profile. “I had a wonderful role model in Donald Richie,” he said. “I’ve known him since I was about 6, when he used to read to me. I consider him an uncle.”

Peter Grilli would go on to produce several major documentary films about Japan: Shinto: Nature, Gods and Man in Japan (1978); Dream Window: Reflections on the Japanese Garden (1993); and a film biography of his friend, the eminent composer Toru Takemitsu: Music for the Movies (1994). He also edited a catalogue of Japan-related documentaries, Japan in Film. In 1981, he facilitated Akira Kurosawa’s visit to New York to attend

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When Paper Lanterns was screened in Tokyo at the International House of Japan in April 2016, ASIJ’s Japan Center encouraged faculty to attend. Those who did were moved by the film and recognized how much our students could benefit from viewing it. Half-way across the globe, Mia Weinland ‘15 happened to meet Peter at the 68th Japan-America Student Conference in Boston, where there was a screening of the film. Eager to bring Paper Lanterns to ASIJ, Mia reached out to her former high school teachers to encourage them to screen the film for students at ASIJ. Over the following months, the Japan Center worked with Peter and Barry to schedule a screening and visit to campus.

Prior to their visit, the film was screened for around 100 parents, faculty and students. A further 150 students from classes such as Japan Seminar, Modern World History, Japanese 9 and Media Literacy watched the film in their classes, reflected and identified key questions and discussion points to address to the Paper Lanterns crew during their visit on November 8. Barry, Peter and music composer Chad Cannon listened to the students’ responses to their film and answered questions on the film’s themes, their views on the bombings and the filmmaking process.

“Teachers are always searching for authentic experiences for their students,” said Japan Seminar teacher, Kathy Krauth. “I know the interaction with those involved in the production of Paper Lanterns left a significant and lasting impression on the Japan Seminar students, especially the example of individual and personal perseverance and how individual commitment can make a difference in the world.”

Peter’s lifelong connection to Japan dates back to a childhood spent in Tokyo. His father Marcel was a civilian member of GHQ, who came to Tokyo weeks after the war ended in 1945. “One of my father’s jobs was to work closely with a skilled team of nisei [second generation

 Film composer Chad Cannon, director Barry Frechette and Peter Grilli answer students’ questions at ASIJ

Japanese-American] military officers who every morning read and translated important articles in the Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun. My father would edit their translations and boil them down into a kind of digest of several pages. He would then bring that digest in to the General so that MacArthur could start every day by reading what the Japanese press was saying.”

Peter, his mother Elise and sister Diana ‘62, joined Marcel in Tokyo in 1947. Initially, the children attended elementary school at Washington Heights and Pershing Heights and later moved to ASIJ in 1952 as the Occupation came to an end. “My father was born in Italy and my mother was born in Austria. They both emigrated to the United States around the time of the First World War and got their high school and college education in the States and they met up, I guess in college, and married before the war. So they were naturalized American citizens but they ended up living by far the longest part of their lives in Japan of all places just sort of due to an accident of war.”

“During their early years in Japan, both my parents became increasingly fascinated with this country where they had come to know many artists and creative individuals. After the Occupation, they decided to stay on in Japan instead of returning to America. My

father worked in broadcasting with NHK and also wrote music reviews for the Japan Times.

My mother studied Japanese art history, wrote books and taught at Sophia University; she also was the art critic for the Japan Times.

They continued to live in Tokyo for the rest of their lives.”

Another important role model for Peter was the great historian of Japan Edwin O Reischauer ’27. Reischauer was the first editor of the Chochin yearbook, as Peter himself would be in his senior year. He later was to be one of Peter’s teachers at Harvard. Peter recalls Reischauer’s visits to ASIJ in the 1950s: “Long before he became Ambassador to Japan, he came to ASIJ to give several talks to students. I really admired him. My parents knew him as a friend, and to me he was a very erai sempai [elite upperclassman].” Seeing a graduate of ASIJ leverage his background in Japan in important ways inspired Peter to think “he’s doing something that maybe I could do in my life.”

At that time, there was little focus on Japanese at ASIJ—something that Peter was happy to see has changed. With the United States the victor in war and the occupying force, Japan’s economy and infrastructure yet to recover, there was limited interest among the business community for Japanese culture or language.

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Clockwise: Akira Kurosawa, Peter Grilli and George Lucas on the set of Kurosawa’s Dreams (1989) in Tokyo Diana ‘62, Elise, Marcel and Peter Grilli (1953) (Courtesy of Peter Grilli) Shigeaki Mori in Hiroshima in a still from Paper Lanterns Peter and the Chochin team in 1959 with faculty advisor Robert Tidgewell and Aiyoung Choi and PoChang Mar (Courtesy of Peter Grilli) Peter receives the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 2003

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“My mother regularly advocated greater involvement

by ASIJ students in Japanese cultural activities, but at PTA meetings she was often rebuffed. ‘Nobody is interested in Japan. No one cares about Japan. Why should our students study Japan? When they go off to college in America, no one will be interested.’ This was in the mid-1950s, when Japan was just emerging from the Occupation, and those sentiments may have seemed reasonable at that time. But it sounded terrible to my mother to be told that no one was interested and that it would be a waste of her kids’ time and energy to learn Japanese because it would prove to be useless when they grow up and go out into the world.

To her, Japan was the most fascinating country in the world!” Unperturbed by the prevailing sentiment and encouraged by parents who were deeply interested in Japanese culture themselves, Peter took advantage of opportunities outside of class.

“Spring vacation of my junior year, I just took off by myself. I went down to Kyoto, got off the train, rented a bicycle and started biking up in the mountains there and over to the Japan Sea side and then rode up the Japan Sea coast… I just got fascinated with people that I was meeting and places that I was going. So I got into the Japan thing at a pretty early age.”

On graduating from ASIJ, Peter headed to Harvard where he experienced a degree of culture shock. “I was American, right. I’d grown up in Tokyo as an American, but now I was going back to America where I’d never really lived in any kind of significant way ... I got off the boat and I felt like a foreign student. I really know how Japanese foreign students feel when they arrive. I’ve never really experienced anything like it.”

“I did feel more affinity with foreign students than with the totally American students. Harvard is a really complicated place and the range of different backgrounds of students is very, very varied and very complex,” he adds. “I felt very out of place. I was Salutatorian at ASIJ and so I was well educated and I read books and I knew what things were about, but I went to my first classes at Harvard and I was just overwhelmed. There were all these kids who could speak so well—not just that they spoke English, my English was fine, but they had been so much better trained than I. There was this kind of Socratic method and they all seemed so good at speaking up and expressing themselves. I was shy and sort of stunned into silence.” Peter soon found his feet— and his tongue. “I was so admiring of them, then I began to realize that they didn’t necessarily have anything to say. Some of them did, but some of them had the sort of gift of talking without an awful lot of content.”

After his sophomore year at Harvard, Peter took a leave-of-absence for two years, and returned to Tokyo to polish his Japanese language skills and study literature at Waseda University. Then he returned to Harvard and went on to earn his bachelor’s and a master’s in Japanese studies. A Fulbright fellowship to do research at Tokyo University followed. Peter then entered the publishing world, drawing on his experience editing the Chochin and working on the student newspaper at ASIJ.

“My first real job after I finished graduate school was in a publishing company and I can see the direct links there. Simply doing the yearbook was incredibly good training. I didn’t grow up thinking I was going to be an editor or anything, but I was an editor at this publishing company for six years or so—I’ve not been a publisher since then, but that kind of training was very fundamental and really really important.”

It was Peter’s connection to Japan that proved to be the stronger influence. After working as an editor at Weatherhill in Tokyo and New York, where he specialized in books about Asia, Peter looked for other opportunities to draw on his Japanese background. “I knew I wanted to do US-Japan relations and cultural exchange and that sort of thing. And that’s basically what I’ve done all my life through the Japan Society and other nonprofits organizations.”

Peter began his work with the Japan Society of New York in 1974 as their director of education, later adding film and performing arts to his job description. In 1986, he transferred to WNET, the New York public-television station, and launched the Japan Project Consortium, an effort linking eight major PBS stations in developing Japanese programming and underwriting. In 1989, he was asked by CBS News to be chief Japan consultant for a broad series of programs about Japan centering on the death of Emperor Hirohito and the transition from the Showa to the Heisei era. He later opened an independent consulting office in New York, specializing in Japan-related media and communications. During this time, he also authored numerous articles on Japan, wrote books on Japanese design and the o-furo culture of bathing, and from 1996 to 2000 he served as executive director of the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University. Peter is the epitome of a cultural ambassador.

In 2003, in recognition of a lifetime dedicated to cultural exchange between Japan and the United States and his contributions to promoting friendship and understanding, Peter was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Japanese government. He received the award in part for his long service to the Japan Society of Boston— the oldest of the 45 societies—which celebrated its centennial in 2004. His father, Marcel, had also received the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1986 in a rare case of multi-generational honorees.

Peter also received the Shigemitsu Mamoru Award for International Cultural Communications. The honor is named for the wartime foreign minister who signed the surrender documents ending World War II and later worked tirelessly to get Japan accepted into the United Nations. Peter was the third person to receive this award, joining Donald Keene, the prominent scholar of Japanese literature and professor emeritus at Columbia University and the late Kenneth Butler, the longtime director of the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies as a recipient.

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 President Obama embraces Mori during his historic visit to Hiroshima (2016) (Courtesy of Peter Grilli)

The Paper Lanterns project draws together many strands of Peter’s life—his childhood in post-war Tokyo, his love of Japanese culture and history, his professional network and connections on both sides of the Pacific and his filmmaking experience—into a neat mizuhiki knot.

Even bringing him back to ASIJ. In discussing Paper Lanterns with ASIJ students, Peter said “War is an historical event when terrible things happen, but in some sense it’s an abstraction. When we hear about 300,000 people dying in Hiroshima, that number is an abstraction—it’s too large and overwhelming for us to comprehend. That’s something that we just cannot understand. When we read history books about war happening and its causes and results, those also may seem to be abstractions. It is important to read history, of course, but for me a much more compelling story is learning about the experiences of individual people in wartime. Everyone suffers in war, and each person, on both sides of the conflict, suffers in a unique and personal way. Hearing their stories makes war immediate and concrete.”

“There was much debate leading up to President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, and many people in the White House and the American government advised him not to go. For an American President to go to Hiroshima would be seen as America’s apology for dropping the atomic bomb, they feared.

But, following a long and complex series of discussions, the President decided to visit Hiroshima. In his historic speech at the Peace Memorial Park, he asked the question ‘Why do we go to Hiroshima?’ And he answers by saying we must try to understand the personal experiences of those who perished there in order not to repeat such a terrible event. President Obama stated that ‘ordinary people can understand this.’ To me, that’s the point of our film, and the point of history. War is something that brings horrendous suffering to ordinary people, and it is the ordinary people who suffer much more terribly than the politicians and national leaders who create the war,” Peter told students during the Q&A session.

“For us, an essential audience for this film is young people who may have no prior knowledge of nuclear warfare or the Hiroshima/Nagasaki experience,” he said. “They are the future.”

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President’s Day at ASIJ It was a special day when the 43rd president of the United States of America came to ASIJ. Matt Wilce looks back on the visit of George W. Bush, who followed in the footsteps of other members of this American political dynasty.

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It’s not every day that you run into a US President walking through the high school lobby, but that was the surprise that greeted many faculty and students on May 18, 2016 when President George W. Bush visited ASIJ. President Bush made several impromptu stops on his brief tour of campus, popping his head into the library to call out “My wife was a librarian!” before wandering inside to greet staff and students. Outside, many passing teachers, staff and high school students were treated to handshakes and comments as President Bush visited the Creative Arts Design Center, main field and weight room.

President Bush’s visit to ASIJ was facilitated by alumnus Jin Roy Ryu ‘77, a friend of the Bush family. Roy is a member of the Trilateral Commision, which brings together experienced leaders within the private sector to discuss issues of global concern, and South Korea’s APEC Business Advisory Council. Roy previously helped bring guest speakers such as former US Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice as well as President George H.W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to campus.

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President George H.W. Bush visited campus on December 15, 2006 with his wife Barbara and spoke to students about his upbringing, the values instilled in him by his parents and his philanthropic work since he left the White House. He told students, “Get involved, help somebody whether it’s politics or what we call NGO work. No question, politics can be ugly. You’re looking at someone who knows.

In ’92, to be very candid with you, the press was very negative for me and it’s the ugliest time I went through personally. But I would still say to a son or a daughter, or a grandson or a granddaughter, if they ever decide to get involved, ‘do it.’ Just get out there and do something and don’t join those who sit on the sidelines whining about the system.”

Jeb Bush, three-term Governor of Florida, echoed his father’s sentiment when he spoke to students on March 1, 2011. “In some ways the acceleration of technology has brought disruption to our world, but it also brings people together. It increases your ability to make a difference. You can make a difference in the world today, instead of just in your community, because of technology,” he told high schoolers.

 President George H.W. Bush greets elementary school students on his visit to campus in 2006

Following in the footsteps of his father and brother, President Bush spoke to the entire high school student body in the ASIJ Theater.

His humorous remarks about his life and experience engaged the packed auditorium, and also included a more serious message of being true to yourself and following your own path. President Bush spoke about developing an interest in painting, which he came to late in life after he left office, crediting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who painted while in office, as his inspiration. Having read Churchill’s Painting as a Pastime, President Bush hired a private art teacher to guide him in his new hobby, telling her that he wanted to “discover his inner Rembrandt.” He told the audience that although he was previously “agnostic about art” he now tries to paint everyday and “that at some point in time you have to ask ‘Do I still want to learn?’”

In February 2017, following his visit, President Bush published a book of his recent oil paintings titled Portraits of Courage, a collection of stories, 66 portraits and a fourpanel mural that he painted to honor military veterans. The subjects are soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen who were wounded while serving their country. Proceeds from the book will go toward the George W. Bush Institute, a policy think tank that works on veterans’ and other issues. Several of President Bush’s other portraits, including paintings of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Dalai Lama, and his father, have previously been shown at his presidential library in Dallas where pictures from the book were exhibited in March.  Former Governor of Florida talks with staff during his visit in 2011

Following President Bush’s remarks, students asked questions on a variety of topics ranging from the US presidential primaries, which were in progress at the time of his visit, and presidential candidates—a topic President Bush could not be drawn to comment on—to issues of foreign policy and events during his presidency. President Bush spoke candidly about his experience of receiving news of the events of 9/11 while he was on a similar school visit and how his thoughts were immediately concerned with protecting the child he was reading with. “I vowed to do everything within the law to keep America safe, and the little girl reading stayed in my mind,” he added. The President’s thought-provoking comments on a wide range of topics provided insight into the work of the White House and the complexities of foreign policy.

One student asked how the President thought his presidency would be remembered, to which he replied that there continue to be many volumes of history produced about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Adding, “If they are are still writing about One, then 43 doesn’t need to worry!”

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Strength and Courage Award Karin Kitsuda, recipient of this year’s Strength and Courage Award, talks to Emily Colosimo about her service work at home and abroad.

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

 Board member Anush Balian presents Karin with her award

“I never thought I would receive such an honor and was honestly not expecting to win at all knowing the amazing achievements of those around me,” Karin Kitsuda said accepting the second annual Strength and Courage Award on April 5. The prize of ¥1 million is presented to an ASIJ student who has displayed extraordinary courage and personal strength in the area of service.

Deserving students were nominated by faculty, counselors and administrators in January and invited to submit an essay describing the ways in which strength and courage played a role in their lives and in a project or initiative they had led. These essays were shared with the Child Protection Task Force, which includes students, counselors, administrators and members of the Board of Directors. Members of the Child Protection Task Force, who ultimately selected the winner, interviewed the nominees.

Karin’s journey to the award began in eighth grade when she volunteered for Second Harvest, where she fed the homeless in Tokyo.

She had always felt that she could be doing more to help out her community. “Second Harvest is where all my volunteer work began and the reason why I continue to do it.” Her experience with the group provided her the opportunity to interact with people who she would have otherwise never met, giving her a different perspective on life. As a result, at the early age of 12 Karin realized she had a passion for humanitarian issues and service.

Her following summers filled up with trips abroad to Cambodia, Tanzania, Thailand and Laos—trips that helped Karin expand her worldview and learn more about humanitarian issues facing these countries. “During my service trips abroad, I became uncomfortable with the pity often given to third world countries,” Karin said. “I felt uncomfortable with the sense of superiority that came with visiting these countries and I was concerned with our methods of helping. I hadn’t studied volunteerism or the problems that come out of untrained high school kids playing with orphans for a week and then leaving.”

Looking to find a way to have a deeper impact, on her volunteer trip to Tanzania, Karin became inspired to speak up and make a difference. Witnessing corporal punishment in the Tanzanian public school she visited, Karin approached the faculty to discuss her disturbance with what she’d observed. “I learned you can’t go in thinking that you will change everyone’s mind and you can’t focus on that,” Karin explained. The teachers in Tanzania were open to what Karin had to say and started to work to improve conditions.

This inspired her to write an essay on corporal punishment in Tanzanian public schools which won the Human Rights Watch-ASIJ Essay Contest. As the winner, she was flown to the Human Rights Watch headquarters in New York for a week. “It was such an amazing experience to talk about human rights with experts,” Karin reflected.

In addition to her service trips abroad, Karin worked with local organizations including Hands on Tokyo, Refugees International Japan and SAGE—see page 29 for more on the SAGE group. Her volunteer work became her passion and she learned service should

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Thank you to the Strength and Courage Award Supporters Karin volunteering at a public school in Tanzania

Karin has always been a strong advocate for volunteerism and service be meaningful both to the volunteers and to those we aim to help. She used this philosophy as president of the Community-Oriented Student Action (COSA) group at ASIJ. The group aims to cultivate volunteerism in ASIJ students by helping not only Japan but also the world. “If we can develop a connection with the cause and the people it is impacting, I believe, that’s what volunteer work is all about,” says Karin.

Along with COSA, Karin was also the leader of English Circle. This group provides English lessons to children from families who were displaced following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. “Karin has always been a strong advocate for volunteerism and service,” says Susan Islascox, COSA advisor, explaining why she nominated Karin for the award. “She has been instrumental in English Circle along with encouraging others to get involved.” Karin fundraised and advocated on issues like hunger, displaced people and underserved children who were affected by 3/11. She used the leadership skills she developed at English Circle to create Friendship English. This monthly program links ASIJ students to the Tsukuba School for the Visually Impaired. Friendship English allows students to use their bilingual skills to teach the Japanese students English. “Karin writes and reviews the lessons. She has been truly independent and has created something that we are going to do for as long as we can,” Susan explains.

Karin’s next adventure will take her to California for college where she plans to study humanitarian issues with a focus on research. Karin will continue her involvement with volunteer work as she moves forward. Her summer will be spent at Second Harvest where her volunteer work began.

“ASIJ paved my way for finding my passions and I am so grateful for that.”

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Crew Janci Blaine, Belinda ‘79 Faulk, Andrew & Laura P. Herault, Gretchen S. ‘86 Higa, Jonathan M. ‘10 Hoffman, Joseph C. Huskins, Shirley E. Jenkins, Norman L. & Drusilla Jones-Morton, Pamela Kamano, Hiroyuki & Harumi Kawada, Tadahiro & Susan Kuroda, Mitzi ‘77 Lenoe, David E. ‘89 Meyer, Joseph & Minako Morey, Mickey Morgenstern, Frederick N. ‘83 & Kendra Murbach, Robin ‘75 Nakamatsu, Gaylynn K. ‘91 Reese, Lenore & Isenberg, Joshua R. Regent, Cristopher & Heidi Schmelzeis, Joseph P. ‘80 Smith, Tara L. ‘78 Steele, Sybil B. ‘91 Sterling, Kimberly Sundberg, Carl E. ‘77 Ueda, Takafumi & Misaki Ursin, Elizabeth M. ‘79 Zimmerman, Cory W. ‘02

If you would like to make a donation to the Strength and Courage award, details are available on our website: www.asij.ac.jp/strength-and-courage

Thank you to our 2015 –16 ASIJ Fund supporters Thank you to the numerous alumni, current and former parents, current and former faculty and staff, and friends of ASIJ who contributed in 2015-16. ASIJ has received broad support from the extended ASIJ family for many years and this was also the case in 2015-16.

ASIJ’s Advancement Office and the Advancement Committee of the Board of Directors are working to develop stronger connections throughout the ASIJ family. We look forward to holding receptions in major US cities next school year to share with you the impact of your support. Please keep an eye out for emails from ASIJ in the coming year announcing reception locations and dates. If you need to update your email or mailing address, please access the alumni directory or send an email to: alumni@asij.ac.jp. We look forward to reconnecting with many of you in person in the coming year.

In the meantime, please read on to see the ASIJ Fund results for 2015-16. The ASIJ Fund includes unrestricted donations, the Strength and Courage Award, and Scholarship Assistance (Scholarship donations can be received in yen only with tax-deductibility in Japan). If you would like to learn more about how your support was put to work at ASIJ, please see the ASIJ News blog (asijnews. com) or view the 2015-16 Annual Report online at www.asij.ac.jp.

Looking ahead to 2016–17, there is still time to make a contribution— the ASIJ Fund year concludes on June 30, 2017. See the 2016–17 insert following this section to learn how you can make a gift and support our students as they prepare for lives of global responsibility.

For those of you who have already made a gift, thank you.

As a parent of three ASIJ students, I see the impact of your support every single day. ASIJ students do amazing things. They test their mettle with sumo wrestlers (ELC), prepare onigiri to distribute to those less fortunate (ES), teach English to students in Tohoku (MS) and research less costly ways to diagnose cancer (HS).

ASIJ students couldn’t do all this without YOU. Thank you for your continued generous support.

Jonathan Epstein, Chair, Advancement Committee of the Board of Directors

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FUNDRAISING REPORT 15–16 Other ¥52,400

ASIJ Fund

Strength & Courage Award ¥1,464,150 Leadership Scholarship ¥3,413,437

4x4 Campaign* ¥17,725,990 Other ¥52,400

Unrestricted ¥20,420,001 Strength & Courage Award ¥1,464,150 Leadership Scholarship ¥3,413,437 4x4 Campaign* ¥17,725,990

Unrestricted ¥20,420,001 ¥10 mil ¥20 mil

0

¥30 mil

¥40 mil

Gift Clubs ASIJ’s Gift Club program recognizes the support of its most generous contributors. The objectives of the Gift Clubs are to strengthen the annual giving program and to help build an enthusiastic group of parents, alumni and friends who feel a particularly close association with ASIJ. Special recognition is given to members of these clubs.

Second Century Circle ¥5,000,000 or more

1902 Society

¥1,000,000–¥4,999,999

Headmaster’s Circle ¥200,000–¥999,999

Black and Gold League 0

¥10 mil

¥20 mil

¥30 mil

¥40 mil

*4x4 Campaign donations represent final pledge payments from the ELC and Chofu PTAs toward the Multi-Purpose Room in the new Creative Arts Design Center.

Giving by Constituency ALUMNI 164

PRESENT PARENTS 76

PRESENT PARENTS 76 PARENTS OF ALUMNI 47 FRIENDS 31 Current and Former

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PARENTS OF ALUMNI 47

FRIENDS 31

FACULTY/STAFF 25

Mustangs Club ¥50,000–¥99,999

Decade Club

Members who have donated consecutively for the current and previous nine school years regardless of the total amount.

Double Decade Club

ALUMNI 164

FACULTY/STAFF 25

¥100,000–¥199,999

Members who have donated consecutively for the current and previous nineteen school years regardless of the total amount.

Triple Decade Club

Members who have donated consecutively for the current and previous twenty-nine school years regardless of the total amount.

GIFT CLUB MEMBERS 1902 Society

DiCicco, Daniel C. ‘89 & Yuko H. Hatakeyama, Yasu & Makiko Seltzer, Theodore S. & Susan Tahara, Kunio & Eriko

Headmaster’s Circle 2016 Tokyo Cluster Reunion Bernier, Jeffrey S. & Seiko S. Cannon, Alan & Kitakado, Fuyumi Cheng, Jill ‘63 & Hung Cox, William G. ‘62 Downs, Vicky Ehrenkranz, Andra K. ‘83 & John Epstein, Jonathan S. & Liu G. Fujishima, Julie K. ‘84 House, Andrew J. & Fukushima, Ikuko Jones, David G. ‘76 & Mayumi Kobayashi, Takashi & Terumi Mizuno, Toshizumi & Junko Moorefield, John A. & Farrell, Tiffany A. Nakashima, Amane & Chizuru Nishimi, Tetsuya ‘94 O’Brien, Jeffrey M. & Willcut, Deborah L. Ohashi, Hiromasa & Momoko Piez, Catherine A. ‘82 Platek, Nir Z. Porte, Thierry G. & Tashiro-Porte, Yasko Semaya, David J. & Masako W. Shah, Sachin N. & Rajul

Black and Gold League

Black, Jerry T. & Sayuri Boatwright, David ‘73 Campbell, Annie ‘66 & Michael Chitani, Yinsei ‘68 & Yoshio Finke, Lothar H. & Kerstin Gei, Bob Ikeno, Atsushi & Rei Imai, Eijiro & Hiromi Isenberg, Joshua R. & Reese, Lenore Ishibashi, Kenzo & Seiko Ito, Masatoshi & Kumi Kamano, Hiroyuki & Harumi Kawada, Tadahiro & Susan Kobayashi, Masayuki & Wakae Latimore, Timothy W. & Chieko McGee, Sean E. McGuire, Matthew E. & Abe, Michi Mera, Yuhka ‘81

Mustangs Club Anonymous Dennis, Thurman H.

Farion, Francois & Nathalie Guillot, Frank M. ‘65 Huang, Mingqing & Dong, Zhengrong Karasawa, Tetsuya & Izumi Kudaka, Naoko M. Martino, William L. ‘63 Matsunaga, Len & Naomi Mentzas, Spyridon Moss, Carolyn M. ‘73 & Hawkins, Daniel J. Norris, Margaret ‘65 Ryu, Chung ‘68 Sheffer, Jeffrey H. ‘68 Slape, Mitchell W. & Angela M. Sterling, Kimberly Tojo, Hidetoshi & Nahoko Trozpek, Robin M. ‘67 & Ludd Whitehead, Charles K. ‘79 Williams, John S. ‘87 & Heidi

Meyer, Joseph & Minako Morey, Mickey Morgenstern, Frederick N. ‘83 & Kendra Mori, Yasuaki & Mariko Nishida, Tina Y. ‘85 & David A. Plum, John E. & Mimi K. Regent, Cristopher & Heidi Schmelzeis, Joseph P. ‘80 Tanaka, Richard E. ‘67 Turner, Sally A. ‘66 Ueda, Takafumi & Misaki Vehanen, George A. ‘66 Yen, George ‘66

Wakat, Barbara M. ‘88 Zee, Jinly K. ‘90

Donations listed here were made in the last school year, between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016. Gifts received after June 30, 2016 will be listed in the next issue.

THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING 2017

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DECADE CLUBS

56

Triple Decade Club

Double Decade Club

Adams, Jim D. & Nancy Boatwright, David ‘73 Brooke, George M. ‘63 Burkart, Edward I. ‘48 & Pauline A. Cohen, Frederick ‘69 Downs, Vicky Fielding, Raymond E. ‘48 & Carole Glazier, Kenneth C. ‘67 Haines, Andrew L. ‘60 & Elizabeth Huskins, Shirley E. James, Larry G. & Sharon Kurahashi, Nancy ‘65 Moss, Carolyn M. ‘73 & Hawkins, Daniel J. Nielsen, Jeannette A. ‘59 Pariser, Rudolph ‘41 & Louise Shimizu, George ‘39 Thede, Gaius W. ‘43 & Ann L.

Bruzek, Patricia A. Carlin, Christopher D. & Donna K. Chitani, Yinsei ‘68 & Yoshio Cooper, Peter R. & Pamela Cox, William G. ‘62 Crandall, Leslie G. & Aiko K. Durloo, Ruth S. ‘34 Fattal, Leon ‘57 & Suzanne Francischetti, Mark P. ‘72 Harnik, Peter L. ‘69 & Yoko M. Honaman, Andrew M. ‘77 Huo, Jeffrey S. ‘94 Huskins, Shirley E. Jones-Morton, Pamela Kemmerer, Ruthli Kidder, Paul M. ‘76 Kobayashi, Albert S. ‘42 & Elizabeth Magnuson, Jody ‘73 McCoy, William L. ‘59 & Lynne V. McVeigh, Thomas R. ‘70 & Rebecca B. Meyer, Mary A. ‘65 Morgenstern, Frederick N. ‘83 & Kendra Pierce, Lucia B. ‘68 Plum, John E. & Mimi K. Pontius, Pamela R. D. ‘97 Porte, Thierry G. & Tashiro-Porte, Yasko Sanders, Michael ‘87 Shorrock, Hallam Smith, Tara L. ‘78 Squier, Middleton P. & Carol L. Tunis, Jeffrey S. Vehanen, Martin J. ‘61 Wakat, Barbara M. ‘88 Yamazaki, Fusae

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Decade Club Bailey, Mark E. ‘78 Berkove, Ethan J. ‘86 Blizzard, Jan M. ‘71 & D. Craig Cannon, Alan & Kitakado, Fuyumi Coopat, E. Thomas & Cheryle P. Ehrenkranz, Andra K. ‘83 & John Fujishima, Julie K. ‘84 Gibson, Margaret G. ‘40 & Wallace Greig, Katherine H. ‘94 Hayase, John K. ‘85 Huo, Eugene J. ‘96 Jones, David G. ‘76 & Mayumi Kamano, Hiroyuki & Harumi Kirby, Kyoko O. ‘80 & Peter S. Kuroda, Mitzi ‘77 Marini, Nina M. ‘88 Meller, Louise S. ‘63 Mera, Yuhka ‘81 Nishida, Tina Y. ‘85 & David A. Norris, Margaret ‘65 Piez, Catherine A. ‘82 Schlichting, Richard D. & Cynthia M. Snell, Richard T. & Francine J. S. Stokes, Paul A. & Rose Sult, Nathan ‘75 Turner, Sally A. ‘66 Wilce, Matthew D. Williams, John S. ‘87 & Heidi

PARENT DONORS

Parents & Alumni Parents *Adams, Jim D. & Nancy Anonymous (2) *Barber, John F. & Susan C. Bernier, Jeffrey S. & Seiko S. Black, Jerry T. & Sayuri *Blizzard, Jan ‘71 & D. Craig Cannon, Alan & Kitakado, Fuyumi *Carlin, Christopher D. & Donna K. *Chitani, Yinsei ‘68 & Yoshio *Coopat, E. Thomas & Cheryle P. *Cooper, Peter R. & Pamela DiCicco, Daniel C. ‘89 & Yuko H. *Downs, Vicky Epstein, Jonathan S. & Liu G. Farion, Francois & Nathalie Finke, Lothar H. & Kerstin Fujishima, Julie K. ‘84 *Fujita, Kenji & Tamaki *Gei, Bob *Harte, Esther L. Hatakeyama, Yasu & Makiko *Hinz, David & Jean House, Andrew J. & Fukushima, Ikuko Huang, Mingqing & Dong, Zhengrong *Huskins, Shirley E. Ikeno, Atsushi & Rei Imai, Eijiro & Hiromi Isenberg, Joshua R. & Reese, Lenore *Ishibashi, Kenzo & Seiko

Ito, Masatoshi & Kumi *James, Larry G. & Sharon *Jenkins, Norman L. & Drusilla Johnson, Brian & Christine *Jones, David G. ‘76 & Mayumi Kaji, Yuichi & Mika Karasawa, Tetsuya & Izumi *Katayama, Mary I. ‘70 & Shohachi Kawada, Tadahiro & Susan *Kirby, Kyoko O. ‘80 & Peter Kobayashi, Takashi & Terumi Kobayashi, Masayuki & Wakae Kudaka, Naoko M. Latimore, Timothy W. & Chieko *Matsunaga, Len & Naomi McGee, Sean E. McGuire, Matthew E. & Abe, Michi *Mendoza, Elias & Chizu Mentzas, Spyridon Meyer, Joseph & Minako Mizuno, Toshizumi & Junko Moorefield, John A. & Farrell, Tiffany A. Morgenstern, Frederick N. ‘83 & Kendra Mori, Yasuaki & Mariko Nakashima, Amane & Chizuru Nishida, Tina Y. ‘85 & David A. O’Brien, Jeffrey M. & Willcut, Deborah L. Ohashi, Hiromasa & Momoko Platek, Nir Z.

*Plum, John E. & Mimi K. *Porte, Thierry G. & Tashiro-Porte, Yasko Regent, Cristopher & Heidi *Relnick, Philip R. & Nobuko *Schlichting, Richard D. & Cynthia M. Seltzer, Theodore S. & Susan Semaya, David J. & Masako W. Shah, Sachin N. & Rajul *Shorrock, Hallam Slape, Mitchell W. & Angela M. *Snell, Richard T. & Francine J. S. *Squier, Middleton P. & Carol L. *Stokes, Paul A. & Rose *Struyk, Zachary & Yoo, Simone *Sundberg, Carl E. ‘77 Tahara, Kunio & Eriko *Takada, Yuko *Tanimoto, Hiroshi & Michiyo Tojo, Hidetoshi & Nahoko *Tunis, Jeffrey S. *Ueda, Takafumi & Misaki *Yoshida, James A. & Sumiko *Alumni Parent

We support ASIJ with a gift each year because we believe that the ASIJ experience has a significant, positive and lifelong influence on all those who attend.

– Jan M. Blizzard ’71 and D. Craig Blizzard (parent of ’03 and ’06 alumni) THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING 2017

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ALUMNI DONORS 30s

’34 Durloo, Ruth (Stirewalt)

Perreau-Saussine, Eleanor A. (Child)

’39 Shimizu, George

60s

2016 Tokyo Cluster Reunion

’60 Haines, Andrew L. ’61 Harris, Bonita G. (Bongard)

’67 Glazier, Kenneth C. Kerr, Virginia M. Kydd, Jerrie L. (Okada) Moss, Grenda F. (Penhollow)

Sapala, Elizabeth M. (Danker)

40s

’40 Gibson, Margaret G. (Noss) ’41 Pariser, Rudolph ’42 Kobayashi, Albert S. ’48 Burkart, Edward I. Fielding, Raymond E. Markley, Harrison M.

50s

’50 Tucker, Gordon L. ’52 Rall, Frederick A. ’57 Fattal, Leon Thompson, Heather M. (McCune)

’59 McCoy, William L.

Nielsen, Jeannette A. (Elsener)

Neff, Nancy

Vehanen, Martin J.

Santo Domingo, Reynaldo M.

’62 Cox, William G. ’63 Brooke, George M.

Shang, Ruby Tanaka, Richard E.

’Cheng, Jill (Tsui)

Toy, Keith

Martino, William L.

Trozpek, Robin M. (Weeks)

Meller, Louise S.

’64 ’65 Colsen, Ronald H.

Herzik, Terrence L.

’68 Chitani, Yinsei (Chang) Colville, Glenn L. Gadsby, Anna V.

Fukaya, Kayoko (Yamamoto)

Leppard, Sally

Guillot, Frank M.

Mori, Elizabeth

Hutchinson, Scott S.

Mullen, Toni (Dyktor)

‡ Kellar, Myong S. (Kim)

Oshima, Robert F.

Kenrick, Miranda

Pierce, Lucia B.

Kurahashi, Nancy (Nagase)

Rahman, Farida

Meyer, Mary A.

Ryu, Chung

Norris, Margaret (Tsukahira)

Sheffer, Jeffrey H.

Rubenfeld, Linda (Steele)

Shoaf, Anne J. (Oliver)

’66 Campbell, Annie (Nichols)

’69 Brain, Katy (Weekes)

Dean, Ronald J.

Cohen, Frederick

Dixon, Jeanne E. (See)

Harnik, Peter L.

Faull, Janice L. (Holbrook)

Mooney, Patricia A. (Deres)

Lockwood, Janet E. (Schwantes)

Neff, Susan C. (Neff)

Marsh, Daniel W. Morris, Robert J. Moskowitz, Karl Okubo, Miyako Roberts, Leslie (Okada) Saubolle, Michael A. Schuessler, Sheryl A. (Boerckel) Turner, Sally A. (Noll) Vehanen, George A. ‡ Wallace, Steve Yen, George ‡ Deceased

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

70s

’70 Katayama, Mary I. (Sung)

80s

’80 Breer, Charles

McVeigh, Thomas R.

Kirby, Kyoko (Ono)

Rivers, Deborah A. (Hutchinson)

Phelps, Sarah P. (Mulkern)

’71 Blizzard, Jan M. (Schaale) Sanoden, James P.

’72 Francischetti, Mark P. Rainoff, Brandon

’73 Boatwright, David Clough, Julie (Van Wyk) Magnuson, Jody (Kroehler) Melnick, Mark Moss, Carolyn M. Reiser, Dorothy J. (Cohen)

Schmelzeis, Joseph P.

’81 Livingston, Jerry K. Mera, Yuhka

’82 Piez, Catherine A. (Mera) ’83 Ehrenkranz, Andra K. (Bowman) Morgenstern, Frederick N.

’84 Fujishima, Julie K.

Nakayama, Tetsushi

’85 Brennan, Susan B.

Krouse, Jennifer A.

Niimi, Reiko E.

’76 Horwitz, Elizabeth M. (Yanagihara) Jones, David G. Kidder, Paul M. Rich, Miriam S. Schaffer, Sally

Nishida, Tina (Yamano)

’86 Berkove, Ethan J.

Herault, Gretchen (Swanz)

’87 Sanders, Michael Williams, John S.

’88 Marini, Nina M.

Morgenstern, David H.

’77 Honaman, Andrew M. Kuroda, Mitzi Sundberg, Carl E.

Wakat, Barbara M.

’89 DiCicco, Daniel C.

Hasegawa, Linnea M.

’78 Bailey, Mark E.

Lenoe, David E.

Smith, Tara L.

’79 Blaine, Belinda (Fields) Ursin, Elizabeth M. (Laun) Whitehead, Charles K.

’90 Zee, Jinly K. ’91 Nakamatsu, Gaylynn K. Steele, Sybil B. (Weeks)

’92 Harvey, Christopher J. Tanaka, Moichi

’94 Cooper, Brendan E. Greig, Katherine H. Huo, Jeffrey S. Nishimi, Tetsuya

’96 Fedorowicz, Stephanie D. (Schultz) Huo, Eugene J.

’97 Pontius, Pamela R. D.

Hayase, John K.

’75 Murbach, Robin (Easton) Sult, Nathan

90s

00s

’01 Woods, Matthew M. ’02 Zimmerman, Cory W. ’04 Taffel, Max W.

10s

’10 Higa, Jonathan M.

I support ASIJ because I truly benefited from its mission to form compassionate, inquisitive learners prepared for global responsibilities—and want to support more kids to follow that path.

– Pam Pontius '97 THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING 2017

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DONORS

Faculty & Staff Friends

The Gate Society

+Bruzek, Patricia Floch

Kamano, Hiroyuki & Harumi

Chitani, Yinsei ‘68 & Yoshio

Morey, Mickey

+Cooper, Peter R. & Pamela

Sterling, Kimberly

ASIJ’s Gate Society honors individuals who have included ASIJ in their estate plans or have made another form of planned gift to the school.

+Crandall, Leslie G. & Aiko K. +Dennis, Thurman H. +Downs, Vicky Faulk, Andrew & Laura P. +Hinz, Jean & David +Hoffman, Joseph C. +Jones-Morton, Pamela +Kemmerer, Ruthli Nelson, Erin O’Brien, Jeffrey M. & Willcut, Deborah L. +Roberts, Leslie ‘66 ‡ +Shorrock, Yasuko +Snell, Richard T. & Francine J. S. +Squier, Middleton P. & Carol L. +Sundberg, Carl E. ‘77 +Vasché, Polly Phillips & Burt Wilce, Matthew D. +Yamazaki, Fusae +Former Faculty/Staff ‡ Deceased

Gift-in-Kind Delta Air Lines Ma, Helen ‘67 Asakawa, Shizuka ‘85

Anderson, Irene ‘74 Bergt, David E. ‘60 & Jeannine C. Cohen, Frederick ‘69 Cooper, Peter R. Downs, Vicky Glazier, Kenneth C. ‘67 ‡ Harris, Frederick P.

Tribute Gifts

‡ Haven, Robert D.

In memory of Bruce Ayres Rivers, Deborah A. ‘70

‡ Hoffsommer, Walter A. ‘29

In memory of Ray F. Downs ‘50 Cheng, Jill ‘63 & Hung

Jones-Morton, Pamela

In memory of Robert Yen ‘64 Yen, George ‘66 In honor of Lynn Jenkins ‘78 Jenkins, Norman L. & Drusilla Sterling, Kimberly In honor of the 13 Sisters Crew Janci Morey, Mickey

Hesselink, Ann P. ‘71 ‡ Hoffsommer, Abigail ‘27 Huddle, James R. ‘70 Ludlow-Ortner, Robert C. & Julia C. ‘72 Muhl, Richard R. Nelson, Erin ‡ Nicodemus, David B. ‘33 Proctor, David M. Shibata, Hideko Y. ‘66 ‡ Snyder, Ronald J. ‡ Sullivan, John J. Sundberg, Carl E. ‘77

Thank you for your support I would like to extend my thanks to all who support ASIJ with financial contributions. Your investment in ASIJ makes it possible for us to continue to develop “compassionate, inquisitive learners prepared for global responsibility.” Whether you stay at ASIJ one year or fifteen, whether your are a student, parent or staff member, ASIJ is your lifelong home. Thank you for supporting the work of our students, teachers and staff.

Areta Williams, Interim Head of School

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Suzuki, Chizu ‘64 Tunis, Jeffrey S. Ware, Brent J. ‘74 ‡ Deceased

ALUMNI

Reunions

2016 Tokyo Cluster Reunion

CLASS OF ’66 50 REUNION TH

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Reunions

50th Cluster Reunion Tokyo, Japan April 20–23, 2016

Fifty years after they walked through the ASIJ gate and graduated, alumni from the Class of 1966 were back at the Chofu The Welcome Campus to celebrate a milestone reunion.

Reception More than 80 alumni, spanning the classes Things kicked off on with a of ’60-71, and their families joined us for welcome reception at the Early Learning Center in Roppongi. the largest alumni event held on campus Conversation and wine flowed as everyone reminisced, caughtsince the Centennial Celebration in 2003. up and enjoyed the onsite Annie Nichols Campbell ’66 and Leslie sushi chef’s work. Following the reception, small groups headed Okada Roberts ’66 planned four days for a night out on the town. of festivities, from April 20-23, for their classmates, families and fellow alumni.

The Welcome Dinner The following evening, alumni reconvened for a welcome dinner held at the Tokyo American Club. Scott Hutchinson ’65 performed a 40-year-late, but wildly appreciated, encore of his solo from Once Upon a Mattress.

Annie and Leslie then presented an amazing gift of over ¥2 million to the ASIJ Fund on behalf of the classes of 1960-71. The night concluded with dessert and a video slideshow that brought back memories of the attendees’ time in Tokyo and of reunions past.

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ALUMNI

Reunions

Back-to-School Back-to-School Day may have been the most highly anticipated event on the itinerary. Ed Ladd (head of school) welcomed the reunion guests and Tim Thornton (deputy head of school) brought alumni, some of whom were visiting for the first time in decades, up to speed on the facilities and future of the school. Lenore Reese (ELC PTA president and head of school search committee chair) and Anush Balian (Chofu PTA president) then presented on the recent head search. The presentation ended with a Q&A with Mary Margaret Mallat (director of admissions) who answered questions on enrollment trends.

As the time for talk drew to a close, the time to walk drew close.

Attendees relived their school days with a taste of art, biology, choir and a host of other courses. On the school tour, many of our visitors recognized the original parts of campus—the Elementary School, pool and high school gym. Many were excited to see students at work in the Creative Arts Design Center and to learn about the school’s promotion of design thinking. Taking note of the smaller changes on campus, several alumni were happy to learn of the current Japanese language requirements, such as daily Japanese for the elementary school students.

Back-to-School Day ended with over 70 alumni guests attending the high school musical, Disney’s High School Musical and catching the ASIJ buses back downtown.

ASIJ would like give a special thanks to Annie and Leslie who began with modest plans for a Class of ’66 50th Reunion and, with endless dedication, organized an event that welcomed an entire decade.

We would also like to thank everyone who was able to attend and also those who so generously donated towards the class gift.

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ALUMNI

54th Reunion Ann Arbor, Michigan June 12–14, 2016

We stayed at the Michigan League Inn on the University of Michigan campus.

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival (runs for three weeks every year) was taking place right outside the Michigan League and it was a short walk to many restaurants, the University’s excellent art museums and the archeology museum. There are about 30 restaurants within a short walking distance so we enjoyed good food every day. The campus area is very cosmopolitan so there was no lack of good international foods.

Reunion attendees seemed very pleased with the setting and the overall experience and are considering making it the “default” location for our reunions, if there are no other particular locations requested. The weather is usually good in June, and so it was for us. We didn’t spend much time on the free concerts and activities at the Summer Festival’s “Top of the Park” because we had too much to talk about.

Attendees: Katherine Clarke ’62, Elliott Snow ’62, Tom Hargreaves ’62, Virginia (Schwantes) Manley ’62, Carolyn Lury Karcher ’62 and Martin Karcher, Gordon ’62 and Kathy Ball, Bill ’62 and Joyce Cox, Yurika Pringsheim ’62 and Lara Frank and Mary Margaret May, Don ’62 and Karen Weston, Bonnie Bongard Harris ’61 and Gene Harris, Carol Gosho ’62, Cinnamon El-Mulla ’62, Diana Grilli ’62

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Reunions

ALUMNI

Reunions

’71

45th Reunion Tuscon, Arizona April 22–24, 2016

It was one of the most relaxing, fun reunions our class has had, all thanks to Jan Blizzard’s generosity in allowing us to use her Arizona home as our home base during the reunion.

Classmates gathered at her house whenever they felt or were able to. It was great to have other ‘70s join us.

’76

40th Mini-Reunion Seattle, Washington March 19, 2016

Our mini reunion in Seattle worked out very nicely. Jennifer Hellings ‘76 from Vancouver, Miriam Rich ‘76 from Virginia, Lisa Kyle ‘76 from Oregon, Noriko Furuya ‘76 from Tokyo and Liz Horwitz ‘76 from Boston got together for the entire weekend. We had a wonderful weekend being together. It’s amazing that after all these years we can spend the weekend like it was just yesterday that we were all together in Tokyo! We finished off with a dinner with a few more ASIJ people—Mary Stewart, former forthgrade teacher and her husband, Jody Kroehler, and Doug and Kendra Lannom ‘75. They all live locally so they were able to join us. It was a great evening. We have since had a (very) mini-reunion in Boston when Bud Doran ‘76 was in town with Kenji Hayao ‘76 and Liz Horwitz ‘76. The minireunion continued in March 2017 in Portland, OR.

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ALUMNI

35th Reunion Santa Rosa, California Sept 30–Oct 3, 2016

The ASIJ class of 1981 held its 35th reunion in Santa Rosa, CA. Highlights of the gathering were wine tasting, giant Jenga, a zip line and morning yoga class led by yoga instructor Jessica. We also took advantage of the beautiful location to eat, drink, talk and party.

Look forward to seeing you all at our 40th! (No more crazy excuses please!)

Attendees: Lee ’81 and Ema Bowman, Sherry Davis Tighe ’81 and Chip Tighe, Andrew ’81 and Denise Lund, Juri Yoshida Kameda ’81 and Ken Kameda and Galvin (Juri’s service dog), Joyce Stewart Parker ’81 and Bob Parker, Jessica Linde Price ’81, Frank Baldwin ’81, Bob Walsh ’81, Yuhka Mera ’81, Gray Hartley ’81, Kathy Wakamatsu Matsubara ’81, Chuck Schalm ’81, Ed Davis ’83, Kris Davis, Tom Jr ’78 and Janet Davis, Tom Davis Sr (AP ’78–’81)

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Reunions

ALUMNI

Reunions

’11

5th Reunion New York, New York July 2, 2016

The Class of 2011 Five Year Reunion was held on July 2, 2016, at the Réunion Surf Bar in New York City, just two blocks west of Times Square. With the Fourth of July holidays upon us, the weekend turned out to be extra-festive. Around 40 of our classmates and their guests were able to attend and enjoy a few island-themed drinks. We shared stories about our respective college experiences, coming to terms with the real world (eg finding our first jobs and paying rent) and of course, reminisced about our times in Tokyo. Everyone loved having their fellow Mustangs in one place to rekindle relationships with classmates spanning back to elementary school after all these years. Additional events were held this weekend and included rooftop gatherings, park picnics and a very fitting karaoke session to top off our main outing.

It was exciting to have our class come together once again and we plan to keep holding reunions for the Class of 2011 to reconnect with each other and to maintain close ties with the ASIJ community

Other Past Reunions 1986 30th Reunion

2011 5th Reunion

July 29-31, 2016 San Diego, California Jason Bosket, Greg Nakamatsu, Lina Willis

July 2, 2016 New York, New York Hannah Siegel, Phil Tseng

2001 15th Reunion

2012 5th Reunion

October 8–10, 2016 Los Angeles, California Ellen Watt Schiller

May 13, 2017 New York, New York Kentaro Okazaki, SJ Sung

Stay in touch!

ALUMNI Black & Gold Annual Bonenkai

ALUMNI Alumni Council Spring Dinner

December 17, 2016 Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Alumni Council

May 20, 2016 Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Alumni Council

Stay current with the alumni and school community by updating your information at www.asij.ac.jp/alumni

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Upcoming Reunions

September 2017 in Tokyo

CLASS OF ’87 30 REUNION TH

Contact: Robert Sharp (robert@robertsharp.com) Tokyo American Club Reception Dinner September 29, 7pm Registration: https://tinyurl.com/TAC87 ASIJ’s Spirit Day September 30

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The Class of ’87 Tokyo Reunion will kick-off with a reception dinner at the Tokyo American Club on Friday, September 29 from 7pm. Reunion activities continue on Saturday, September 30 when guests take a trip back to their school days, arriving on campus to participate in the Spirit Day festivities— watching the homecoming football game, checking out the food booths and connecting with other local alumni. After Spirit Day, reunion guests will head to Gonpachi in Nishi-Azabu for dinner.

ALUMNI

Upcoming Reunions

’68

50th Golden Cluster Reunion

’92

25th Reunion

’56

Cluster Reunion

’72

45th Cluster Reunion

’97

20th Reunion

ASIJ Former Faculty Reunion

Las Vegas, Nevada Sept 1–2, 2017 Matt Logan (matt@mattloganinc.com)

Portland, Oregon April 2018 Polly Vaché (pollyvasche@pacbell.net)

Preston, Connecticut Sept 15 –17, 2017 Mei Sun Li ‘56 (meisunli@comcast.net)

Portland, Oregon June 23–25, 2017 Ellen Alger (www.asij74.com)

San Diego, California April 27–May 1, 2018 David Sakamoto, Nicholas Connor (ClassAgent@ASIJ1968.com)

San Francisco, California Sept 15 –17, 2017 Daniel Brandt (daniel.brandt@mufgsecurities.com)

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ALUMNI

1950 Class Agent Required M. Fisher 1951 Carl cfisher@carolina.rr.com

1952 Class Agent Required 1953 Class Agent Required 1954 Class Agent Required L. Cryderman 1955 William wcryderman@comcast.net Sun Li 1956 Mei meisunli@comcast.net

Sandra L. Maclver Thompson sandra.thompson3@comcast.net

C. Wu 1957 Charles wucc57@gmail.com

1958 Class Agent Required 1959 Class Agent Required E. Bergt 1960 David dbergt@comcast.net Bennett 1961 Stu stu.bennettCEO@

SanFranciscoSeamaster.com

Class Agents

M. Yanagihara Horwitz 1976 Elizabeth liz@lizhorwitz.com E. Sundberg 1977 Carl carl_sundberg_ja@yahoo.com Adams Smith 1978 Deanna deannasmith1959@gmail.com

1979 Class Agent Required 1980 Class Agent Required L. Davis Tighe 1981 Sherry tighezoo@sbcglobal.net Bastick 1982 Lisa omalasq@mac.com

Mimura 1983 George georgemimura@yahoo.com

1984 Class Agent Required L. Orton Tweed 1985 Sandra sandra@prestonmatthews.com E. Stewart Wack 1986 Diane diwack@msn.com

L. Sharp 1987 Robert robert@robertsharp.com

L. Schmitt Simon 1988 Kathrine C. Bauernschmidt Clarke 1962 Katherine schm0495@gold.tc.umn.edu kcbclarke@gmail.com Wu 1963 Nancy nancy@nancywu.com

William L. Martino txmartino@yahoo.com

1964 Class Agent Required 1965 Class Agent Required Nichols Campbell 1966 Annie campbell.annie@gmail.com F. Penhollow Moss 1967 Grenda grendamoss@yahoo.com T. Sakamoto 1968 David dave.sakamoto@

infoontheweb.com

Nicholas D. Connor ndconnor@yahoo.com

B. Hertenstein Swanson 1969 Laura laura@swanson.com Garnitz 1970 Daniel dangar46@yahoo.com

K. Kobata 1971 Kathy kkobata21@gmail.com

1972 Class Agent Required 1973 Class Agent Required 1974 Class Agent Required E. Niimi 1975 Reiko rniimi@gmail.com

Sergei P. Hasegawa sergei@purekitchen.com

K. Cheng Stuhrenberg 1989 Diana diana.stuehrenberg@gmail.com Linnea M. Hasegawa tamagomeshi@yahoo.com Samantha Fritz Hurd samf@austin.rr.com

K. Relnick 1990 Kentaro krelnick@me.com

1991 Class Agent Required Brandt 1992 Daniel dbrandttennis@gmail.com

S. Sakuma Moore 1993 Katherine ktsakuma@yahoo.com McMahon T. Reid homereid@mit.edu

R. MacCallum 1994 Margaret margaretreiko@gmail.com Midori Kano mkano128@gmail.com

P. Maddox Vos 1995 Yuki pearlvos@hotmail.com

A. Shimizu 1996 Hisashi sunny_shimizu@hotmail.com

1997 Class Agent Required E. Rosenberg Leviton 1998 Kacie kacieleviton@yahoo.com Rose E. Hastings rosehastings@gmail.com

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D. Hayase 1999 Naomi naomidhayase@gmail.com Tamina M. Plum taminaplum@gmail.com

T. Yamada 2000 Gary gtyamada@gmail.com

2001 Class Agent Required L. Tuttle Delia 2002 Anna annalynnosu@gmail.com Mitsuhiko Tsukimoto moonbook@gmail.com

2003 Class Agent Required Mothersill 2004 Jason jasonmothersill@gmail.com Izumi 2005 Tatsuya tatsizumi@gmail.com T. Dirkse 2006 Andrew tdirkse@asij.ac.jp

Mana Sasaki Kalohelani mkalohelani@gmail.com

E. Onions 2007 Rosalind rosalind.onions@gmail.com Carly Baird baird.carly@gmail.com

2008 Jemil Satterfield

jemilsatt05@gmail.com

Miles Bird miles.t.bird@gmail.com

Teslik 2009 Ashley ashleyteslik@gmail.com Caitlin E. McHose caitlin.mchose@gmail.com

H. Kanzawa 2010 Janet janet.kanzawa@gmail.com

T. Siegel 2011 Hannah hannahtsiegel@gmail.com Philip T. Tseng philtseng7@gmail.com

Joon Sung 2012 Seung sjsung94@gmail.com

2013 Class Agent Required 2014 Class Agent Required F. Hattori 2015 Mina minahattori@me.com

K. Harris 2016 Jayne 16jkharris@gmail.com Ray M. Hotta ray.hotta@yahoo.com

Want to volunteer as a class agent? Email alumni@asij.ac.jp

Artifacts This train pass was used by Amy Toda ‘40 to commute to school from Shibuya to Naka-Meguro when she was a senior. ASIJ was located in Meguro from 1927 until 1963.

Is it a ninja weapon, or is it a letter opener?

Depends who’s holding it! This special gift was designed by Ki Nimori (see page 72) for the school’s 75th anniversary in 1977.

If you’ve ever wondered how long ASIJ lunch tickets have been in use for, the earliest one we have found is from 1939. Back then, the set lunch cost 50 sen and a ¥10 ticket (worth approx. $44 dollars today) bought you 20 lunches.

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COMMUNITY

Obituaries

Ki working with students (1979)

Ki Nimori Iconic art teacher Ki Nimori passed away on January 27, 2017.

His ASIJ career spanned more than 40 years from 1960–2002.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up,” Pablo Picasso noted. That was not a problem for Ki Nimori. Ki, who taught art at ASIJ for 42 years, was born into an artistic family—his father Katsuji Matsumoto was a celebrated Showa-era manga artist and illustrator—and dedicated his life to refining his craft. Throughout his teaching career Ki, who took his mother’s family name, remained a student himself, studying in Japan, the United States, Australia and the Czech Republic.

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Art wasn’t his first choice of career though as he started out studying political science. “My maternal grandfather [Yasuji Nimori] was a politician and I still remember that he used to say, “art is not a job for men.” I heard that often enough that it probably stuck in my mind,” Ki said in a 2002 Ambassador interview. “After the war, Japan was really depressed, and I thought I’d become a diplomat and show the better part of Japan—art and culture—to the world.”

Ki found himself slowly losing interest in the subject.

COMMUNITY

Obituaries

 Ki preparing for art class (1979)  Ki in gi, ready for judo

“My mother would make me bento everyday, and instead of going to lectures I would go to museums and art galleries. Sculpture became more appealing to me and I saw one that I really admired. I went to the museum office and got the name and address of the artist and went and knocked on his door. I asked him, ‘will you take me as your disciple?’ He said he didn’t think that he was that great but as he hired models if I wanted to, I could share his model. I went to his studio and sketched and made sculptures, but I realized that if I wanted to change from one subject to another so drastically, I’d have to change my environment too. I was still dependent on my parents, and still living in Japan, and so I thought that maybe I should go to the States to study.”

Ki left to study at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, where he worked in menial jobs to pay his way through the five-year course. After graduating with his BFA in 1958, Ki returned to Tokyo, where his father allowed him to build a small studio on his lot next to his house. Since he’d become independent in the US, Ki was reluctant to rely on his parents economically anymore. “I taught English at conversation schools for a while and did various art-related jobs. My mother was helping an American missionary with her work— we had still quite a few refugees after the war—and they became good friends and she introduced me to her.” When they met, she brought her daughter and her husband, who were teachers at ASIJ’s NakaMeguro campus. “I didn’t know anything about ASIJ at that point but I met the daughter, who taught PE and her husband who taught English, and they told me that Mr [Warren] Munzenmeyer was teaching art

all by himself from kindergarten to grade 12. He was looking for an assistant and I interviewed and started right away.”

In addition to teaching, Ki was accepted into the Jiyu Bijutsu (Free Art) group in 1968. The group was founded in 1937 and Ki would go onto become one of its senior members and a regular contributor to their annual shows. “Sometimes I have judged art shows and as a teacher you have to grade kids’ work and this has always bothered me as it is very difficult to make yourself objective. Of course, your nature, background and personality affect things, but you have to give a grade. It’s the one thing I hate about education,” Ki said. As a result of joining the group, Ki worked with renowned sculptor Takashi Mine, whose work can be found in public places nationwide and in museums such as the Hakone Open Air Museum.

Ki became well-known over the subsequent years for his sculptures—which included a series of hands in a variety of positions and his popular sumo figures.

His one man shows at Tokyo American Club and Ginza galleries would often sell-out. His last solo show of sumo sculptures was at the Bishop Museum in Hawaii in 1993 although he continued to show other work including an exhibition at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in 2006. His knowledge of sumo translated into depictions of the wrestlers that were true to their sport and depicted the balance of each unique sumo move. “Basically, I studied 90 percent sculpture in art school and of course you study drawing as part of sculpture. I also took some pottery classes during the summer,” he recalled. “When I first came to ASIJ, I only knew sculpture.”

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sumo sculptures prior to a show in the 80s THEhis AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN 74Ki with

Obituaries

COMMUNITY

Obituaries

 Ki instructs singer and actress Judy Ongg ‘69 (1969)  Ki in the Alumni Office on a visit to campus (2011)

Never one to stand still artistically though, Ki continued to develop a variety of skills during his teaching career. When a student became curious in glass work, Ki was inspired to learn more to enable him to further the student’s interest. During the summer he took a stained glass course and then started offering a new class at school. “Pretty soon I felt it was too twodimensional and so I decided to learn more so I went to Pilchuck Glass School opened by [Dale] Chihuly in Washington. They accepted me as a guest and they let me do whatever I wanted pretty much and I learned how to use glass as a medium for sculpture,” Ki said. “I took a class in glass blowing, but I wasn’t that interested because it is more a medium for vessels and that kind of thing.” He later met a professor from the Czech Republic who taught at the University of Applied Arts in Prague. He was a specialist in glass with whom Ki later studied in Prague during a sabbatical year.

Ki also spent two years in Australia from 1972-74 teaching at Geelong Grammar School in Victoria.

Taking his young family with him on his leave of absence, Ki taught sculpture and ceramic theory at the boarding school where he found the students eager but “not as brushed up and sophisticated as our ASIJ kids in their cultural and artistic backgrounds and influences.” On the family’s return to Tokyo, Ki’s sons Ken ‘84 and Ko ‘83, who were now fluent in English, joined the ASIJ student body.

In addition to being known for his sumo figures, at school Ki was also known to many for another martial art—judo. Although Ki didn’t study judo as a child himself, he was learning kendo in elementary school when World War II broke out. “When General MacArthur came he banned all of the martial arts, but judo was the first to be freed from the ban because it doesn’t use any weapons. In kendo you have a wooden stick. I switched to judo,” Ki recalled. “Some kids asked me to teach kendo, but the equipment costs three or four times as much as judo.” There was no place at school that was suitable to practice judo though, as it requires a special flooring. Ki approached a local Japanese school where the teacher agreed that ASIJ’s judo club could use their facilities. “He was an honorary fifth degree belt. I assisted him and we would commute over there every day after school. That was in 1975 and I’ve been teaching judo ever since,” Ki said prior to his retirement in 2001. “We’ve produced at least 15, maybe 20, black belts through the years.”

Whether it was in an art class or karate lesson, Ki inspired generations of ASIJ students to follow their passions and strive for excellence. He may have left us, but his artistic legacy and the love for art that he instilled in his students and colleagues remain.

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Obituaries

Sayonara DOROTHY ADAMSON (FF ‘88-’94), former middle school librarian, passed away on May 28, 2016 of pulmonary problems. She was 88. Key moments in her life and her adventures were chronicled in a November 6 Hartford Courant article titled “Couple Shared Zest For Life, And Travel.” Before her time at ASIJ, Dorothy earned her undergraduate degree at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, IL, and then moved to Connecticut where she became a teacher. Dorothy then attended Southern Connecticut State University and earned two master’s degrees simultaneously in library science and special education for gifted students.

Leading up to her role as the library media specialist at ASIJ, Dorothy lived in the UK, traveled Europe and moved to Turkey—where she worked as the head librarian at Robert College. After six years at ASIJ, Dorothy and her family moved back to Bethlehem, CT, where she helped organize programs at the Bethlehem library. Dorothy is survived by two sons, David and Douglas, a daughter, Lisa, two grandchildren, and her sister Ruth.

ROBERT BELL (FF ‘68-’74), former elementary school principal passed away on January 13, 2016 at the age of 90. He was the brother of Dennis Bell (FF ‘70-’73) and father of Coleen ‘72, Kristen ‘74 and Lori ‘75.

Robert was a WWII Army Veteran and graduated with a BA in education from the University of Denver.

After ASIJ, Robert became the headmaster of the Jumeirah American School in Dubai in 1980 and

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then settled in San Diego where he worked as a part-time psychologist at Del Dios Middle School in Escondido and for San Diego Unified Schools.

STEPHEN BRICKER ‘65 passed away peacefully on October 11, 2016, surrounded by his family at his home in Richmond, VA, after a hard fought battle with the disease MSA. After graduating from ASIJ, Stephen attended Ohio Wesleyan University and the University of Virginia School of Law—where he worked with the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. He worked hard, fighting for the rights of others, heading initiatives such as the Children’s Rights Project of Virginia which enabled over 8,000 children in foster care to be made eligible for adoption.

Stephen led a distinguished legal career of over 35 years which included his private practice that emphasized trial work and litigation. He also loved to grow vegetables and spend time with his family and neighbors.

TETSUO FUKUCHI ‘81 passed away in late 2016 after his battle with cancer.

Memories and comments on the impact he had on the lives of those he knew can be read on the ASIJ Alumni Facebook Group.

KERSTIN GISTREN (AP ‘68-’70,’79-’87), mother of Martin ‘82, Henrick ‘83 and Tomas ‘87, passed away peacefully in her sleep in October 2016.

COMMUNITY

STEPHEN GLASER ‘89 passed away peacefully on January 14, 2016 at the age of 43. He is survived by his wife Laura and their twin boys, Jack and Nathan, as well as his brother, Matthew ‘92.

MARGARET “MEG” HULBERT (FF ‘80-’83) passed away on March 27, 2016 after battling multiple myeloma. She is survived by her three children: Alexandra ‘88, Peter and Penny.

MYONG SOO KIM KELLAR ‘65, passed away on November 22, 2016 as a result of brain and lung cancer. She recently reconnected with a number of her former ASIJ classmates at the ‘60s decade cluster reunion in Tokyo. Her mother writes that her husband, Bob, was with her when she passed and that she went peacefully.

MIYUKI KITSUDA (AP ‘11-’16) passed away in October 2016. She leaves behind her daughter, Karin ‘17, who recently received the Strength and Courage Award.

ROBERT LADY (FF, AP ‘66-’70), former head of the high school English department, passed away on October 6, 2016. Robert began his teaching career at Dallas Junior High School in Dallas, OR, and after moved to Dallas Senior High School, where he taught English, history, and journalism and then moved to Aloha, OR, for two years before joining the faculty and staff at ASIJ in 1966. He is survived

by Julie ‘79, Jeff ‘80 and his wife, Sherry (FF ‘66’69, AP ‘66-’70), who writes, “Being in Japan and part of the ASIJ staff was the highlight of our life experiences and has influenced everything we did after we returned to the States ... ASIJ and Japan remained first in our hearts in many ways.”

Obituaries DELINDA BRADFORD LEMIRE ‘64 passed away on January 3, 2017, surrounded by her family.

She leaves behind Joe, her husband of 50 years, three children, her two brothers Don-Michael ‘66 and David ‘66, and her sister, Dana ‘71.

MARY BRYANT LINTONMITCHEL (FF ‘69-’77), former second grade teacher, passed away on January 22, 2017. Mary was well traveled, having lived in several US states, Japan, Iceland and the United Kingdom. She also volunteered to help with Hurricane Katrina clean-up. A celebration of her life was held on February 4, 2017 in Chico, CA.

REIKO ODATE MATSUMOTO (FF ‘71-’74, AP ‘69-‘77), former elementary school Japanese teacher, passed away on March 12, 2016. After ASIJ, she returned to Northern Virginia to teach English as a second language and played a pivotal role in initiating the Japanese language immersion program for the Fairfax County Public School System. In retirement, Reiko wrote and published several children’s books including Koji and Jizo and The Sweet Potato. She is survived by her children Kent ‘78, Marguerite ‘79 and Cal ‘80.

KYOKO MELSON (AP ‘09-’16) passed away on July 5, 2016. She leaves behind her husband, Robert, and son, Ryan ‘22.

YOSHIRO NIIMI (AP ‘64-’65, ‘70-’79) passed away in April 2016, joining his wife, Masako, who passed in January 2013. They are parents to Reiko ‘75, Keiko ‘77 and Seiko ‘79.

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COMMUNITY REV. CRAIG NELSON ‘72 passed away peacefully among his family on February 22, 2017 in Lee, IL. Born in Tokyo, Craig’s family began two churches in Toyohashi and moved to Hokkaido in 1965. After attending the Hokkaido International School, Craig attended and graduated from ASIJ, where he was the top wrestler in his weight class in the Far East Conference two years in a row.

Craig then moved on to Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and earned his BA in secondary education. In 1992, he became the Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Minong, WI, where he served for over 18 years and then moved to Lee, IL, in 2010. Craig is survived by his wife Barb, two children, brothers David ‘78 and Bruce ‘71, and sisters Lynette and Janice.

MARGARET “PEGGY” STAATS POLA ‘36 passed away on March 27, 2017. Peggy’s family moved to Yokohama in 1927 and she attended ASIJ from 1929. In 1931, her family moved to Shanghai and the Shanghai American school. Peggy returned to the US to graduate from high school and Drexel University, where she earned a degree in home economics.

Peggy went on to train at Smith College and served during WWII as a lieutenant (junior grade) in Washington DC, where she met her husband of over 71 years, Carlo. She valued community service and loved to travel. Peggy is survived by her sister, nine children, and many grand and great-grandchildren.

WILLIS POTTER ‘51 passed away on November 18, 2016 at his home in Harrington, ME.

YASUKO FUKADA SHORROCK (FF ‘63-’87) passed away on June 12, 2016 in the Health Services Center of Pilgrim Place in Claremont, CA. She was 88.

Yasuko taught at ASIJ for 25 years, first as a teacher’s

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Obituaries assistant and then as a first and second grade teacher.

She specialized in helping students who spoke English as a second language and retired in 1987. In 2003, Yasuko moved to Pilgrim Place and reconnected with former ASIJ parent and Trustee, Hallam, who she had met 55 years previously in Tokyo. She was 75 and he was 80 when they married. In passing, Yasuko leaves behind her husband and his family, her own immediate family and many good friends. A memorial service was held on Saturday, July 23 in Decker Hall at Pilgrim Place, followed by a reception in the Napier Center.

JOHN ANDREW SMITH ‘86 passed away on April 12, 2017 at the age of 48. He succumbed to a pulmonary embolism after suffering from a recent hip injury. Andy lived in Tokyo and worked as a Japanese to English translator for Canon Inc.

STEVEN LANDON SPENCE ‘91 passed away at home on February 21, 2016 at the age of 42 years old. Steven graduated from Northern Kentucky University and was employed by General Electric.

EDWARD C. STEWART (AP ‘80-’86) passed away on February 26, 2017 in Silver Spring, MD. Edward is father to Joyce ’81, Adriane ’82, Carla ’84 and Diane ’86.

DAVID TROYER ‘55 passed away on the morning of February 6, 2017 in San Luis Obispo, CA. He is survived by his son, Rick.

FRANCES ELIZABETH FARRELL VIGLIELMO (FF ‘59-’60), former high school English teacher, passed on February 3, 2017 shortly after her husband, Valdo, who passed away the previous November.

COMMUNITY

STEVE “STEVIE” WALLACE ‘66 passed away on August 20, 2016 at his home in Saipan.

Stevie attended ASIJ from 1960-64 in middle and high school and, during his time in Japan, was even featured in This Week in Tokyo when he spent one summer break as a page boy at the Imperial Hotel.

He had a large personality and is remembered endearingly by his classmates. Peter Kalischer ‘66 recalls their first reunion in San Francisco “Stevie is not there. After a call to his parents still in Newport, I get hold of him in Big Bear, wherever that is. He is a pilot for sale.

Next day he flies himself to the Reunion Dinner.” Stevie was a Marine helicopter pilot in Vietnam and retained his flight skills as a private pilot later in life. He had recently attended his 50th high school reunion in Tokyo, where he had a chance to reconnect with many of his former classmates. “How wonderful that he came to our 50th reunion in Tokyo, despite being confined to a wheelchair!” Reunion organizer Annie Campbell ‘66 writes. “I have been looking at photos from many of our past reunions, and there is our Steve grinning from ear to ear and clearly loving every moment being with his classmates.”

After attending his 50th reunion, Stevie traveled, visiting family in Palawaan, an island in the Philippines where he lived for a long time, going on to Hawaii, Seattle and home to Saipan.

Nicky Nichols ‘69, Stevie’s long-time friend and fellow alum notes that Stevie was in good spirits leading up to his untimely passing. He had high hopes of starting a ryokan in the Kobe Hillsides and driving cross-country in a Winnebago.

Stevie is survived and missed by his wife, Lorna, their children and countless friends and classmates with whom he kept in contact.

ALEXANDER YUSHA ‘42 passed away peacefully on June 2, 2016. Alex was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1922 after his family left Russia after the Russian Revolution. His father was assigned to Tokyo as a military attaché. He started attending ASIJ in first grade, at which time he also began to learn English.

In the Fall 2013 Ambassador, Alex recalled classmates such as Rudy Pariser ’41 who contributed to the research of avian disease; David Nicodemus ’33 who

Obituaries worked on the Manhattan Project with Oppenheimer at Los Alamos; and Albert Kobayashi ‘42 whose ceramic research was used to keep the floor of spaceships from burning. “My classmates had several nicknames for me, including ‘Lizard,’ because I could slither to the front of the line for the slide on the playground or to get into the classroom.”

Both Alex and his sister Natasha ‘34, who was nine years older, graduated from ASIJ, though Alex missed his graduation ceremony in 1942 due to the start of WWII. After graduation, Alex worked at what would become a military hospital as an interpreter during the Occupation, speaking Russian, Japanese, English and German. At 24, he moved on from the war to enroll at Willamette University in Salem, OR, to study pre-med. After receiving his bachelor’s from Willamette, Alex attended Oregon State University (OSU) where his studies contributed to cancer research. “I studied for my masters during which I helped to create the first successful fish tissue culture for the purposes of cancer research.

Later, I created the first mammalian fish tissue culture with JL Fryer and KS Pilcher. Eventually, my findings were sent to the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.”

Alex was devoted to his work as a microbiologist and later as an OSU scientist co-authored “The In-Vitro Cultivation of Tissue and Cells of Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Trout.” He moved on from OSU to answer a call from the Pacific Northwest Parks Service for a pathogenic microbiologist in response to the Tussock Moth infestation. “So I became a civil servant, taking pictures, making assessments and investigating.” He retired from that position in 1987.

Alex leaves behind his loving group of caregivers and neighbors who write “He was an avid hiker, photographer and fisherman. He felt so free and at peace being in the great outdoors camping and hiking vast areas of wilderness in the Pacific NW ...

Alex was brilliant, sweet, kind, strong willed and an inventive person.” A celebration of his life was held on June 25, 2016 at his home in Peoria, Oregon.

THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING 2017

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The Big Short Big questions, Short answers DAN TANI made two space shuttle flights during his career as a NASA astronaut and spent 120 days living and working aboard the International Space Station. Dan left NASA in August 2012 to become the vice president of mission and cargo operations in the Advanced Programs Group of Orbital Sciences Corporation. Dan made a career change to join ASIJ in August 2016 and currently teaches science and engineering.

Where are you from?

I was born near Philadelphia, but I grew up in Lombard, IL, a suburb of Chicago.

What kind of student were you in school?

I was a pretty good student, but not a stand-out—barely top 10% of my class.

Why did you choose to go into education?

I felt I could use my knowledge, skills and experience to help nurture our future leaders.

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you do?

I would probably be in the corporate or nonprofit world, wishing I was teaching.

What is your favorite thing about Japan?

I love the independence that is granted to children from an early age, the great public transportation and of course the onsen and food.

What is your favorite thing about ASIJ?

Having all three divisions together brings life and excitement to the campus, plus all the great people here.

What advice do you give your students?

First, have fun and enjoy life. Also, I want my students to become “decision-aware” to recognize and take seriously the major (and minor) decisions coming up in their lives.

When and where were you happiest?

I have a great job and a healthy and happy family—hard to think that I can be happier than right now!

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Illustration by Olivia Hertrick

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Really?”

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would really like to be better in memorizing faces and names. I would also like to speak Japanese!

Who are your favorite writers?

Garry Trudeau [Pulitzer Prizewinning Doonesbury comic strip creator], Bill Bryson [Notes on a Small Island], Mary Roach [Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal], and golf writer David Owen.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Atticus Finch (fictional, I know), Orville Wright.

Which living person do you most admire?

Jimmy Carter, George Takei.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My mom, of course, Ernie Banks (“Mr Cub”), George Carlin.

What is your most treasured possession?

Probably my rings—my wedding ring that I’ve worn for the last 17 years and my MIT class ring (“Bras Rat”) that I’ve been wearing for the last 35 years!

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Azabu Gardens and you

Supporting your neighborhood A proud sponsor of The American School in Japan, Azabu Gardens is reaching out to ASIJ families, educators, and members of the neighborhood to extend our circle of friends.

Azabu Gardens is a premium residential property in Tokyo catering for families, and is available exclusively for lease.

www.azabugardens.com

For leasing inquiries: 03-3201-0033 • Pacific Development & Management Co., Ltd. Azabu Gardens, 3-7-5 Moto-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0046