The Ambassador. Spring, 2023

The Ambassador Spring 2023

HIKARU NISHIDA EBI ’90 An entertaining career that began in high school

THURMAN DENNIS

Celebrating a beloved elementary educator

The American School in Japan

GEORGE TING ’64

An impactful legacy honoring Joe DeMarsh

HIRO FUJITA ’98

ASIJ Recepient of ASIJ Alumni Impact Award

Stay Connected

It’s all about connections... ... that’s why our alumni portal is designed to make it easier than ever for you to stay in touch with us and your fellow ASIJers around the globe. Mustangs Online is a dynamic site for alums, alumni parents and former faculty packed with news, information about upcoming events and reunions, photo galleries, internship and job opportunities, and directory.

It also hosts digital copies of yearbooks going back to 1919, past issues of The Ambassador magazine and a selection of Hanabi articles and content from the archive.

To make the most of this service, we’ll need your email so we can send you information and help you get started. If we don’t already have your up-to-date email, please take a moment to drop us a line at alumni@asij.ac.jp.

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In this Issue Features

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Sleeping Beauty

Hikaru Nishida Ebi ’90 on an entertaining career

Connecting Through Music Alumni Connect: Industry Meetup

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Hitting All The Right Notes

Budding composer Shaun Kono-Peck ’23

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Global Perspectives

ASIJ's delegates at the Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit

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Designing Deep Learning Amy Zuber Meehan on ASIJ's new Deep Learning seminar

24 29

Learning to learn A look at metacognition in the middle school

Second Chances & Lasting Legacies How George Ting ’64 is honoring former principal Joe DeMarsh

41

Remembering Thurman We celebrate an iconic educator

More 03 \\ ASIJ Highlights 34 \\ Fundraising Update 46 \\ Alumni Impact Award 49 \\ Young Alumni Changemaker Award 50 \\ Alumni Connect Events 52 \\ Reunions 54 \\ Upcoming Reunions 56 \\ Class Agents 58 \\ Artifact 59 \\ Obituaries 64 \\ The Big Short

Director of Communications Matt Wilce Digital Communications Officer Carl Strycharske Graphic Designer Ryo Ogawa Graphic Designer Johnson Lin Alumni Coordinator Miranda Liu Director of Institutional Advancement Clive Watkins Director of Giving Claire Lonergan Data Specialist Catherine Iwata Intern Sofiia Bielova

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 American School in Japan ASIJ alumni, families, faculty, and friends receive The Ambassador

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Highlights

CAMPUS

Model UN At the end of March, ASIJ hosted international schools from around Japan and Korea at Model United Nations workshops and simulations.

Annika Elstrom ‘23, Annmarie Hashimoto ‘23, and Kai Hyodo ‘23, were honored to serve as secretariats for the conference, which had the theme “Reduced Inequalities: Leave No One Behind.” After an online conference in 2021 and a hybrid conference in 2022, this was the first ASIJMUN conference in several years that was fully in-person.

ARTS

ARTS

CAMPUS

KPASS Concert

Kyogen Performance

Holi Celebration

The halls of ASIJ were filled with music as students, directors, and conductors from eight international schools came together for final rehearsals for the Kanto Plains Association of Secondary Schools Honor Orchestra and Honor Band Concert on March 1.

The 45th Annual Kyogen Performance took place on February 9 with several elementary students joining this year.

In the evening show, professional Kyogen actors Yasutaro Yamamoto and Noritaka Yamamoto joined the cast to perform the play Neongyoku. Every year ASIJ is fortunate to have members of the nationally recognized Yamamoto family, of the Okura School, teach our students this traditional art of comedy.

The South Asian Student Union organized ASIJ's first Holi celebration on the Chofu campus. The afternoon was a flurry of color, joy, and meeting new people.

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Highlights

ARTS & LANGUAGE

Learning Juntos

What started off as an enthusiastic hallway conversation — “You like Cuban music?!” — led to a collaboration between students in AP Spanish language and culture and the high school Jazz Band. Gaby Jiménez, HS Spanish teacher, and Jeff Torchon, middle and high school music teacher, share an interest in Cuban music. They framed a project for their advanced classes that allowed students to explore their subjects beyond the classroom. Though the classes didn’t meet at the same time, the students kept up with the motivation to collaborate by meeting during flex time and using asynchronous tools like Padlet.

Small groups of students chose one of three traditional Cuban songs to create a representation of the music, culture, and language. “It’s not about the perfect musical example, but rather portraying the essence of the song. As long as they’ve been working together and making these connections, then the job is done — it’s about the journey they’ve gone on,” said Jeff.

On the Friday before Spring Break, a crowd of about 75 people gathered in the high school library to watch the groups present the student-determined culminations of their work. “I think my favorite part of the collaboration

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was the focus on fun. Since the project was very studentled it gave us a lot of freedom and allowed us to directly communicate and talk to each other,” Lila ThirouardKikuchi ’25 remarked. “I feel like this was really beneficial to encourage self directed learning, and was also really great for me to find opportunities to talk to people I usually don’t talk to since I’m typically more reserved. Of course, it was still a class project, but it almost felt like we were just hanging out and doing it for fun at times, which was really nice.”

“It’s great to try something new, not only from our perspective as teachers — we both see clearly that we need to take learning out of the classroom — but also to bring that enthusiasm to the students to see there are other ways they can learn and they can choose how to learn and it’s okay if it’s gets messy and if it looks different,” added Gaby.

The students found the experience valuable, too. Moritz Wagner ’24 reflected that, “this project has given me a great perspective on how different classes, though you think they have nothing in common, can come together and create a great project.”

Highlights

ARTS

Legally Blonde The 2023 high school Spring Musical is Legally Blonde, a fun adaptation of the 2001 movie based on the novel

by Amanda Brown. This is the second time students have staged the show at ASIJ after a 2014 production directed

by Brent Huber (FF ’88–17, AP ’88–05).

Over 100 cast, crew, faculty and FOFA parents worked on the humorous, upbeat show this year.

Watch the show on YouTube @asij_TV

CULTURE

CAMPUS

CAMPUS

Mochitsuki at ELC

VEX Robotics Tournament

Bunraku Performance

The annual new year tradition of pounding mochi continued this January at the ELC. Students were guided in making the rice cakes by local volunteers and parents joined in the celebrations and shared the freshly prepared mochi with the children.

Congratulations to the ASIJ Robotics team for qualifying for the VEX World Championships. The two day qualifying tournament hosted

by ASIJ was a pressure cooker of excitement as teams from all over the world made their robots fling frisbees, spin rollers and launch webs of string

Students from the high school, middle school, and elementary school were treated to a traditional Bunraku puppet show and workshop by performers from the Awaji Puppet Theatre. The demonstration not only showcased the beauty and artistry of traditional puppeteering, but also served as an engaging cultural bridge between ASIJ and our host country.

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Sleeping Beauty Matt Wilce talks to former idol Hikaru Nishida Ebi ’90 about her start in show business, why she slept so much in high school, and her long entertainment career

Not everyone is comfortable with photoshoots, especially when they’re asked to pose in the gardens of a ritzy hotel with guests around. Hikaru Nishida Ebi ’90 is unfazed — even as the ladies having afternoon tea recognize her from afar. She gamely runs through some go-to stances and expressions and it is clear that she’s done numerous shoots since she debuted as an idol at the age of 15.

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Hikaru on a visit to ASIJ in 2000

Growing up in Los Angeles as a result of her father’s work, Hikaru was a typical Californian Girl when she landed at ASIJ as a middle schooler. She had an easy breezy attitude, warm smile, and penchant for shorts and flip flops. By all accounts she settled right in at ASIJ, playing basketball, taking dance classes, and making friends. Soon her interest in dance and music would see her get scouted by a manager — who she is still loyal to today.

Hikaru’s first roles were as a campaign girl for Japan Air System and in a House Foods commericlal back in 1988 — a brand she's still associated with today. She landed her first musical role shortly after. From there, her career rapidly took off with an anime theme song, single and album following in quick succession. By 1991, Hikaru had made her movie debut in Yamada Babaa ni Hanataba o (1990), for which she won the New Actor Award at the 14th Japan Academy Awards, and was set to perform her single "Tokimeite" on the iconic end-of-year music show Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Her background in LA and English ability also made her a popular choice for interviews with visiting celebrities such as Harrison Ford.

From there, a diverse career of TV dramas and variety programs, musicals, pop music, and commercials followed, with Hikaru only slowing down once she married and started a family. She married in 2002 and now has two teenage sons.

Hikaru followed a path into the entertainment world well-trodden by her upperclassmen at ASIJ as Judy Ongg ‘69, Agnes Chan ‘73 and Kami Fukuda ‘84 (Hayami Yu) had already found success in the business. Classmate Eugene

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Nomura ‘90 was also making his debut as an actor. ASIJ had proved flexible over the years in allowing students to pursue opportunities outside of school and Hikaru probably also benefited from the fact she was a popular and conscientious student. Former high school teacher Dan Swanson (FF ‘8102) remembers Hikaru as “a special person and student,” saying that she was, “warm, had a wonderful personality, and was well liked by everybody. Even when she started getting busy with her career, she remained herself and excelled in her studies.”

Likewise, high school counselor Eric Hieser (FF ’78–90, AP ’85–90) describes Hikaru as “an excellent student who greatly valued her ASIJ education.” When Hikaru and her parents proposed that she be allowed to have more absences than the norm due to her television and performance schedule, ASIJ agreed to let her try it on a pilot basis as long as she turned in her work and maintained an acceptable grade average in her classes. “The agreement seemed to work out well as Hikaru ensured that she was diligent with her schoolwork,” Eric recalls. “In my reflection on how schools operated during the recent pandemic, Hikaru's proposal might not seem so unusual when compared to school schedules now,” he comments. Post ASIJ, Hikaru continued to balance a growing work schedule with her studies, and despite a desire on her part to go back to the United States, by this point Hikaru’s career had really accelerated and so she remained in Japan. She attended Sophia University, where your writer was an exchange student at the time, although we never met. Thirty years on, we meet for the first time at Tokyo Gajoen for tea and to look back on Hikaru’s career.

Hikaru's graduation photo (photo courtesy of Manasepro)

MW

Your family moved from California to Tokyo when you were in middle school — how did you feel about that?

It was a big change. I was born in Japan and my father was transferred to the United States. He worked for a Japanese company, JVC, and so we were transferred to California. His stay was actually only planned for a couple of years, but it turned out to be 13 years.

And so I'm fully Japanese, but I was a very Californian Girl!

And then my parents thought I was losing my Japanese side as I always spoke English better when I was little. And so they thought, well, maybe it's time to go back to Japan.

HN

MW

How did you end up at ASIJ?

We took a look at different schools, but to go to a Japanese school I would have had to cram to get into a high school. And I had pierced ears and kind of like curly hair, like a perm. I had my funky hair and everywhere I went, I was in beach sandals and shorts. And so the advice we got from the Japanese education center was that I’d probably be bullied no matter what Japanese school I went to.

HN

Personally, my only request was that it be co-ed and no uniforms. We took a look at a number of international schools, but when I went to the ASIJ campus, I was like, I want to go here. This is the school… You know, being accepted at such a school was probably the best kind of environment for me to move from California to living in Japan.

MW

So did you find the transition from school to school quite easy? Did you kind of fit in?

The school was great. It was good that I had the school because I fit in really well to ASIJ right away.

I made lots of friends and found lots of people like me. And if I didn't have that, you know, living in Tokyo, riding on the crammed trains, people pushing me in and kind of lifting me off my feet, and having all the people on the train, I think I would have probably lost my mind. From being driven to school in California, wearing shorts, and just kind of enjoying the weather and having a really laid back atmosphere and then coming to Japan it was such a culture shock.

HN

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Hikaru performing on Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 1993 (photo courtesy of Manasepro)

MW

Did you visit Japan frequently as a child?

I did. I came back every year to my grandparent's house, but still, getting on the trains every morning is a different side of Tokyo. So the culture shock was really big, you know, being 13 years old, it was pretty tough.

But I think, you know, the school and my friends really helped.

HN

MW

When you were younger, what did you want to be? Did you always want to go into entertainment or did you want to be something else?

I always imagined myself going to university. You know, going back to California, because I kind of seemed constantly homesick — even being at ASIJ and in a comfortable environment. I still kind of wanted to go back to the States because I think when I was 13, I was excited — I thought I could get my driver's license soon and I’d be going to dances and enjoy the teenage life. And then I had to come back to Japan and it's a different world. So I kind of had my heart set on going back to the States. But I also enjoyed dancing and taking dance lessons. It was the time where Madonna and MTV were big and music videos were very popular at the time…I just enjoyed jazz dancing at the time. I started taking dance classes in Los Angeles, and I took classes in the studio. It was called the Debbie Reynolds Studio in North Hollywood. And at that

HN

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studio, which was a big studio, we'd see Madonna's tour concert rehearsal or we'd see Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercial audition. It was very exciting!

I didn't think I would go into the business just because I saw how talented everyone was. When I came back to Japan, I kind of missed that atmosphere and I wanted to look for a dance studio.

And as I was looking for a dance studio, I met someone who introduced me to a manager. We met through a friend and I thought she was going to introduce a dance studio for me, but at the meeting she introduced the idea of me becoming an “idol.” She told me show business is a very tough place. I was confused and thought how ready do I have to be to just go to a dance studio?

MW

How did you handle being in school and making your debut in the industry?

At first I thought, I'll just sort of see how it goes, you know, I'll just try giving show business kind of a try.

And I went to auditions and failed many of them because you have to say lines or sing Japanese songs. I was enjoying school life at ASIJ, but then after school I would go to auditions and then I passed this one audition. And with that, my management company said we're going to get ready to debut, and we're going to get ready to make an album,

HN

El ipiciis repedis venia verspedi que di occusdae.

Ut voloria am quae

Hikaru's first recording in May 1988 (photo courtesy of Manasepro)

make a single and then film a commercial. And everything kind of started to fall into place when I was at the end of freshman year. At the beginning I was just working after school hours and then working on Saturdays and Sundays.

And then one of my first projects was doing a musical where I had to miss a semester of school.

I talked to Mr [Eric] Hieser and I can't remember if it was a quarter or if it was a semester that I took off…I made up for it the next year. He said if I had the credits, I could graduate, so if I took it slow I could graduate with the year below me.

I said no, I want to graduate with my own class. And so I just remember doubling up on classes in junior year and senior year… senior year was the year I was getting to be really busy, so yeah, it was tough to keep up with studying.

MW

Do you remember what the musical was you were cast in?

It was Little Lord Fauntleroy… House Foods was the sponsor on Fuji TV and I was the lead role. It was a period piece and I played the Little Lord. So that was my first musical. It was the only thing that I missed school for, otherwise my contract was that I wouldn't miss school for work. So that was one of the rules that I did keep. Everything after that, I worked after school hours and on weekends.

But it was tough. I was sleepy for most of the time so I could sleep anywhere!

HN

MW

I think that's in the yearbook — it says, “known for falling asleep.”

Yes, falling asleep! And I would wake up in the library and I would look at my watch and I'd run to class. The teachers would just kind of laugh. I would take tests and I would do my homework, but then I would sleep in between.

HN

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Hikaru reads to elementary students in 1991

MW

What were your favorite classes or activities?

Oh, I took a lot of art classes with Mr [Ki] Nimori (FF 1960-2002, AP '74-84). I kept in touch with him, too, after a little while, after graduating, but because I love doing ceramics. So even though I was doubling up on a lot of classes, I did take a lot of ceramic classes with Mr Nimori, and also Mr. [Dan] Swanson.

HN

MW

You've done such a variety of things in your career. What's your favorite out of all the things you do professionally?

I think theater work, especially musicals, because I've always loved dancing and singing. And I think the part I love most about it is that it's a team effort, whereas as a solo singer everything you do kind of comes back to you. If it doesn't sell, it's kind of your fault. And if you mess up, it's your fault. And you know, there's a lot of pressure. I mean, there are the rewards that come with it, too.

HN

I like being in a production and rehearsing for a whole month with the same cast and crew and then being able to perform on stage. And then traveling a whole month was not only rewarding, but it was just a lot of fun. So I enjoyed that very much.

MW

Do you have a musical lined up in the future?

The latest one I took part in was Mozart! But right now, raising two boys, musicals are tough. You know, you need to put in 100% of your time into the musical.

And if you have a day off, it's mostly maintenance for yourself.

I'm starting to take vocal lessons again, but my kids are heavily into baseball, which requires a lot of driving here and there and bento-making in the morning and lots of washing until late at night. But it's also a life that I wanted, doing sports and playing. I mean, I wasn't able to continue all throughout high school, but I really enjoyed it myself at their age. And since they do love it, you know, I just want to be able to support them. So I think while they're still young and until they get out of high school, that'll be my biggest priority.

HN

MW

What would you say to a current student at ASIJ who's looking to go into entertainment?

The entertainment business, I think, is doubly hard.

Because in sports, if you're a runner and you make a certain time you win. And if you hit a certain time, you can go to the Olympics or you could be number one in the world, if you train hard. The interesting thing about the entertainment industry is that even if you're a good singer and even if you make all the auditions, it doesn't mean you'll be successful.

HN

And I know that from my point of view, because I wasn't really the greatest singer. I don't know how many record label auditions that I've been to and been turned down. People would say to my manager: “She's not going to make it. You shouldn't represent her.”

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MW

So how did you handle those knock backs, as a young person?

I enjoyed working because I love meeting people and not just meeting famous people. I was 15 when I started working, so it was really interesting for me to meet people that I was working with, like the cast, and everybody that supported me. I think at first I wanted to please everybody, because they chose me to do this work.

And then after that, if I thought I wanted to work with this person again, I knew that I need to do my best. I loved the challenges, and I kind of enjoyed knowing I might fail, because when you get through it, it's like, the higher the challenge, the bigger the reward. And when you learn to kind of fail, you get over it and you realize oh, that wasn't so bad. And just being able to continue, I think, is the most important thing.

HN

With social media now, I think it's very difficult having people's feedback all the time. So it's important just to to really focus on what you want to do and what you want to get out of it. And if you make a choice, just stick with it and don't compare yourself to others. And for me, just being able to continue to work and not looking at my peers to focus on what I want to get out of my work. And if I just stay focused on that one thing, then everything kind of falls into place afterwards.

MW

What’s the secret to sustaining a career over several decades? production company. What’s happening with that?

I think just challenging yourself, trying things, and listening to other people's ideas. Because when… like for me, what I want to do, what I want to wear, what I thought was best for me is not always the best, you know. And it's really important to listen to other people. They have an amazing opportunity.

HN

MW HN

Do you have any future aspirations, things you haven't done that you would love to do?

I would definitely love to get back to theater work.

You know, watching how my kids watch YouTube all the time, I kind of think, you know, is there a place on YouTube for me? I'm thinking maybe!

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Connecting Through Music Composer Roy Ayers once said, “The true beauty of music is that it connects people.” The ASIJ Alumni Community found this to be true as alums from around the world came together for our Alumni Connect: Industry Meetup on the topic of music.

Christina Ayako Higa ’14

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ALUMNI

Alumni Connect

Ethan Adams ’14

Five alumni from across the decades, each with unique experiences in different areas of the music industry came together to share their perspectives in the most recent Alumni Connect: Industry Meetup. The online panel convened on February 8 to share with their fellow alumni some fascinating personal stories and insights from their careers. The discussion was moderated by Briney Dillon Burley ’93, a member of the Alumni Council Alumni Connect Committee and an amateur musician herself.

Karuna Shinsho ’86 joined us from the Washington, DC, area, where she is active as a jazz singer, performing music in English, Japanese, and Portuguese. Dani Rosner ’02 is a country singer whose band, Honey County, has released songs featured on a variety of TV shows and used by millions of TikTok users as background music for their short videos.

Christina Ayako Higa ’14 is involved in a variety of projects, releasing music under the stage name AYAKO, supporting and producing a number of live music events, and pursuing a career in acting, while her classmate Ethan Adams ’14 currently releases music under the alias intouch. He not only produces original music, but also official remixes for a variety of EDM acts. Richard Bull ’93 brought insight to the other side of the music industry — with experience in marketing, sales, catalog marketing, publicity, and product management, he spoke to all aspects of the business side of music.

Even through the computer screen, it was clear that energy was high as the event kicked off. Several dozen alumni from the Classes of 1958 to 2020 were in attendance, alongside many alumni parents and former faculty and staff. A few current faculty members tuned in as well — Jody Fuller, current elementary school music teacher, shared that she had taught three of the panelists while they were at ASIJ, expressing that it was “so interesting to hear what they are doing now.” The warmth of the alumni community brought the virtual room to life as the panel got underway, with panelists excitedly greeting their classmates as familiar names appeared on the screen. “It’s like a mini reunion!” Briney commented excitedly, noticing many fellow Class of ’93 alums logging in.

The panel kicked off with all five panelists sharing unique and fascinating insights into their experiences in the industry.

Each panelist got their start in a different way — in Richard’s case he started out pursuing international finance, but when music he heard on the street totally changed his negative mood and put a smile on his face, he realized music was his calling. “I was like, ‘I want to be a part of this. I have to do this in my life. Forget international finance. I’m doing music business,’” he recalled of his thought process at the time. Dani always wanted to do music, and when she discovered that her college didn’t have a major that suited her needs and interests, she created her own! After a detour into TV, she returned to music and has never looked back.

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ALUMNI

Alumni Connect

I think it’s something that you just need to get out and do. It’s really about following a passion, and it’s never too late.”

Karuna Shinsho ’86

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The other panelists agreed that one of the key elements to pursuing music was passion. “There’s never been a doubt in my mind that I’m supposed to be doing something else,” Dani shared. “It’s always been all about music for me.” Richard felt the same way, stating, “I am grateful to be able to do something that I'm truly, truly passionate about. Not every day is amazing, but there's always amazing moments in every single day.”

Ethan and Christina got much earlier starts — Christina had the opportunity to debut with a Japanese girl group through a major label, and Ethan had signed to a relatively large label by the time he was in college. But both of them were faced with a choice: whether they wanted to lock themselves into a career exclusively as a performer, or if they wanted to pursue more opportunities. In the end, both took more time to find what element of music they were truly passionate about — Christina decided to attend the University of Southern California to explore other aspects of the music industry and discovered a love for live music events. Ethan began a career as a software engineer, which granted him the freedom to really take time and dig into his passions as an artist. “I think it's important to be thinking about what next step you have available to you and if that's the right choice for you at that time, because sometimes opportunities don't go away. You can start again later,” he shared.

The discussion touched on changes in the music industry, such as the move from purchasing to streaming and the ubiquitousness of social media. “The branding and marketing side of this industry has become increasingly important in recent years,” Ethan commented. “If you see any successful musician, there’s one thing that they’re particularly good at… and that might not necessarily be music. So the branding side is something I'm trying to focus on, myself, now as well.”

Dani pointed out that, especially in country music, having just one catchy song sometimes is all it takes in the age of TikTok and social media. She shared how her song, “Got it From My Mama,” was particularly relatable to TikTok users when making videos about their mothers, and now the song has more than 800,000 videos made with it as the background music. “It’s pretty insane when you think about a song by an independent artist with no marketing budget behind it getting this far,” Dani expressed. “It just organically took off!”

And Karuna is proof of that — after a successful career in broadcast journalism, she decided it was time to pursue her life-long passion for jazz music. She started at a local jazz workshop in her area, and one of the instructors she met through the workshop ended up proposing the idea of doing an album together. “One thing just kind of led to another,” she reflected with a laugh. “I had no idea that he was serious about it, but then we worked for three years to put it together. It was a very unconventional journey for me, but at the end of the day,

Karuna described how she has a “love-hate” relationship with social media, but agreed that it was a great way to reach wider audiences. She described fans that she’d never met before traveling significant distances to see her shows, remarking, “I have a hard time trying to promote myself on social media, but it’s amazing that you can reach people that way.” Richard chimed in with a fascinating account of how artist development had changed over the years, explaining that in the early 2000s, an artist would have a team to develop

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Richard Bull ’93 the opportunity to start music production very early on in high school was instrumental in his path to discovering what his next steps were as he began his music career. Dani shared that she took every opportunity to get in front of a camera or on stage during her time at ASIJ from fifth grade to tenth grade. In a common thread with the others, she shared “Mr Huber, my choir teacher, really gave me so many opportunities.” Karuna cited Mr Don Berger (FF ’59–93, AP ’66–80) as one of her major influences at ASIJ, sharing that he gave her vocal lessons in high school. She was also in the annual musicals during her time at ASIJ. “I felt like I had a lot of opportunities to be exposed to art,” she shared of her ASIJ experience.

Danielle Rosner ’02

them after signing to a label, but now, artists are required to do so much for themselves before they’re signed. He also described the progression from revenue first being from the purchasing of records and cassettes and CDs, to live shows, and then to streaming, sharing impressive insights from several business angles.

But while they had different experiences to share and work in different areas of the industry, one thing that the panelists had in common is that their interest in music was sparked at ASIJ. Richard credited classmate Jesper Edman ’93, who participated in the call, with teaching him guitar in high school at ASIJ. “We did Battle of the Bands together, and we just had a great time. So that’s where the music bug really got me, back in those days. It all started at ASIJ,” he recollected fondly. Christina also recalled being highly involved with music in high school at ASIJ, sharing, “I was in Vocal Jazz Ensemble with Mr [Brent] Huber (FF ’88–17, AP ’88–05), and he was a huge inspiration for me. He had so much passion, and it really helped me find confidence in my music.” For Christina, it was even an ASIJ connection who helped her make her first foray into professional music. “It was actually my friend, John Small ’14, whose mom, Michal Small (AP ’03–19), asked me if I wanted to audition for Avex, which is a major Japanese pop label. That was kind of my start in actually trying to pursue being an artist, or even knowing that was even an option.”

A former teacher served as inspiration for Ethan as well.

“Mr Randy Wanless (FF ’08–16), who taught jazz band, was a big inspiration in terms of developing musical skill at the time and then also music production with Mr Brent Huber, as well,” he remembered fondly. He commented that having

The group had amazing chemistry, and by the end of the panel, they were already talking of music-themed ASIJ meetups in Los Angeles and New York. After three scintillating discussions in breakout rooms, the event came to a close, but with promises of future events on the horizon, fulfilling the purpose of the “Alumni Connect” program and providing a springboard for alums to make meaningful connections and build their ASIJ networks. “It was so much fun and such an incredible concept,” Christina commented. “I definitely want to connect further with everyone on the panel!”

In fact, we recently heard some amazing news from Richard—he and Dani worked together after the panel, resulting in one of Richard's artists, multi-grammy winning artist Chiquis, creating a bilingual version of "Got It From My Mama" released on May 5. Dani directed the music video for the song. Richard shared that it was thanks to ASIJ putting he and Dani together on the panel that brought about this special project. "Thank you for being the catalyst for this incredible music moment. Something extremely special came out of this wonderful event," he shared.

“The panel was so insightful and dynamic, and so full of passion and drive,” Briney shared afterwards, reflecting back on the event and commenting that she was glad to have been a part of it. Ethan agreed, saying, “I enjoyed sharing my experiences and hearing from my fellow alumni. Our journeys are wildly different, but one commonality is clear: Perseverance. Ganbarou!”

Dani pointed out another point in common, stating, “It seems like there’s one constant theme with all of the panelists, and that is that our initial love for music, entertainment, and the performing arts originated from ASIJ.”

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Hitting All The Right Notes Nikki Torchon talks to budding composer Shaun Kono-Peck ’23

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The KPASS concert this year brought together students from twelve Tokyo-area schools to play Shaun’s piece, “Kingfisher”

Until this year, a student composition had never been performed by the Kanto Plains Association of Secondary Schools (KPASS) honor band, an audition-only group of student-musicians from twelve Tokyo-area schools. Shaun Kono-Peck ’23 wrote a piece entitled “Kingfisher” for the ASIJ wind ensemble last spring. He submitted it to the inaugural KPASS Composition Festival and the piece was performed by the KPASS Honor Band in March.

With piano as his main instrument, Shaun also plays percussion, explores composition and digital production, and plays in ASIJ’s audition-only wind ensemble, jazz band and pit orchestra. He has supported ASIJ’s eighth-grade band as a teaching intern, has composed for the Pokémon Kids TV YouTube Channel and the Shimajiro Channel, among others, and has earned numerous accolades for his work.

“He’s unbelievably talented and equally humble,” explained ASIJ music teacher Julia Clipper. “He always comes with a sense of curiosity and puts so much effort into his passion. That’s what’s unique — he dives into this passion and commits so much to it.”

Intended to take listeners on the journey of a hunting kingfisher, the piece delights with dancing marimba, a graceful flute line and trumpet and saxophone harmonies.

Its changing tempos and cymbal crashes are as emotive as the bird’s journey.

When asked what it was like to hear his peers learn to play “Kingfisher,” Shaun replied, “Music is such a vulnerable form of art. You’re putting your heart and soul into these pieces. So especially when people are learning it, and aren’t playing it perfectly, the way I envisioned it, I sort of doubt myself. ‘Did I mess up? Did I write something wrong?

Oh my gosh, why is everyone looking at me?! I hate this.’ But

the amount of pride, gratitude and humility that I felt when I was onstage receiving applause from everyone, and people congratulating me after and saying they enjoyed playing it, those things warm my heart and I think those moments of vulnerability are all worth it.”

Shaun put what he learned from composing “Kingfisher” towards a new composition which Clipper describes as “a beautiful, gorgeous piece of music.” It will be performed by ASIJ’s wind ensemble, with Shaun on piano, this May. “This piece, called ‘Portrait of a Mustang,’ is the culmination of my years at ASIJ and a way to express my gratitude to the school because I’ve been offered so many opportunities. I wanted to make a piece about the four years as a high school student — the hills and valleys. I wanted to encapsulate the plethora of emotions into one piece.” Appropriately, this piece shares its name with a current ASIJ project to capture student growth.

Shaun has left his mark on ASIJ. “He is an integral part of the music department in every way,” Clipper remarked. “We’ll miss him a lot but are very excited to see everything that he does in New York. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing his name.”

This fall, Shaun will be studying music composition and theory with a concentration in film scoring at New York University. “The synergy between visual media and music fascinates me and that’s why I decided to major in film scoring. So what’s next for me is to explore that passion. If NYU is anything like the opportunity that ASIJ has been, I think I’ll be pretty successful in finding my path.”

Shaun’s speech and the KPASS performance are available to view online on YouTube @ASIJTV.

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Global Perspectives High school students Saya Nylin ’23 and Kai Doust ’25 reflect on their recent participation in the Hiroshima G7 Summit Junior Conference

As Japan gears up to host the leaders of the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Canada at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima this May, young representatives from the member countries were also invited to come together to discuss global issues. The G7 Summit Junior Conference, held in March, brought together 24 high school delegates from around Japan with 12 students from Hiroshima Prefecture and 12 students representing each of the other G7 member nations. ASIJ was fortunate to have two students selected to attend: Saya Nylin ’23 and Kai Doust ’25.

“My dad sent me the application,” said Saya, who represented the United States at the conference. “I thought it was a cool opportunity. I’m interested in political science and international relations and the connections between countries over political issues is really interesting to me.”

Kai applied because he thought it would be an interesting opportunity to connect with peers from different countries and

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he wanted to visit Hiroshima. “I got to visit many interesting places and talk with so many people, and I knew that this experience would be a great asset for me,” he explained.

Students at this year’s G7 Summit Junior Conference, held in March, were divided into groups to focus primarily on peace, sustainability, or diversity and inclusion.

Saya chose the diversity and inclusion group. “I feel like a lot of the issues around the world today stem from issues surrounding diversity and inclusion; for example, racism, gender inequality, reproductive rights… A lot of the things I’m passionate about fall within that category so that’s why I wanted to be in that group.”

Kai chose the peace group. “This year's G7 Summit being hosted in Hiroshima is not a coincidence. Prime Minister Kishida chose it because it is symbolic of Japan's mission for global nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation,

which are some key themes of the conference,” Kai explained.

“In the light of emerging conflicts like the war in Ukraine, North Korean aggression and missile testing, and the China-Taiwan crisis, I thought that promoting world peace was a critical issue to cover.”

Prep work and introductory meetings started in February. “I spent one of the days of ASIJ’s February break on a conference call with these students and a conference facilitator,” Saya explained. “We had four meetings before the conference, and that made things easier when we met in person because we knew what each other looked like and we had already had a conversation.”

“One of the things I thought was really cool was meeting all these other people that are just as passionate as I am about diversity issues, or sustainability issues, or peace issues. We were able to have conversations without getting too political, even though they are political issues. Everyone was able to be respectful and listen to each other’s opinions. To have productive conversations, we need to be more respectful of each other’s opinions, and really listen to each other,” said Saya.

Beyond group discussions, students also attended excursions based on their group’s focus. Saya, as part of the diversity and inclusion group, attended an exchange with local high school students featuring a brush performance and calligraphy experience, an exchange with international students at Hiroshima University, and a lecture on Higashihiroshima City’s internationalization initiatives.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida briefs the press on the Hiroshima G7 Summit in February 2023 (Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo)

nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and raise awareness. “I hope that the people who read our document, the leaders, take into account the issues that we think are important for this modern day and age,” said Saya. “I hope they can have respectful conversations about it, too,” she added.

“I got to see a lot of the city,” Kai said. “It was a very beautiful and vibrant place, with cherry blossoms blooming on every street. However, after visiting the Hiroshima Museum, I learned that it had not always been that way. The photographs and testimonies in that museum painted a much different picture of Hiroshima right after the bombing, a city ablaze with burning ruins and corpses littering the streets.”

“When people get too riled up about issues, the conversation just doesn’t go anywhere,” explained Saya.

“There are extreme people on both sides of the political spectrum. Most people aren’t extreme like that but because those people are so out there, it makes it seem like no one can have conversations anymore because everyone is just going to attack each other. I hope that people find it within themselves to calm down and have a conversation and be able to listen to each other’s perspectives.”

“I got to talk to a hibakusha, or nuclear bomb survivor, named Keiko Ogura,” Kai continued. “She told us how from inside her house she could hear the cries of burn victims and smell burning flesh. War had only brought devastation and death to Hiroshima, but peace was able to heal these scars and make the city beautiful again.”

Both Saya and Kai found their experience to be valuable.

“This was a really cool experience and if anybody else gets this opportunity I would encourage them to take it. I learned a lot and made great connections,” emphasized Saya. “We were able to talk about the issues that we are passionate about without offending anybody or it getting too heavy.”

The students compiled a communique document with their thoughts and ideas, which will be shared with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other G7 leaders. “In the document we wrote addressed to the G7 and the Japanese government, we wrote about all the commitments we made to help achieve world peace,” Kai described. “I hope to continue promoting

“I was so glad to be able to meet so many incredible people.

Our group got to see the mayor of the city and the governor of the province,” Kai said. “In a couple weeks, I think a few members of the peace group are going to personally present our document to Prime Minister Kishida. I believe this will allow youth voices to be heard at even the highest level of government.”

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Designing Deep Learning High school principal Amy Zuber Meehan talks to Matt Wilce about the exciting Deep Learning Seminar courses ASIJ is developing.

As ASIJ continues to explore what the campus of the future will look like through our master planning process (see the Fall 2022 issue for more on that), the School is also working on designing curriculum that will prepare students for an ever-changing world. In the high school the development of a Deep Learning Signature Program will introduce a variety of new classes that will culminate in two Deep Learning Seminar courses. Starting in the 2024-25 school year, juniors and seniors will have new opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary learning in the new seminars that blend a discussion-based seminar approach with opportunities to extend, apply, and exhibit learning beyond classroom walls.

“We think it's really urgent that we are helping kids make connections across disciplines, across perspectives, and across worldviews,” says high school principal Amy Zuber Meehan. “Both courses are described as seminars because they are discussion-based opportunities for students to explore advanced topics, collaboratively and independently, and develop agency,” she adds. Each is deliberately “teacher-framed, student-led,” and will offer a plethora of opportunities for students to interact with professional mentors and form other learning partnerships. The Grade 11 course will also focus on problems related to specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Amy shares that three teachers, Becky Naughton (who is currently teaching social studies at ASIJ), Matt Kuykendall,

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and Maka Black Elk, have been tasked with developing these seminars as part of their work next year. Students in the Class of 2026 and beyond will complete the two Deep Learning Signature courses, one in Grade 11 and one in Grade 12. The complementary courses will be designed as a two-year sequence where students apply the Deep Learning competencies and skills they have learned over their time at ASIJ. “Becky's background is very much in the humanities, economics, psychology, and her doctoral work is in student self efficacy,” Amy says. “Matt Kuykendall is coming to us from Vienna, where he teaches Theory of Knowledge, and our third member is Maka Black Elk, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who teaches at Red Cloud School in South Dakota. He's currently doing work in truth and reconciliation with his school district and has a background in social justice.” These three teachers, with their diverse perspectives, will split their time between teaching in the high school and designing the seminar program. “We're hoping their schedules work so that they design every other day and then they've got time to design and seek input from other educators and figure out what are the core student experiences we're looking for?”

Amy is hoping that students will also be engaged in the development program and hopes to build on the informal feedback sessions she’s had with students this year. She’s asking students, “Are you willing to be part of a group of students who come in and say, hey, here's what really

is important and matters to us? Here are the issues and the complex sticky problems in the world that we want to help solve. Creating an advisory group that functions as a challenge network for those educators that are building the program will model many of the competencies, such as critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, that the seminars themselves will require.

ASIJ is also exploring co-crediting for the new Deep Learning Seminar courses with Arizona State University. Back in October, Amy and Scott Wilcox, Deputy Head of School for Learning, visited the university and their discussion on how the two institutions might partner on the new courses continues. Students already have the opportunity to take classes accredited by Syracuse University through their SUPA program. Next year, a SUPA data science course will join our existing offering of Introduction to Creative Nonfiction and Introduction to Entrepreneurship. " Students often talk about SUPA as being some of the most meaningful courses that they remember from their time at ASIJ - along with courses

like Synthetic Bio, AP Research and Japan Seminar. Kids really enjoy the opportunities in these courses to pursue their own inquiries (or curiosities)," Amy says. "We're excited to be building a program where all students will have the chance to explore their own projects."

During their time in the United States, Amy and Scott visited a variety of universities to talk with their admissions offices and recent ASIJ graduates attending them, to gather feedback on the School’s future direction. The response from Harvard’s admissions team’s reaction was that the curriculum was very exciting and that it would in no way disadvantage or harm students in admissions. Tufts responded that ASIJ’s new courses would be a “breath of fresh air in the curriculum” and that it is “impactful for students to know about themselves in ways that traditional pathways may not allow.” Wellesley College’s feedback was that they loved the focus on students as changemakers and that “it aligns with our pedagogical models and is great preparation to thrive in college.”

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Learning to Learn Nikki Torchon takes a look at metacognition in the Middle School

Under hundreds of brightly colored paper cranes, their wings dancing in the columns of sunlight shining through the windows from above, seventh-graders happily chatter in the Middle School Commons. They debrief about last block’s test, plan to enjoy the good weather during lunch, and get excited about baseball practice.

The same neurons firing in their brains as they take those breaks between classes are just as active in their lessons.

There is a lot of growth in the brain in the middle school years. “Some neuroscientists discuss this growth at this stage as being as rapid as when children are very young and

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learning to walk and talk,” explains middle school principal Pip Curtis. “During this stage of development, the brain goes through a process of synaptic pruning, so essentially what you're not using withers and dies. Your brain doesn't grow this rapidly at any other time in your future life.”

This is one of the reasons why middle school students are encouraged to enjoy all of the wide range of electives ASIJ offers —from visual art and design tech to foreign languages, for example – so that this architecture of their brain can be accessed later in their lives.

El ipiciis repedis venia verspedi que di occusdae. Ut voloria am quae

Students use QR codes to access a Google form to share feedback on their PE performance each week

Students keep journal entries to reflect on their progress

Among the myriad of social-emotional and academic lessons middle school faculty are teaching is the concept of metacognition, sometimes described as learning to learn or thinking about thinking. But it is also the process of constantly reflecting on what one knows and how one learns to fill those knowledge gaps. This seems like an intensive exercise for an adult, and even more so for a middle schooler. As the brain builds from the back to the front, where emotion and impulse regulation happens, thinking about thinking and layering it with emotional response can be a difficult habit for middle schoolers to develop.

And so the instruction of metacognition in middle school has started with reflection. Curtis describes a reflection exercise for a reading assignment. For example, a student might have successfully completed a reading log and made notes in the margin. But perhaps there was a disagreement during a book club meeting. It is important for a student to reflect on how each aspect of a process has affected the outcome and then to determine what steps can be taken to enhance the outcome next time. In this situation, a student could speak with the teacher, remember that their peer has some good ideas, or ask for a partner to check their work.

Emotion and confidence play into self-assessment and can affect its accuracy. “We know that accurate selfassessment has a huge impact on learning,” says Curtis,” so it is important to help middle schoolers produce evidence.”

Whether a student is feeling very confident in their courses or the opposite, the learning progression rubrics for ASIJ’s Portrait of a Learner (POL) competencies are helpful to give students signposts and indicators to chart their progress and learning.

“Teachers have been thinking with students about how to self-assess accurately on the Portrait of a Learner competencies. They have coached students to provide their own evidence using the progressions and then curating that evidence, student quotes, to use in report cards.” In this way, students can work with faculty to learn this skill, to thoroughly understand their progress in a class. “Teachers have been really creative with the ways that they're using the progressions and how they're having kids track their evidence to produce this metacognitive response. When students own their learning, they know what the next step is on the progression. They know they need to produce evidence. It becomes much more genuine for them. The child needs to be able to get in that process themselves and then they can be an independent learner who is inspired to be their best self,” emphasizes Curtis.

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The MS commons hosts community events, study card games, and much more

Justin Jacobson, middle school humanities teacher, described this process in the context of his eighth-grade class. “I had the students take a long look at the Portrait of a Learner competencies, and then we chatted about which ones had been activated in our unit. The unit was about segregation and citizenship and how laws and public policies developed in the United States to create the Jim Crow South. It culminated with a student inquiry project where students created a museum featuring artifacts that showed the impact of laws and policies on the everyday lives of African Americans. Students then had a reflection session where they chose one or two of the POL competencies to reflect on the progress they had made with those in the course of the unit.”

Jacobson then took a part of his students' quotes (mostly verbatim, but sometimes lightly edited for clarity) and added them into their report cards, with a sentence or two for context. The product was designed to be a thoughtful, evidence-based reflection that students understand and can use as they move on in their education.

T he lear ni ng p r o g r e s s io ns fo r eac h competency, developed in partnership with New Pedagogies for Deep LearningTM, are detailed and, at first glance, aspirational. At their core, however, they are accessible and reflect the

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best parts of not just student learning but of our hopes for the next generation.

“A third-grade student or a seventh-grade student is capable of reflecting and thinking, ‘Hey, you know, when I listen to that person and I really hear what they need, I was able to do something differently to be able to support them. And it actually made all of what we were doing together better,’” emphasizes deputy head of school for learning Scott Wilcox.

This approach is evident across the middle school curriculum and in PE classes the focus is on positive wellness behaviors that center on mindset and collaboration. Although each grade level has a different focus, the teachers use common language. “The aim is that students build each year on what they have learnt about mindset/ collaboration and with that comes different expectations of what we would like to see,” said PE teacher Emily Fichardt. “ Obviously it's an easy marriage when you have these two competencies linked with physical movement and what some perceive as physically tough challenges. One frustration that we had in the department was tracking student progress. How do you truly know students are improving?

Collaboration and teamwork are key to learning processes

What could we do to track how students are feeling?” Their solution was to trial a simple QR code feedback form that is quick and easy for students to fill out at the end of each week. The prompt is simple: "Rate how well you positively contributed to your team today." Fichardt explains that while this is not a perfect model, it gives teachers a student perspective of what is going on in their head week to week.

“We can then see how a student is managing throughout the year,” she adds.

Metacognition “puts a lot more focus on the process of thinking and learning —on taking risks and trying again and again— than it does on the result,” Curtis adds. For example, “eighth graders did an assignment called CRISPR, where they looked at modifying genetic material. It's really incredible.”

The middle schoolers worked with the high school AP synthetic bio class to take pieces of DNA and modify the piece that is responsible for sickle cell anemia. She adds that: “The eighth-graders were learning from their high school peers who were explicitly saying, ‘you know, it might not work. It doesn't always work. And then we have to figure out what we did wrong.’ The eighth-graders kind of giggled and said, ‘what if we fail?’ And then the high schoolers said, ‘Well, then we try it again. We go back and rework some things and talk to our peers about what they did differently.”

While Wilcox says that metacognition instruction is a differentiator, he is quick to point out that it has purpose beyond that. “What we're shooting for in terms of student metacognition and students understanding themselves as

sophisticated learners is very unusual. Even though we are early in our journey to get all kids there across all areas, there is clarity about that goal. We have awesome teachers and awesome kids who are doing great metacognitive work right now and we want to support any other school in the same journey. Ultimately, we need whole generations who are having these types of conversations.”

As ASIJ students practice these competencies during their time as a Mustang, this behavior will become a habit that they can repeat in every situation. If, in the future, whole generations are continually practicing accurate selfassessment and reflecting on knowledge and progress, they can shift cultures and norms and lead with understanding of themselves and others.

ASIJ is early on its journey of deep learning and metacognition, and the progress made already is exciting.

“When a child leaves school, what they're bringing with them is what's in their minds. That's where all the learning takes place and how they view things,” explains Wilcox.

“Our goal is to develop these lasting competencies because that's actually what kids need to thrive and survive. And if you focus on, say, content or answering questions... We all know at this point content is ubiquitous. Competencies are what really matters. Because the learning is inside the student's head, what matters is their understanding of themselves as a sophisticated learner and their ability to speak to themselves with sophistication as a learner.

That's metacognition.”

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Susan DeMarsh and George Ting ’64 at the memorial event honoring Joe DeMarsh (FF ‘62–63)

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Second Chances and Lasting Legacies Nikki Torchon reports on how former high school principal Joe DeMarsh and George Ting ’64 reconnected after many decades and the lasting repercussions an act of kindness can have.

In the spring of 1963, George O Ting ’64 was a junior at ASIJ. He was in student council, enrolled in the School’s honor society, and had already been accepted to Columbia University.

“When I was a junior in high school, I was pretty comfortable,” George reflects.

“I was class president, played two sports, got good enough grades to get into a good school.” As can be the case with high schoolers, George had his reckless moments, too. “I did something that wasn’t smart. I took something that wasn’t mine. I expected instant expulsion–it would have been appropriate.”

A year prior, in the summer of 1962, Joe DeMarsh moved from Oregon with his family to become ASIJ’s first high school principal, a role necessitated by growing enrollment. His children, Joe ’73 and Leslie ’74, enrolled for the year in the first and second grades. As principal, Joe was lauded for his effective development of a curricular program as well as the administrative organization. He was popular with students and parents alike and contributed to the success of the School’s move the following fall to the Chofu campus.

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Joe DeMarsh in his office at ASIJ in 1962 It was towards the end of the school year that Joe happened to be looking out of his office window and witnessed George’s action. He called George into his office.

“I was the definition of falling apart,” George later admitted.

“I don’t remember a lot of the details, but after we spoke, Mr. DeMarsh said, ‘let’s see if you can do better.’ And I had no idea what that meant. Were we going to negotiate some sort of suspension?” As George walked out of Joe’s office, he realized Joe had let him off without punishment. “I was feeling that I was going to suffer the worst humiliation, disgrace my family, not be able to go to college… [Joe’s kindness] steered me toward how I should be. ‘Let’s see if you can do better’ was a challenge.”

Though Joe and George only shared one year at ASIJ, Joe’s impact on George endured.

occupation and later the expansion of the Eastern Bloc in Europe. Others fled the communist revolution in China.

Some were the children of the American military. Some parents were missionaries, while others’ parents were here on diplomatic posts. Many of these students had seen upheaval beyond their teenage years, and Tokyo in the early 1960s was a city rebuilding itself focused on the future and the coming Olympic Games.

The Ting family was one of many that emigrated to Japan from China in 1950 to escape communism. Simao Ting had managed to obtain Portuguese passports in Macau that allowed him, his wife Gloria and their children, Grace ’61, Maria ’62, and George ’64, to move to Japan, joining relatives who had already made the same move. Cecilia and Liang Chiang, Gloria’s sister and her husband, had already fled from Shanghai in 1949 with their children, May ’64 and Philip ’65.

/////////////////////////////// In the late fifties and early sixties, as is the case today, ASIJ’s student body was diverse and what brought families to the School varied widely. Some students had fled Nazi

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While their husbands worked separately, Liang at the Chinese Mission in Tokyo and Simao at his import-export business, Cecilia and Gloria worked together at their Chinese restaurant, Forbidden City. Gloria also devoted

The DeMarsh family in Tokyo in 1962. Joe ‘73 and Leslie ‘74 were in first and second grade

much of her life to Christian fellowship. Cecilia eventually moved to San Francisco, California, where she opened several renowned restaurants and had a great influence on Chinese food in America, her influence compared to that of Julia Child by chef and restaurateur Alice Waters, among others. Cecilia’s son, Philip, followed her into the restaurant industry, co-founding the chain P. F. Chang’s. Grace and Maria also moved to the United States after graduation, Maria initially studying at Oklahoma Presbyterian College before transferring to the University of Maryland, while Grace earned an undergraduate degree at Westmont College in Montecito, CA. George also flourished at college, earning his undergraduate degree from Columbia University in 1968. He continued on to medical school at the University of Southern California and completed his residency in internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and then a fellowship in nephrology at Stanford University.

George went on to practice nephrology at El Camino Hospital in Los Gatos, California, for more than 40 years, specializing in treating patients in critical condition with kidney disease, dialysis, and transplantation. He also taught at Stanford University for more than 30 years, and is an adjunct Professor Emeritus of Medicine. Before retiring a few years ago, George served in many leadership positions at El Camino Health, including chief of medicine, chief of staff, district board member, medical director of quality assurance, and medical director of dialysis Services for 29 years. Throughout his career, George was invited to speak at dozens of national engagements, was co-investigator of national clinical trials, and authored multiple peer-reviewed medical journal articles.

“With everything I did, I thought more about Joe DeMarsh – that I wouldn’t be doing what I was doing or have achieved what I had achieved without that extraordinary kindness and grace,” said George.

George Ting ‘64 as seen in his senior yearbook

As George neared retirement, he tried to find Joe, with whom he had lost contact decades prior. “As I was slowing down in my occupation, I thought, ‘wow, I’ve got some unpaid debts,’” George commented. “The event with Joe DeMarsh became bigger, and the burden of the debt became heavier. I didn’t want this feeling I had about Joe DeMarsh to be something I didn’t do anything about. It really made such a difference in my life. I wanted to look him in the eyes and thank him.”

With the help of ASIJ’s Advancement Office, George sent Joe a letter expressing his gratitude for Joe’s compassion.

While George wanted to show his gratitude for Joe, merely giving Joe a gift, a token of appreciation, didn’t include a key element of what George wanted to achieve.

“I wanted to make a difference and contribute to his legacy,” he said. Considering George and Joe’s relationship, giving to ASIJ made sense. “I settled on the idea of an endowed fund because it’s permanent. The fund could be in Joe’s name and do good in perpetuity.” George thought endowing a scholarship was particularly fitting, given Joe’s background as an educator. “Helping a kid felt so right,” George said as he reflected on his own education and emotional growth at ASIJ. ///////////////////////////////

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An adventurous and lighthearted man, Joe regularly extended kindness to others, enjoyed playing pranks on his friends and family, and worked hard no matter the task. As a teenager, Joe had joined the merchant marines and enlisted in the army. Later, he enrolled in the University of Idaho on a football scholarship and earned degrees in geology and geography. He became a teacher, eventually earning a master’s degree as well. By the time he was offered a position in Tokyo in 1962, Joe had gained extensive experience in the classroom and as an administrator in elementary and secondary schools and was pursuing a doctorate.

During his year in Japan, Joe helped with ASIJ’s internal reorganization, becoming the school’s first principal of junior and senior high school, and dealt with many challenges brought by the School’s impending move to Chofu. The sale of the property and destruction of some of the buildings at Nakameguro had already gone ahead and Joe was faced with providing students PE and co-curriculars without the use of the Mayer Gym or playing field. He got creative in using the front lawn for many PE classes, brokered a deal for ASIJ to use St Mary’s gym four days a week, and even secured access to military-run golf courses for the new student golf club.

Joe returned to Oregon after his time at ASIJ and spent the rest of his career in education. He earned a reputation as an enthusiastic educator because of his engaged and energetic approach. Joe worked hard to secure state funding for his schools and was committed to developing strong programming as “being small and rural was no excuse for being second rate.” He personally arranged and supervised hands-on learning experiences for students.

He also volunteered for decades at the Pendleton RoundUp, an annual rodeo, and was named Volunteer of the Year for the rodeo’s centennial in 2010. Many mornings, before dawn, Joe would be knee-deep in mud and manure taking care of the irrigation system and the animals. “The most humble guy in the world — a world traveler, highly educated — out there battling broncos and bulls,” said Dave O’Neill, a Round-Up past president. “How much he gave in many ways set an example for us.”

While George’s original thought was to bring Joe and Joe’s wife, Susan, to ASIJ’s campus for an event to formally establish the scholarship in Joe’s honor, when George connected with the family, he learned Joe’s health was failing. George quickly planned a trip to Pendleton, Oregon, where he got to meet with Joe and thank him for his compassion all those decades earlier. Joe died two days later, on February 14, 2023.

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Claire Lonergan, Director of Giving, Susan DeMarsh, George Ting ’64 and Head of School Dr Jim Hardin at the endowment presentation The celebratory event briefly planned for ASIJ’s Chofu campus became a celebration of Joe’s life with his family and community in Pendleton. The memorial was held on March 11, 2023, at Hamley’s, a saddle and western store and steakhouse. It was an appropriate location as years earlier, Joe had visited Pendleton while moving cattle to the area and bunked in a room above Hamley’s. Joe eventually settled in the town with Susan.

“In Pendleton, Joe was loved. Everyone knew him,” George remarked. George was joined at Joe's well-attended memorial by Joe and Susan’s extended family and members of the local community. ASIJ’s Head of School Dr Jim Hardin and Claire Lonergan, Director of Giving, both flew from Tokyo to participate. It was a fitting backdrop to honor Joe’s legacy as a community man and educator with the launch of the Joseph E. DeMarsh Endowed Scholarship “in gratitude for his exceptional grace and kindness.” The scholarship will be funded in perpetuity through a gift made by George, who is establishing an ¥80 million endowed scholarship fund. George’s generous donation will enable the School to support deserving students through the scholarship — more information on ASIJ’s endowment, planned giving, and our scholarship program can be found on pages 36-39.

Susan’s daughter, Sam Childs, underscored what qualities Joe found important. “Joe kept this William Penn quote in his wallet, as long as I knew him. The paper was worn and torn.”

I expect to pass through life but once.

If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow-being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.

Joe had written next to this quote, “This I shall endeavor to do.”

George shared with the memorial attendees that their stories gave him a greater understanding of who Joe was.

“The chance he gave me catapulted me into the rest of my life. Now that I’ve heard your stories, I realize that that was who Joe always was — giving people a chance and seeing the best in them.”

“As a nephrologist, I have seen hundreds, maybe thousands of people, in some of the last moments of their lives,” George continued. “None of them talk about the size of their bank accounts. They all talk about their families, their friends, the people important to them. And all of you here,” George said to the memorial attendees, “you are what is important to Joe. He’s a rich, rich man.”

At the end of his remarks, George raised a glass to the room of Joe’s Pendleton community. “To Joe,” he said. “To Joe,” the room echoed. “And to you, George,” they continued.

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ANNUAL FUND UPDATE Progress to Date

We are pleased to share that with your Our Goal help, we have raised just over ¥91Goal Our million for the ASIJ Annual Fund so far this year. Our goal of raising ¥120 million for our 120th year by June 30 We’ve is well within reach! We hope we can We’ve Raised count on your support to help us reach our goal.

Raised Thank you to those of you who have helped support ASIJ and continue to Our Goal demonstrate your deep commitment to our school. If you haven’t yet made a gift to the Annual Fund, there is still time to contribute and all giftsWe’ve no matter the size combine to make a Raised difference for our school.

¥120M¥120M ¥91M

¥91M

¥102M

¥102M

¥120M ¥102M

¥91M

*Please note that current year numbers are as of April 20, 2023. Previous year numbers are end-of-year total.

Fund Year 22/23

Our Goal

Participation Our Goal

1000

Current Donor Households

Current Our Goal Donor Households Current Donor Households

1000

653

653

1000

Year 930Fund 22/23

Fund Year 22/23

¥50M

930

¥40M

¥50M

¥30M

¥40M Fund Year 21/22

¥20M

¥30M

Fund Year 22/23 Fund Year 22/23

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Fund Year 21/22 Fund Year 21/22

Fund Fund Year Year 21/22 22/23

¥41,534,868

¥50M

930 653

Fund Year 22/23

Fund Year 21/22

¥10M ¥20M

FundRaised Yearon Giving Tuesday 22/23 ¥40M Fund Year 21/22

¥30M ¥20M ¥10M

¥41,534,868 Raised on

Fund Year Giving Tuesday Fund Year 21/22 22/23 ¥28,677,104

¥41,534,868

Raised onYear 20/21 Fund Giving Tuesday

¥17,643,910

Fund Year 21/22 ¥28,677,104

Fund Year 21/22 Fund Year 20/21 ¥28,677,104 ¥17,643,910

Fund Year 20/21 This past fall, we raised a record amount for Giving Tuesday and ¥17,643,910 brought in an outstanding ¥41.5 million for the Annual Fund!

Gifts were made from current parents, alumni, parents of alumni, former faculty and staff, as well as current faculty and staff.

¥10M

Chicky Bhavnani PTA Annual Fund Committee Chair

ANNUAL GIVING COMMITTEES The PTA Annual Fund Committee and the Alumni Council Giving Subcommittee were both established in the 2021-22 school year. The committees are made up of volunteers from both our current parent and alumni communities, and they engage in regular discussions with ASIJ’s advancement team about the school' s fundraising strategy, and work to actively promote the ASIJ Annual Fund.

Paul Hastings ’00 Alumni Council Giving Subcommittee Chair

Each committee is always seeking to grow its membership. If you are interested in learning more, or joining one of these volunteer committees, please contact the Advancement Office, donate@asij.ac.jp.

We are forever grateful to the entire ASIJ community for wholeheartedly supporting our family in countless different ways! As we celebrate graduation at the Sheldonian Theater at Oxford University we are reminded that it took a village of dedicated compassionate people to help our children be who they are. As parents, alumni, and faculty we could not be happier to be a part of this wonderful community filled with good people!

—Bapi ’90 and Miwa Ghosh (AP ’05-20)

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ENDOWMENT Donor Profile: Drew ’87 & Jen Little As one of almost 80 ASIJ alumni who are also parents to current ASIJ students, Drew Little ’87 has a long and deep love of ASIJ. “I care about ASIJ,” Drew says. Simply worded but loaded with emotion, this is just one of the reasons why Drew and his wife Jen have chosen to support both ASIJ’s endowment and the Annual Fund, knowing that their generosity will impact current and future students and faculty.

Drew moved to Japan in the 1980s for his father’s executive role in Alcoa Aluminum, Inc. He returned with his family last summer for son Campbell ’24’s junior year. They have enjoyed exploring Tokyo’s many neighborhoods, meeting new friends, and socializing at the Tokyo American Club.

It’s exciting to Drew and Jen to see the impact that philanthropy has on the campus and community. “We want to directly impact the kids,” Jen emphasized. Drew and Jen want to help the school community by supporting existing programs and finding ways to build school spirit.

This year, the couple chose to make an unrestricted gift to ASIJ’s endowment, meaning the School has flexibility to direct these funds as it needs. They understand the importance of continuing to grow ASIJ’s endowment over time, which will help to stabilize the school and ensure its future. Jen told us that “this is Drew’s legacy and will be our son’s.”

Eager to adventure, try new things, and explore is how Drew, and his wife, Jen, lead their lives. As parents, Drew and Jen relish being part of the school community. They love getting to know the students, teachers, and coaches, and feeling school spirit.

Drew has frequently come back to campus to work with high school teacher Jason Cancella in his Intro to Entrepreneurship class, one of ASIJ’s Syracuse University Project Advance (SUPA) courses, where Drew has shared thoughts on business and strategy. After his graduation from ASIJ, Drew moved back to the States and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in international relations. An entrepreneur and investor, Drew has sold several successful businesses over the years, while Jen spent several years in tech recruiting. “We worked hard to get where we are. We are very grateful to give back,” they said.

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If you’d like to join Drew and Jen in supporting ASIJ’s endowment, or want to learn more about creating a named fund, please get in touch with the Advancement Office at donate@asij.ac.jp.

Donor Advised Funds Through a donor-advised fund (DAF), Drew and Jen shared that they are able to give efficiently. The smooth system of a DAF makes giving flexible and easy and a DAF can last for the life of the donor and beyond.

What is a donor-advised fund?

•

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a third-party account set up to manage the charitable donations of individuals, families, and organizations.

•

The donor funds the account with cash, stock, real estate, cryptocurrency, and other assets.

•

Contributing to a DAF allows the charitable donor to take a tax deduction immediately and give at a later time.

•

While the donor is deciding what organization to support, the DAF assets can grow through investment options, tax-free.

•

The donor can support an organization by giving the funds in the DAF months or years later.

Current Endowed Funds Alumni Scholarship Fund ASIJ Technology Fund David Nicodemus Bequest Edwin and Haru Matsukata Reischauer Fund The Equinox Fund Faculty Development Fund Financial Aid Four Reds Fund (established by Drew ’87 & Jen Little, and family) General Endowment Hoffsommer Memorial Fund

Endowment: Securing ASIJ’s Future through Endowed Gifts

John Sullivan Memorial Fund

A strong endowment is essential to ensuring the future of ASIJ. Unrestricted support of the Annual Fund is key to allowing ASIJ to make immediate program enhancements; however, the endowment ensures ASIJ’s long-term financial security.

Ray Downs Faculty Fund

The difference between cash reserves and endowment is that while cash reserves may be used for immediate purposes, the goal of an endowment is to preserve the capital while the return on its investment helps to fund ongoing operations.

Strength and Courage Fund

Quite often, donors establish a fund within the endowment to support a particular goal, to ensure in perpetuity a program that is important not only to the school, but to the donor. Other funds are established with no restrictions on their use other than they be used wherever the school believes students will derive the most benefit.

Vicky Downs Scholarship Fund

Joseph E DeMarsh Scholarship Fund Ki Nimori Fund Munzenmeyer Memorial Fund

Ray Downs Scholarship Fund Reischauer Fund

The Takakuni Go Fund Toma Family Fund

Zee Family Fund

Restricted or unrestricted named funds may be established with a minimum gift of ¥5 million.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how to support the endowment, please reach out to the Advancement Office, donate@asij.ac.jp.

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SCHOLARSHIP Mustang Need-Based Scholarship

ASIJ recently offered its first annual Mustang Need-Based Scholarship to a deserving applicant (and the recipient accepted!).

To be clear, ASIJ has always offered financial aid to needy families who entered ASIJ under normal circumstances, but who (for one reason or another) temporarily need financial help. In addition, there have been times in ASIJ’s history when the community has banded together to help a particular student attend the school.

The Mustang Need-Based Scholarship is a new, systematic approach to making an ASIJ education available to applicants for whom our school would otherwise be out of their economic means. The scholarship is available to students entering the School between grades 8 and 11 inclusive. In order to qualify, the annual household income of the applicant must be below our threshold and the applicant must have the legal right to reside in Japan. Beyond that, the Scholarship Committee looks for students who can not only be successful, but for whom an ASIJ education will be most transformational. The scholarship is provided for up to five years, dependent on the recipient maintaining the appropriate academic level and abiding by the school rules.

For those who are wondering, we do not identify scholarship recipients. In order to ensure that their ASIJ experience is as inclusive as possible, the scholarship includes not only tuition, but bussing, a laptop, and school trips related to the curriculum.

Despite the fact that ASIJ is a non-profit institution, it is not inexpensive to operate the school, or to attend it. Awarding scholarships doesn't mean that the school simply forgoes the associated tuition and fees; they must still be paid.

And they are, through donations to the Annual Fund and the Endowment. The generosity of our community and the rapid growth of donations has given ASIJ the confidence to launch this program with a mid-term goal to add one scholarship student each year until we have five recipients in grades 8-12. Further growth in the program is dependent only on the generosity of our community.

If you have been considering a donation to the Annual Fund but have been wondering what programs your gift might support, I hope that the launch of the Mustang Need-based Scholarship Program will help to convince you of the worthiness of your support. Please consider a gift of any amount to our Annual Fund, and add your name to the list of our school’s financial benefactors. If you would like to consider launching an Endowed Fund (which you may restrict to programs such as need-based scholarships), such a gift will fund the program about which you’re most passionate, in perpetuity (please see the article on page 28 on alumnus George Ting ‘64’s recent gift to the ASIJ Endowment in support of scholarships). For more information about the scholarship program, or to discuss making a gif to support scholarship, please email donate@asij.ac.jp.

Clive Watkins Director of Advancement

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THE GATE SOCIETY

Planned Giving

Those who have generously arranged to include ASIJ in their estate plans become members of The Gate Society.

Members

Planned giving is a long-term fundraising option that enables individuals to make charitable donations that consider both the personal and family needs of the donor. Planned gifts are usually made of assets, rather than current income, and are a tax-effective means of giving to our school. While there are tax and other financial benefits associated with planned giving, the most meaningful reward is knowing that your gift will leave a legacy and have an impact on future generations of our students.

Anderson, Irene ‘74 & Somes, James

Planned Giving Can Include:

Jones-Morton, Pamela (PhD)

Bergt, Dave ‘60 & Jeannine

Ludlow-Ortner, Jules ‘72 & Ortner, Robert

Cohen, Frederick ‘69

Muhl, Dick

Cooper, Peter & Pam

Nichols, Kerry & Lynn

‡ Dennis, Thurman

‡ Nicodemus, David ‘33

Downs, Vicky

Proctor, David

‡ Downs, Ray ‘50

Shibata, Hideko ‘66

Forgrieve, Bruce '77

‡ Snyder, Ronald

Glazier, Kenneth ‘67

‡ Sullivan, John

Harada, Mary ‘81

Sundberg, Carl ‘77

‡ Harris, Frederick

Suzuki, Chizu ‘64

‡ Haven, Robert

Ting, George ’64

Hesselink, Ann ‘71

Trozpek, Robin ’67 & Ludd

‡ Hoffsommer, Abigail ‘27

Tunis, Jeffrey

‡ Hoffsommer, Walter ‘29

Ware, Brent ‘74

• Simple bequests of funds

Huddle, James ‘70

• Gifts/bequests of stock or property

‡ Deceased

• Making ASIJ the beneficiary of a life insurance policy • Charitable gift annuity • Charitable remainder trust ASIJ has been receiving planned gifts for more than 30 years, and throughout our school’s history there have been a number of alumni, former faculty/ staff and alumni parents who have generously arranged to include ASIJ in their estate plans and leave a gift to our school.

Please contact the advancement office at donate@asij.ac.jp for more information on making a bequest, or to request guidance on how to include ASIJ in your estate plans.

In May, 1980 when introducing my son, Jeffrey ’84 to ASIJ, we entered a classroom while a class was in session. A bright young student from the back of the room, yelled: “It’s a great school!”

Jeff thrived as a student and starred in football, basketball and pitched for the Mustangs. In fact, in 1983, ASIJ won the Department of Defense Boys’ High School Far East Tournament.

We found ASIJ better than “great!” In fondness and in gratitude I am a member of the Gate Society and will forever be supportive of ASIJ.

—David Proctor

Alumni Parent ’80–83

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Remembering Thurman Community members share their memories of iconic elementary teacher Thurman Dennis, who recently passed away.

The warmth and kindness of the ASIJ community brought tears to the eyes of participants when more than 50 current and former faculty and alumni around the globe gathered virtually to celebrate the life of beloved former elementary school teacher Thurman Dennis (FF ’62–93). Hosted by the Advancement Office in Tokyo on February 23, the event marked the great impact that Thurman, who passed away in New York City on January 18, had on his students and colleagues during his tenure at ASIJ. Thurman joined the School in 1962 and spent the next 30 years enlightening the minds and brightening the days of young learners with his enthusiasm, his warmth, and his sincerity, both in and out of the classroom. He was deeply involved in many aspects of school life and served on the Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1993. After retiring from ASIJ, he remained an active member of the community, attending New York receptions on numerous occasions and making friends with alumni community members long after he left Tokyo. In 1996, a room in the elementary school building was named after Thurman, a rare honor at ASIJ. He returned to Japan for the ceremony and an unveiling of a lightbox designed by art teacher Ki Nimori (FF 1960-2002, AP '74-84) which captured moments from Thurman’s career and some of his unique costumes.

Thurman dedicated his entire life to encouraging his students to explore, question and discover. The deep impact he had on his students, their families, and his colleagues truly became clear at the memorial, as many of Thurman's colleagues and former students at ASIJ, as well as friends and neighbors in New York, shared their wonderful memories of Thurman. It was clear from the warmth in the room that Thurman was well-loved by all of those around him.

Dan Bender (FF ’88–15, AP ’91–09) led the remembrances, followed by dozens of attendees who shared their memories of Thurman. Thurman’s neighbors in New York, Allan Weidenbaum, Tony DeLisio, and Peter Farrell also joined the call and shared wonderful stories of their time with him.

Attendees were deeply touched to hear at the end of the event that Thurman had remembered ASIJ incredibly generously in his estate plans. It is gratifying to know that Thurman's time here was so meaningful to him. We will share more details about his legacy and the impact of his gift in the coming months.

In the words of ASIJ's Director of Advancement, Clive Watkins, who hosted the memorial, “It was outstanding to meet Thurman in New York and hear him reminisce about his ASIJ days and his love of theater and art. He was well-loved by his students and coworkers alike. While he is no longer with us, he will not be forgotten.”

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Thurman was a man who radiated energy and a zest for life. He certainly had a warm and hearty laugh and a long and fruitful life that touched so many people in various and positive ways. He was one of the early morning people at the elementary school over the many years we worked together.

You could set a clock by Thurman's very disciplined approach to life. He walked into the inner circle at 7am and he left at 6pm every single day!

I often sought his counsel and his perspective, and learned from his fun take on life—those moments were some of the dearest to me. But the big thing about Thurman was that he was a personality, and he was a presence. He was one you could really depend on—a hard worker, a man of total integrity and a good heart. He had an amazing ability to communicate with children, and was always respectful and empathetic. He talked to kids like adults, with respect.

Thurman not only inspired his students, but he earned the confidence of parents—he enjoyed a great rapport with the parents of his students, and enjoyed communicating with them. He understood the “give and take” that was so essential to being a teammate with parents in their child’s learning.

Thurman's leadership and contributions really extended beyond the classroom. He cared deeply for ASIJ and his association with it, and he sought to add value. He was also part of a core team of long term educators who supported the school's relocation to Chofu, who just added immeasurably to ASIJ’s positive reputation locally and beyond.

Thurman was a person that welcomed me, took an interest in me, encouraged me just like one of his students. And again, a hard worker, a dutiful man, an artful teacher, and one that I am very grateful to be associated with.

—Dan Bender (Elementary Principal ’88–15, AP ’91–09)

Mr Dennis was my fifth-grade teacher during the 1968–69 school year, and the first male teacher I ever had: my first lesson that jobs were not divided by gender. I remember how much we liked him and that he was a great teacher, too. I don’t have any great stories to tell, but I fondly remember him, his gentle demeanor and his fantastic grin.

—Laurie Tossy ’76

—Pattie Boyd (FF ’77–87, AP ’87–88)

Thurman supervising ES student council with Kathleen Nelson (FF ’89–11)

Thurman was a gentleman and a scholar in every sense of the words. He was a wonderfully kind person. One thing that I always appreciated about him was, in spite of how dramatic he could be in the classroom and his interest in the theater, he was very calm in the face of disagreement with parents or colleagues. He really put children at the center of his work. That was apparent even in the short time I knew him.

Thurman was also very welcoming to me when I joined ASIJ in 1991. I remember the Halloween parades and the ver y creative costumes that Thurman had. That was a great memory! I also always enjoyed going down to his classroom because he just had such incredible control. The kids were so actively engaged, and it was just a marvel to see this professional in action. I was very happy to be part of Thurman’s last two years at ASIJ. —Peter Cooper (Head of School ’91–03, AP ’99-03, ’06-07)

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Thurman and I met in 1977 when I first arrived in Tokyo. We team-taught for three of my 11 years in Japan and worked on many projects together over the years. We even kept up our friendship after moving back to the US. We saw each other once or twice a year until I moved to Naples, FL. We talked by phone regularly and I was in touch with him all the days leading up to his passing. I know ASIJ meant so much to him.

—Judy Beneventi Thurman with Richard Gilbert ’96 in 1986, when Thurman was Richard's third grade teacher

(Elementary Associate Principal, Director of the Early Learning Center ’92–13, AP ’92–94)

I got to share two years at ASIJ, in 1975 through 1977. What I remember about Thurman was his kindness. I had just graduated from the university right next door to ASIJ at ICU, and I was just starting my career. So I see Thurman as having been right there when I was getting my footing as a teacher. He really did help me—I remember sitting in his classroom learning how to teach, and he was such an incredible teacher, a caring teacher. He listened. And I will forever be grateful to him for all that he taught me and so much attention that he gave me and the kids.

I had Mr Dennis for third grade in the 1970s, and he was one of my favorite elementary school teachers.

I remember that I was in his class the year that Star Wars came out, and he shared everyone’s excitement at how groundbreaking that movie was. I also remember that he taught us all kinds of songs, like the "Erie Canal Song" and "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and all kinds of American folk songs. He was a really great teacher and I just wanted to express my gratitude towards him.

He was an incredible person. I learned so much from him. But the one thing that I always remember about him was when I would say, “Goodbye.”

And he would say, “Goodbye, see you tomorrow!” Or, “ToodIes!” That was the other thing he’d say. I loved him.

He was a great guy.

—Paula Rogers ’86

—Becki Miner (FF ’91–94, AP ’01–03)

—Shigeru Miyagawa (FF ’75–77)

Thurman Dennis was a friend. In our many years together at ASIJ, I relished bumping into him and then becoming enthralled by whatever topic we discussed. However, my favorite memory of Thurman was one Halloween day, when everyone in the Elementary School wore a costume. As all children Kindergarten through fifth grade toured the three school buildings, Thurman appeared, amongst the fifth-graders.

Taller than most, he would have stood out anyway. But he carried a wooden frame, backed with a deep red cloth. He was dressed and his face was made up to look like the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Every camera in the area took a photo of him.

Thurman's Mona Lisa costume steals the show at the 1992 Halloween parade

—Vicky Downs (FF ’59–99, AP ’69–84)

I met Thurman on my way to Japan. Thurman was on his way out, and Peter Cooper sent him to check me out to see whether or not I could manage to live in a Japanese house.

Luckily, Thurman said yes! It turned out when I returned to New York from Japan, that the apartment I was able to purchase thanks to ASIJ was one block from Thurman's. So I kept in touch with him, and would periodically call him to see how he was, especially as he was moving into his elder years. I was always struck by Thurman's dignity. I mean, he just carried himself so erectly through his entire life.

—Irene Gilman (FF ’94–99)

I can only imagine that Thurman didn’t plan to spend the final two years of his long career mentoring me, a novice thirdgrade teacher. That is exactly what happened, though. He was a master teacher, so kind and generous with his time and energy. I will be forever grateful for his gentle guidance and amazing expertise as I made my way through those two years.

We did various activities which combined our two classes.

An outstanding memory was the production of an Earth Day musical. Thurman was the drama coach and I taught them the music. It was such fun, typical of Thurman’s projects.

He facilitated so many rewarding experiences in those two years. He remains an example of what a master teacher is. It was great good luck that my classroom was next to his.

—Kay Melton (FF ’91–98, ’00–01, AP ’91–94)

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I remember him, obviously, as Mr Dennis, my third-grade teacher. I really don't know how to describe him, but I have wonderful, lasting memories of him. One of the memories that definitely stands out about Mr Dennis is that I don't remember Mr Dennis getting mad at me almost at all. I think there was just one time Mr Dennis got mad at me and that was, of course, another student's fault. I was very respectful to Mr Dennis and I was furious with my classmate for getting me in trouble because I knew what a kind, gentle, amazing person Mr Dennis was. When he got upset, he wouldn't get loud, and his voice would tend to get softer. And I've realized as an adult that that definitely works better than getting mad at someone — to show that you really care and you're really listening to what they have to say. And so I really have wonderful, wonderful memories of my time in his class.

And one thing that stands out in all the wonderful memories I have of him as a homeroom teacher is that he always had a brooch to celebrate holidays. Whether it was Halloween, Christmas, whatever the occasion was, he always had a brooch. And I thought, what a fashionable teacher.

He dressed extremely well but also had a lot of imagination and a lot of passion. And it really came off not just in how he dressed, but his demeanor.

—Parsi Parsinejad ’97

Thurman was known for how he engaged with students with respect Tony and I have been neighbors with Thurman for the past 21 years. We shared all of the same hobbies, like the Metropolitan Opera and the museum. Thurman was such a kind and gentle man who was always positive and had a great sense of humor. He loved his apartment, which was full of beautiful artifacts and memorabilia from his time in Japan and at the school. It was clear he felt very warmly about everybody at ASIJ and the children he worked with.

Thurman in his very first year of teaching at ASIJ in 1962

44

It really was a pleasure to know him. And, you know, a couple of years ago, he gave us a list of the people he would want to know if he would want us to notify in the event of his death. And I said, you know, why don't I notify them now? So perhaps they can provide you some support. And of course, when we did, the flowers started pouring into the room. And that brought such joy to him—when we visited him, he had a smile on his face about all the memories of ASIJ.

He was part of my third-grade teacher group, and I was always intimidated by him as a student. Probably because he was so intelligent, but also because he was so tall! More importantly, my mother, Margit Umezaki (FF ’62–92, AP ’68– 76, ’77–83, ’84–86) and Thurman taught together for many years at ASIJ and became great friends. She would often visit him in New York, and Thurman made many trips to see her in Santa Fe. Through their friendship, I got to know Thurman as an adult, and realized, yes, he was super smart, and tall (though not so tall after all). We miss him dearly, and will always remember the great memories we shared together.

I got to know Thurman not only as an ASIJ parent—he had each of my sons three years apart for third grade—but I also knew him as a colleague for about eight weeks when I worked as a substitute for a third-grade teacher who was on maternity leave. Thurman helped me quite a bit getting to know the children in my class and how to prepare for the day and carry out my lessons.

—Ken Umezaki ’82

—Marian Apple (AP ’82–88)

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—Allan Weidenbaum, Thurman’s neighbor in New York

Thurman with Scott Adams (AP ’05–17, FF ’05–17), Laura Lyons (AP ’96–07, FF ’00–07), Irene Gilman (FF ’94–99), and Barbara Laffan (AP ’66–67, FF ’66–67) at the 2020 NYC alumni reception

Director of Advancement Clive Watkins was deeply moved at the outpouring of fond memories at Thurman's memorial I was the kindergarten teacher at the Chofu campus, Thurman was the third-grade teacher, and as I've been reflecting on his teaching, I keep coming back to the element of acting.

He really knew the part of teaching that was acting. He really was a dramatic teacher. I was also so impressed with the way he used precise language with his students. And he used a very sophisticated vocabulary with them, which impressed me. On a lighter note, you all noticed the changes in Thurman over the years in those photos that we saw, the changes in his hairstyle, the changes in his glasses. He always had the most interesting glasses and outfits, whether it was his daily clothing or his wonderful Halloween costumes. But it was one day, the very first day that we were back together after summer vacation in 1985, Thurman said, “Well, did you notice the change in me?” And he turned his head from side to side. “I got my ears done!” he said! He had always had ears that stuck out really big, and he had had them tucked. And I was impressed that he would even acknowledge that. I really appreciated how forthcoming he was with that kind of thing.

What a great colleague Thurman Dennis was.

—Karen Kreider Yoder (FF ’83–89, ’96–99, AP ’95–99)

For over 20 years, I lived next door to Thurman— Al and Tony live on one side, and I am directly on the other side. I would see him zipping down 16th Street, all dressed up to go off to a show, which reminded me very much of my own British family who still dress up for things. Speaking with his slightly raspy but very quiet voice, he was always asking me what shows I had just seen recently, and if I've been traveling, where I was going. He just had this zest for life—it was in the way he spoke, in his body language. Just seeing him in our building and just him in general, he had this real joie de vivre, which I think was very rare.

I was in Mr Dennis's fifth-grade class, and he inspired an excitement to learn. I remember being so full of love for being in his classroom. One thing I remember very clearly is when I became very indignant at the injustice given to me at Mr Dennis's hand. You see, we were in a little huddle of five girls and the other girls were talking, which I would never do, because I loved him too much. (I'm being a little sarcastic when I say I would never talk out of turn!) But I felt it was unfair, because I wasn’t talking, but he sought to scold all of us. So I stood up and I spoke back to him and I got even worse punishment for that punishment. (Meaning I was just asked to calm down a little bit!) And so of course, I had this horrible crying, terrible, tearful episode, because I loved him so much and I didn't really want to have this kind of conflict with my favorite teacher.

At the end of the day, I went home and was just sharing this horrible story with my mother, and she suggested I write a note of apology and maybe if I felt like it, a little gift. So I went out to the yard and caught a large toad, put it in a box with my note and put it in his desk the next day! When he found it, he laughed so hard. He just loved it. And the whole thing was forgotten, and we were back to enjoying the wonder of learning. And what I learned was that he cared about me so much to let me express this crazy childishness and just let that be a part of a learning process that was not just in the textbook, but in my emotional self. And I loved him for that. Very much.

—Beth Skillman Mallozzi ’76

One wonderful memory is that barely two months ago when we had our building’s holiday party, I was standing near Al and Tony and other people in our building's atrium, and I turned around and all of a sudden, here comes Thurman with his aide. Despite his age and condition, he was at this holiday party with all of us, and having him there was just such a wonderful memory. I would see him out and about all the time, and he would never mention anything about how he was struggling or suffering. He'd always ask me how I was doing and always had an upbeat attitude.

So I feel very fortunate to have lived adjacent to Thurman for so many years.

The full memorial can be viewed on YouTube

—Peter Farrell, Thurman’s neighbor in New York

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ASIJ Alumni Impact Award 2023 How Hiro Fujita ’98’s perseverance in the face of unfathomable adversity has transformed awareness of ALS in Japan

It is our great honor to announce Hiro Fujita ’98 as the second recipient of the ASIJ Alumni Impact Award, which is presented annually in recognition of alumni who have made a significant positive contribution in their field or pursuit. Hiro has worked tirelessly to bring awareness of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, and raise money for research into advancement in medical treatment options. He is also an advocate for policy changes to ensure ALS patients have access to the care they need, particularly in Japan, through his nonprofit organization, END ALS.

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Hiro himself was diagnosed with ALS in 2010, and has continued to support the ALS community even as his own condition has become more serious with time. The committee was deeply moved by Hiro’s efforts. “We have so many brilliant alums to choose from who have made significant contributions to their communities, but on a personal level, none have been more impactful to me than the work Hiro has done to advocate for ALS patients in Japan and bring awareness to those like him,” shared committee member Naomi Hayase ’99. “I continue to be inspired by his strength and bravery.”

Hiro shows off his Tamagochi in the March 1997 Hanabi Hiro, who first enrolled in 1995 as a high school freshman, was a star athlete and a well-loved member of his class. “Hiro is basically a part of my family. He pretty much lived at my house on the weekends when we were in high school, to the extent that my parents ended up offering me the master bedroom and putting an extra bed in it for Hiro to sleep in!” shared Ross Morimoto ’99. Many others agreed. “Hiro has this power to make those around him feel special,” commented Masako Yamaguchi Mizutani ’99. “He brings out the best in people.” Hiro’s impressive athletic accomplishments are immortalized in the 1998 Chochin, where he is featured in both the varsity football and varsity soccer pages. “Playing soccer and football, hanging out with friends, dating… ASIJ is so full of fond memories for me,” Hiro shared with us with the support of his helper, Chiaki Nakano.

After high school, Hiro went on to university at Hawaii Pacific University, and then moved back to Japan for a job at his dream company, McCann Erickson, a global advertising company. “He had this drive that really stood out amongst his peers,” commented Ross, remembering how excited Hiro was for the job. “I think the sky was the limit for him and where he could have gone in his career.”

Unfortunately, Hiro’s path took an unexpected twist in 2010. “In February 2010, I started to have difficulty lifting my arms. Over the next few months, my legs began to feel very weak and I struggled going up stairs. Finally I decided to go to the hospital,” Hiro shared with ASIJ in an interview in 2014. At first, he assumed it would be a standard visit where he would be prescribed medicine to fix the problem, but he began to grow nervous when testing lasted into a second week. “On November 26, 2010, I was told that I have ALS, a terminal disease that attacks your motor neurons, paralyzing every part of your body, eventually fatally affecting the lungs,” Hiro recalled. “All I heard was, ‘Your body will slowly become paralyzed and you will die. There is no cure.’”

At first, Hiro found it difficult to come to grips with his situation. “So many different feelings flooded my mind, and I was overwhelmed and confused,” he shared. “I couldn’t believe it. It felt like, ‘why me?’ I felt panicked and, at first, like it would be better if I was dead, but at the same time, I didn’t want to die.”

That night, Hiro watched every video about ALS that he could find online. It was hard, but he knew he couldn't run away from the diagnosis, and he wanted to be informed about his condition. “I would be strangely calm and then suddenly my heartbeat would jump to 500 bpm,” he recalled.

“I was up all night on this roller coaster of emotions.”

Over the next few years, the disease began to have a more and more obvious impact on Hiro’s life. He recalls how first it became hard to brush his teeth and shave. Then he started tripping over nothing. Then one day, he sat on the sofa and was panicked to find he wasn’t able to get up. But at the same time, he felt strongly that he couldn’t just give up. “I needed to do something,” Hiro shared. “I felt like there had to be some meaning in the fact that I got ALS, that there must be something that only I could do for the cause.” After brainstorming with friends and family, Hiro came to realize that because he had a background in advertising, he was perfectly positioned to start a campaign to raise awareness about ALS and find a cure. And so, with the help of his father and friends, END ALS was born.

END ALS’s mission is two-fold: to raise funds to find a cure and to advocate for policy change to provide comfort in communication for people living with ALS. “Technology makes all of the difference in allowing ALS patients to live as normally and comfortably as possible,” Hiro explained in 2014. “For example, I use Tobii eye tracking software so I can control my computer cursor with my eyes. Japan's insurance doesn't cover it unless you can only move your eyes, but

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Hiro with the 1997 Varsity Boys soccer team and coach John O'Leary (FF ’78–10, AP ’94–10) every person in need deserves it.” Through END ALS, Hiro is dedicated to providing agency and dignity to ALS patients worldwide. In his mind, it is integral to “give a voice back to those who are silenced, so patients can unite to raise awareness and demand a cure.”

As Hiro’s high school friends will attest, bringing people together and inspiring them is one of Hiro’s greatest strengths and one that allowed him to make great progress through END ALS despite his physical limitations. Through his eye tracking software, he used social media to raise awareness and meet fellow ALS patients all over the world, from Brazil to Germany to Taiwan to Norway. “The wealth of information shared is invaluable. It's a powerful tool for the global ALS community to work together to end ALS,” Hiro commented.

In January 2013, Hiro’s condition progressed to the point where a tracheotomy was necessary. This allowed him to breathe through a tube, but it also made it impossible for him to speak. However, Hiro felt more resolved than ever to keep advocating for a cure. “My voice is louder now that ALS took it away,” he shared, and sure enough, soon after, END ALS began to get more and more attention within Japan. Hiro was featured on several Japanese television programs in 2013, and he published a bilingual book about his experiences with ALS called “99% Thank You—Things Even ALS Can’t Take Away.”

The book received national attention and was featured on Japanese national broadcasting, helping to build momentum in END ALS’s visibility in the community. In June 2014, Hiro was invited to meet with the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare to submit a proposal for policy to support the needs of ALS patients. Through END ALS, he has staged a wide variety of demonstrations and awareness events around Japan and worldwide, including charity running events in partnership with NIKE and widespread participation in the Japanese “Goron” ALS awareness campaign, where participants laid on the ground to illustrate and experience what ALS patients experience in their daily lives.

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Even as his condition progressed, Hiro was selected to be an Olympic Torch Runner for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, though he unfortunately was forced to step down in July 2021, after the Olympics were postponed. While Hiro now requires 24-hour care and can only communicate using his eyes, he continues to spread awareness of his condition through his YouTube channel, Facebook, and Instagram, and through the work of his END ALS colleagues. His perseverance even in the face of unfathomable adversity has inspired the ASIJ alumni community for more than a decade.

"Anywhere in the world it takes an incredible human to harness one's own suffering into action to benefit others,” commented Alumni Council President Deanna Elstrom ’85.

“However, in Japan, where those suffering from severe illness often choose to avoid the public gaze, Hiro's activism and efforts to show what ALS looks like on a day to day basis are particularly remarkable. We chose Hiro for this award to honor him and all that he has done to raise awareness of ALS in Japan and push forward for a cure." Alumni Award Committee Co-Chair Gary Yamada ’00 agreed, stating, “Hiro has garnered support from countless people, and some of his most ardent advocates are his alumni friends. I felt that he has united the ASIJ community in a way that few others have done.” Gary’s comment rings true in the outpouring of support from Hiro’s friends and classmates in response to his nomination for the award. “No one has achieved a level of authenticity quite like him,” shared Joseph Forbes ’98. “He continues to inspire us in how we respond to life's adversity on a daily basis.”

Hiro, for his part, was extremely humble upon learning of his award. “I was shocked to hear I had been selected,” he shared with us through Chiaki-san. “It’s such an honor to receive this award — I can’t wait to share the news with my friends, family, and everyone at END ALS!” His strength and resolution while facing one of the most difficult conditions possible serve as inspiration for ALS patients worldwide, and through the Alumni Impact Award, we hope his story will inspire the ASIJ community as well. Hiro truly embodies his personal motto, “Live like you'll die tomorrow; keep learning like you'll live forever.”

Young Alumni Changemaker Award 2023 Recognizing the meaningful work of our inaugural recipient, Haruka Kokaze ’18

After the successful launch in the 2021–22 school year of our first alumni award, the ASIJ Alumni Impact Award, the Alumni Office, in collaboration with the Alumni Council’s Alumni Award Committee, was thrilled to introduce a second award this year to focus on the achievements of our recent graduates. The ASIJ Young Alumni Changemaker Award highlights the outstanding and impactful accomplishments of alumni who graduated high school in the last 10 years.

Through this award, we seek to recognize and honor young alumni who have brought about a significant positive change to a community or institution through efforts such as service work or a role in policy, advocacy, or the nonprofit sector.

We are proud to announce that the inaugural recipient of the Young Alumni Impact Award is Haruka Kokaze ’18, who is recognized for her work in the field of mental health and wellness for those of Asian, and particularly Japanese, background. As a member of the Mental Wellness Affinity Group of the US-Japan Council and a senior at New York

University in an accelerated program with a BS in Applied Psychology and MA in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness, Haruka has worked with numerous experts in the field of mental health to understand the specific struggles those of Japanese heritage in America face. Her work in the field has seen her collaborate with Stanford University’s Dr Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Dr Takashi Matsuki, and alumni parent Dr Kathleen Pike (AP ’99– 10), who is Professor of Psychology and Education in Psychiatry and Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center.

“I felt proud, excited, and honored when I found out I was selected as the award recipient,” Haruka shared. “The recognition serves as a motivating factor for me to continue working towards my goals and making a positive impact on my community and beyond.” We will be sharing more about Haruka and her accomplishments in the Fall 2023 issue of The Ambassador.

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ALUMNI

Alumni Connect

ALUMNI CONNECT EVENTS

Tokyo

Tokyo Bonenkai

Deanna Elstrom ’86, Nina Yamano ’95, and Eri Sumino ’14 organized this year's Alumni Bonenkai, which was a great success! With a whopping 65 community members in attendance spanning the classes of 1965 to 2018, it was one of the best attended year-end parties to date. The event was held on Dec 9 at Midtown BBQ, a restaurant operated by Tomas Gistren ’87.

Deanna, Nina, and Eri were joined by both local alums and visitors in the area for the holidays. Alumni Council members Joseph Schmelzeis ’80 and Buddy Marini ’85 were joined by alumni parents John Gullatt ’70 (AP ’89–99), Hitomi Hattori ’83 (AP ’98–15), Fred Morgenstern ’83 (AP ’03–20), Rei Suzuki ’84 (AP ’08–22), and Sherry Yu-Hoshi ’88 (’07–15), past Alumni Connect: Industry Meetup panelists Noriko Iikuni-Saito ’89 and Asami Tanimoto ’00, and Class Agents Mimi Kano ’94, Kacie Leviton ’98, and Tai Dirkse ’06, along with several members of ASIJ's Advancement Office.

Tokyo

Tokyo Hibiya Park Picnic The Alumni Connect: Tokyo group had a beautiful, sunny October day in Hibiya Park for their second meetup. They set up leisure mats on the lawn and had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones with attendees that ranged from Class of ’70 to Class of ’18. Everyone went home with some cool ASIJ swag, as well.

Organizers Deanna Elstrom ’86 and Eri Sumino ’14, along with Alumni Council Alumni Connect Committee member Nina Yamano ’95 were excited to welcome Ernie Higa ’70, Steve Knode ’86 (AP ’19–21) and Sharon Knode (AP ’19–21), Bruce Eimon ’86 and wife Kaoru Yamagishi, Andrew Melton ’94, Mimi Kano ’94, and Mimi Fons ’18.

Tokyo First Thursdays

Deanna Elstrom ’86 and Eri Sumino ’14 have launched a new initiative for the Alumni Connect: Tokyo group: bimonthly regular meetups in downtown Tokyo on the first Thursday of every other month. These events are planned to allow alums a chance to connect spontaneously with no RSVP or commitment required—if you’re in Tokyo on the first Thursday of even-numbered months, you can drop by The Rigoletto in Shibuya to grab a drink and chat with fellow

Tokyo ASIJ alums. The first meetup was a huge success, with alums from the Classes of 1970 to 2019 in attendance.

They hope to see more alums at future meetups!

Be the first to know about future events. Join your local chapter here!

Tokyo

Honolulu

Los Angeles

Atlanta

Washington DC

Austin

Find links to the Boston, NYC, San Francisco, and Seoul chapters on Mustangs Online

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Atlanta

Honolulu

Honolulu Meetup

The Alumni Connect: Honolulu group led by Andy Ogawa ’90 enjoyed a fantastic event on February 25 at Andy’s house in Diamond Head. Sixty Mustangs, including spouses and kids, attended, ranging from the Class of ’66 to future grads of the Class of ’28. Guests were entertained with live music complete with a DJ, as well as catered food and drinks.

Margot Sakazaki ’95 and Christie Samson ’00 were integral to the preparation and execution of the event. “It was nice to meet old friends and make new fellow Mustang friends,” Andy shared. “There was great turnout from Class of ’90, with ten classmates attending the event. I look forward to hosting another alumni get together again next year.”

Atlanta Meetup

Scott Kubie ’87 kindly hosted more than a dozen ASIJ alums and their families for an Atlanta area meet-up on Saturday, April 1. The group enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and making new connections for the first time! “I look forward to future events and getting to know everyone better!” Scott commented, adding that he hoped that next time some who were not able to attend due to scheduling will be able to attend.

Washington

Washington, DC Meetup LA

LA Meetup

Naomi Hayase ’99 arranged an alumni meetup in LA on April 2. More than 20 alums from the Classes of 1973 to 2020 gathered in Little Tokyo to reminisce about their time at ASIJ and enjoy drinks, Japanese food, and snacks kindly provided

by Michael Sanders ’87 from his company, Spirit Almonds.

They are looking forward to planning another event this summer—please reach out to Naomi at naomidhayase@ gmail.com if you’d like to help plan!

Austin

The inaugural meetup of the Alumni Connect: Washington, DC group was a huge success with 59 alums from not only from the DC area, but also from Baltimore, MD; Charlottesville and Richmond, VA; and Wilmington, DE. There was a 60-year age range, with the most senpai Mustangs hailing from the Class of '61 joining recent grads from the Class of '22. The first half of the outing was a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art’s Rinpa Screens exhibit, followed by Japanese refreshments at Hatoba Ramen Shop. Jennifer Hamill Collins ’78 is already looking forward to planning the next meetup.

Austin Meetup The very first ASIJ Alumni Connect: Austin, TX area meetup on April 15 was a success with a great turnout for a first time event! Arranged by Deanna Adams Smith ’78 and Carolyn Coleman Piotrzkowski '78, the event was attended by alums from the Classes of 1964 to 2015 and a great time was had by all. They ate BBQ, talked of old times, compared notes between classes, and looked at old pictures of long-serving teachers that everyone knew, even if the younger alums were shocked by their retro looks in old yearbooks! Most people didn't know each other, but by the end, everyone in the group was all hugging goodbye and talking about planning the next one in three or four months! It was a wonderful day.

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ALUMNI

Reunions

REUNIONS

’92

The Class of 1992 had a blast at their thirty-year-plus-one reunion in early April! Led by Jeff Kelsch ’92, they enjoyed a reunion dinner and fun tourist experiences around the city on April 1 and 2, before visiting ASIJ for a campus tour on April 3. They enjoyed seeing how ASIJ has transformed since their time here, and then re-lived their school days with a lunch of ginger chicken and cookies from the kiosk.

Head of School Jim Hardin and Deputy Head of School for Learning Scott Wilcox dropped by to talk about ASIJ in the present and future, engaging the group with diagrams of mockups for future building construction and discussion of teaching and learning in the 21st century. The day ended with a tea ceremony performance by high school students and trying out traditional matcha tea and snacks, courtesy of the Japan Center.

“We are so grateful to the Alumni Office for putting together the school tour, lunch, leadership conversation, and the tea ceremony,” Jeff commented. “We all had an amazing time!”

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30th+1 Reunion Tokyo April 1–3, 2023

ALUMNI

Reunions

’82

40th Reunion Boston, September 16–18, 2022 Tokyo, November 4–5, 2022

Class Agents Lisa Bastick ’82 and Shoko Maetani ’82 arranged two 40th reunions in 2022 for the Class of 1982.

The first was at a rental property near Boston in September, and took place over three days with lots of good food, barbecuing, walks in nature, and trips to nearby Salem and Boston. The second reunion was held in Tokyo in early November, and while it was unfortunately smaller than originally intended due to travel restrictions, it was still a great time full of reminiscences of old times.

Lisa and Shoko are hoping to hold more Class of ’82 gatherings this year to make up for those who were unable to travel last year. Stay tuned for more information in the future!

’02

20th Reunion Tokyo November 11, 2022

The Class of 2002 held their 20th Reunion in Tokyo on November 11, 2022. They started the day with a tour of ASIJ campus to check out what had changed since they graduated and what familiar old stomping grounds were still around, then enjoyed a nostalgic ginger chicken lunch at the Japan Center. In the evening, they enjoyed dinner, drinks, and party games downtown.

Many thanks to Mifumi Asano ’02 for organizing and Ruka Sakurai ’02 for helping with the school visit in Mifumi's absence.

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ALUMNI

’63

Upcoming Reunions

60th Reunion Las Vegas Oct 9–12, 2023 Nancy Wu (naninvan@me.com) Bill Martino (txmartino@yahoo.com)

’73

50th Reunion

+ surrounding classes

Leif Neve and Darice Koo (asij73reunion@gmail.com)

’83

40th Reunion

’93

30th Reunion

San Francisco Oct 20–22, 2023

Boulder, CO Basecamp Boulder Hotel Sep 21–24, 2023 Sally Burks Schmalz (sallyschmalz@gmail.com)

’64–’69 59th–54th Reunion Catalina Island, CA Oct 24–26, 2023 Leslie Okada Roberts (lesliebirkland00@gmail.com) Annie Nichols Campbell (campbell.annie@gmail.com) Toni Dyktor Mullen (tonimullen@gmail.com) Kris Broe (krisbroe@gmail.com)

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New York City: July 28–30 Tokyo: July 26 Briney Burley (briney@gmail.com)

ALUMNI

Upcoming Reunions

2023

Tokyo Alumni Community Reception

2023

LA Alumni Community Reception

Thursday, September 28, 2023 The ASIJ Alumni Office welcomes alumni, families of alumni, and former faculty and staff to join us for an evening of light refreshments and Mustang spirit. Enjoy the company of old classmates, make new ASIJ friends, and take the opportunity to chat with ASIJ leadership at this annual evening event. There will be ASIJ swag and photo opportunities, as well!

Saturday, October 28, 2023 Join us for a fun evening of chatting and reminiscing about ASIJ with fellow alumni, alumni families, and former faculty and staff at The Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza! We look forward to hosting alumni community members for light drinks and refreshments and sharing with you about the future of ASIJ. Don’t miss the chance to catch up with old friends and make new ASIJ connections!

Other Campus Events Keep an eye out for information about ASIJ campus events like Spirit Day and Winterfest! We would love to see members of the alumni community on campus.

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Classes pre-1955 and those noted below need class agents. Please contact alumni@asij.ac.jp if you are interested.

1955 William L. Cryderman

wcryderman@comcast.net

1956 Mei Sun Li

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

1957 Charles C. Wu

wucc57@gmail.com

1958 Class Agent Required 1959 Class Agent Required 1960 David E. Bergt

dbergt@comcast.net

1961 Kiki Skagen Munshi

kiki@skagenranch.com Isao Okada Herring jayokada@gmail.com

1962 Katherine C. Bauernschmidt Clarke kcbclarke@gmail.com

1965 Scott Hutchinson

jshutch47@gmail.com Susan Broe Parmelee Sparmelee2@gmail.com

1966 Annie Nichols Campbell

campbell.annie@gmail.com

1967 Grenda F. Penhollow Moss grendamoss@yahoo.com

1968 Nicholas D. Connor

ndconnor@yahoo.com David T. Sakamoto dave.sakamoto@infoontheweb.com

1969 Laura B. Hertenstein Swanson laura@swanson.com

1970 Daniel Garnitz

dangar46@yahoo.com

1971 Kathy K. Kobata

kkobata21@gmail.com

1972 Linda Suzukawa-Tseng

sutseng@wonder.ocn.ne.jp

1963 William L. Martino

txmartino@yahoo.com Nancy Wu naninvan@me.com

1964 David Bonner

dbonner@regenevita.com

1973 Leif Neve

leifneve@gmail.com

1974 Class Agent Required 1975 Reiko E. Niimi

rniimi@gmail.com

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

1976 Elizabeth M. Yanagihara Horwitz liz@lizhorwitz.com

1977 Carl E. Sundberg

carl_sundberg_ja@yahoo.com

1978 Deanna Adams Smith

deannasmith1959@gmail.com

1979 Cheryl Wise

shareallwise@gmail.com

1980 Margaret Meiers

margaretmeiers@yahoo.com

1981 Sherry L. Davis Tighe

tighezoo@sbcglobal.net

1982 Lisa Bastick

omalasq@mac.com

1983 George Mimura

georgemimura@yahoo.com

1984 Judith Walsh Baumhover

baumhover@earthlink.net

1985 Sandra L. Orton Tweed

sandra@prestonmatthews.com

1986 Diane E. Stewart Wack diwack@msn.com

1987 Robert L. Sharp

robert@robertsharp.com

1988 Sergei P. Hasegawa

sergei@purekitchen.com Kathrine L. Schmitt Simon schm0495@gold.tc.umn.edu

1989 Linnea M. Hasegawa

tamagomeshi@yahoo.com Samantha Fritz Hurd samf@austin.rr.com

1990 Kentaro K. Relnick krelnick@me.com

1991 Maiko Galles

maikomizutani@hotmail.com

1992 Jeff Kelsch

2001 Kyoko Minegishi

kyoko.minegishi@gmail.com

2002 Anna L. Tuttle Delia

annalynnosu@gmail.com

2003 Tyler Beesley

tyler_beesley@hotmail.com

2004 Jason Mothersill

jasonmothersill@gmail.com

2005 Tatsuya Izumi

izumtat@gmail.com

2006 Tai Dirkse

tdirkse@asij.ac.jp

jeff@kelsch.com

1993 Briney Burley

Briney@gmail.com Mayumi Nakayama mayumi.kathi@gmail.com

1994 Midori Kano

mkano128@gmail.com Margaret R. MacCallum margaretreiko@gmail.com

1995 Yuki P. Maddox Vos

pearlvos@hotmail.com

1996 1997

Mana Sasaki Kalohelani mkalohelani@gmail.com

2007 Carly Baird

baird.carly@gmail.com Rosalind E. Onions rosalind.onions@gmail.com

2008 Miles Bird

miles.t.bird@gmail.com Jemil Satterfield jemilsatt05@gmail.com

2009 Caitlin E. McHose

caitlin.mchose@gmail.com

Hisashi A. Shimizu sunny_shimizu@hotmail.com Vicky (Carter) Chen vickycarter@hotmail.com Sarah Godfrey sgodfrey617@gmail.com

1998 Rose E. Hastings

rosehastings@gmail.com Kacie E. Rosenberg Leviton kacie_r@hotmail.com

1999 Naomi D. Hayase

naomidhayase@gmail.com Tamina M. Plum taminaplum@gmail.com

2000 Gary T. Yamada

gtyamada@gmail.com

Ashley Teslik ashleyteslik@gmail.com

2010

Janet H. Kanzawa janet.kanzawa@gmail.com Kana Maeji kanamaeji12@gmail.com

2011 Hannah T. Siegel

hannahtsiegel@gmail.com Philip T. Tseng philtseng7@gmail.com

2014 Akira Camargo

akiracamargo01@gmail.com Sayuri Sekimitsu sayurisekimitsu@gmail.com

2015 Mina F. Hattori

minahattori@me.com Haruka Higo jjriko@aol.com

2016 Ray M. Hotta

ray.hotta@yahoo.com

2017 Allessandra Rogers

rogeal01@luther.edu Andy Takagi andy.takagi@gmail.com

2018 Hikari Shumsky

hikarishumsky@gmail.com

2019 Kenichiro Bernier

b.kenichiro@gmail.com

2020 Arman Balian

armanbalian@me.com Celine Maeda-Tarumoto celinemaedatarumoto@gmail.com

2021 Karen Fukuda

karenfukuda16@gmail.com Joshua Inahara inaharaj3@gmail.com

2022 Nio Kwan

niokwan@me.com Ellie Reidenbach ellie.reidenbach@gmail.com

2023 Ryan Haddad

ryanhaddad23@gmail.com Tomo Ishikawa tomokinyc215@gmail.com

2012 Seung Joon Sung

sjsung94@gmail.com

2013 Lia Camargo

lollia1108@gmail.com Andrew Deck andrewdeck227@gmail.com

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Artifact

In 1919, Dr Walter E Hoffsommer, an educational leader with much experience at Meiji Gakuin, was persuaded to become the principal for the following year. Hoffsommer oversaw the renaming of the School to The American School in Japan, reorganized the entire curriculum as well as the extra-curricular activities, and took a keen interest in how the school would finance its future as it prepared to move to a new site in Shibaura.

Dr Hoffsommer’s popular tenure at school was cut tragically short when in December 1922 he passed away on a trip to China to attend a conference with other heads of international schools. Two days before Christmas he was asphyxiated by carbon monoxide fumes from a coal stove in his room. The foreign community in Tokyo mourned his loss and

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funeral services were held at the school in January of 1923. To honor him, students raised money for a sundial at the Shibaura campus.

Despite a series of moves that resulted from catastrophic damage to the Shibaura campus from the 1923 earthquake, the sundial was eventually installed at the Nakameguro campus in 1927. Further disruption came when the sundial was destroyed in 1941, during the closure of the campus. It was replaced by the staff of the 1949 Chochin. In 1963 the sundial was moved to the Chofu campus, where it stood in the student courtyard for many decades. Today the copper plaques and bronze dial and gnomon are preserved in the archive waiting for installation in their next home.

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Obituaries

Sayonara MARY LINDA BOATWRIGHT ’71 passed away peacefully at home on February 23, 2023. She was 69 years old. Remembered in her senior yearbook with the Homer quote “the mildest manners and the gentlest heart,” Mary Linda was known for being a talented player of the Japanese board game go and for writing poetry.

Mary Linda is survived by her brother, David Boatwright ’73, and sister, Judy B. Stewart ’76, as well as Judy’s family.

PAUL DELONG ’51 passed away on December 4, 2022 in Lakeland, FL. He was 89 years old. Born in 1933 in Albany, IN, Paul grew up during the depression in a little house behind his grandmother’s with an outside toilet and a water pump. In later years, his family moved to a variety of locations due to his stepfather’s position in the National Guard and ended up in Tokyo in 1949, during the US military occupation after the war. Paul attended the Meguro campus for the 1949–50 school year and then returned to South Bend, IN, graduating from high school in 1951. His family recalls that his time in Japan left a great impression on him, particularly the experience of living in a foreign country and mingling with the many people of varying cultures. He was fond of traditional chochin lanterns, for which the ASIJ yearbook was named, as they represented his connection to Japan and his time at ASIJ to him.

Paul attended Clark College in Vancouver, WA, as a freshman, then went to Indiana University Extension in South Bend for his sophomore year. He then joined the Air Force for a 2 year stint, before attending Indiana University at Bloomington and graduating in 1955. After graduating college, Paul took a job with the IRS as a revenue officer. He met and married his wife Lynne in 1960, and in 1961, after attending programming school in Manchester, NH, he joined the automated division at IRS in Washington, DC. After many years at IRS, Paul transferred to US Customs in the automated division. In

1982 he was sent to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with his wife and two children, John and Amanda.

Paul retired from US Customs in 1989, and returned from Saudi Arabia and lived first in Virginia and then Florida with Lynne. He is survived by his wife, Lynne Ann Waterson DeLong; his children, John DeLong and Amanda Ramirez, and their families; three siblings; and four grandchildren.

RUTH STIREWALT DURLOO ’34 passed away on August 19, 2022 at the age of 104. Born to Lutheran missionaries in 1918, Ruth grew up in Tokyo. Along with her two sisters, Meta Stirewalt ’33 and Alice Davis ’40, she attended ASIJ through all of her primary and secondary education, graduating in 1934. She then went on to attend the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, and entered the medical field as a lab technician upon her graduation in 1938. She took a break from her career briefly to serve in the US Navy for a little over a year during World War II, but returned to her lab technician job after the war. Ruth was married to Leslie H. Durloo and had two children, Gayle and Scott.

GERRY HOOPS (FF ’78–90) of Vancouver, WA, passed away on November 27, 2022. A wellloved fine arts teacher for more than a decade, Gerry taught a wide range of courses at ASIJ, from Mechanical Drawing and Fashion Illustration to Advertising and Design. He also served as the advisor for the design and construction of the set for the fall play, and proved himself to be not just creative but also athletic as the assistant coach for varsity baseball.

Gerry is remembered by students as “nice,” “funny,” and a “great dresser,” and was such a widely-respected member of the community that the 1990 Chochin was dedicated to him and his wife Jo Hoops (FF ’78–88, ’89–90) in the year of their retirement.

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ALUMNI Photography by Jake Belcher

Former ASIJ bus driver YOSHIHARU IIDA (FF ’89–18) passed away on November 9, 2022. Remembered for his good sense of humor and his friendly demeanor, Iida-san was a beloved part of the ASIJ community. He helped many teachers with their cars and insurance over his years at school, and remained in touch with colleagues even after his retirement. “He was always cracking jokes with me,” Aileen Kanoh, ES administrative associate shared. “Many people in the community appreciated his kindness and help.”

MATT JAY ’05 of Portland, OR, passed away on November 22, 2022. Born in New York, NY, Matt attended ASIJ from 1998 to 2003. Friends from ASIJ remember him as a kind, friendly, and “chill” person who always opened up his home for his friends. He was incredibly creative, and served as a writer and editor for the Hanabi newspaper during his two years in high school at ASIJ. He also supported the 2003 high school musical, Bye Bye Birdie, as a member of the Theater Design Class. Matt returned to the US for his last two years of high school, graduating from Lincoln High School in Portland, OR. He then went on to study film and video at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Matt was involved in a variety of artistic pursuits after college, writing and directing several films and shorts, including the 2010 Bronze Oregon Film Award-winning movie The Mountain Crumbles. He later switched focus to the organizational side of the arts, and worked as an independent curator, program organizer and arts researcher, going on to become the Founder and Director of the cross-cultural contemporary art program End of Summer. Based in Portland, End of Summer consists of an annual summer residency for artists from Japan, as well as a lecture series. Matt was passionate about emphasizing community engagement and cross-cultural understanding through art, and noted that he was engaged in an “ongoing investigation into the local, national and global conditions that current and future artists in Japan might be facing and interpreting through their work.”

Matt is survived by his parents John and Janet Jay (AP ’98–03), and his brother Keenan Jay ’10.

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Obituaries RUTHLI AMSLER KEMMERER (FF ’54–56) passed away on December 13, 2022 at 92 years old. She was born in Passaic, NJ, to Swiss immigrants and spent a good portion of her childhood in Switzerland speaking a variety of European languages, though not English. After moving to Nanuet, NY, she often found comfort and happiness in music as she learned to communicate with those around her.

Ruthli’s passion for music only strengthened as she grew up, and she became known for her beautiful voice. She sang for war bond drives near the end of WWII and was a soloist in the Helen Hayes Summer Theater in Nyack, NY, where she graduated from high school in 1952. She went on to study music at Oberlin College, graduating in 1956, and then launched her music teaching career, first in Michigan, then in Chile and Japan, where she taught Elementary and High School Music at ASIJ and was involved with the Senior Choir.

After returning to the US, she married Walter Orville Kemmerer in Addy, WA on March 29, 1958, pursued a masters in French at the University of Washington, and remained in Washington, where she taught piano lessons from home.

She had three children and shared with them her passion for the outdoors, the arts, and animals. Ruthli is survived by her children Ed, Jan, and Lisa Kemmerer and many family members both in the US and in Switzerland.

MARTHA ZAISER KOELMEL ’80 of Yelm, WA, passed away on February 17, 2023. Born in Har t ford, C T, Mar t ha attended ASIJ from 1974 to her graduation in 1980. Friends from her time at ASIJ remember her as “friendly,” “considerate,” and “involved,” and her senior yearbook notes that she was a “nature-lover” and that she “love(d) animals,” traits she maintained throughout her life.

Martha was passionate about helping others, and in 1982, she founded the Buyong Sponsorship Program, a nonprofit organization that financially sponsored selected high school students in the village of Buyong Maribago in the Philippines.

Between 1983 and 2003, with the help of her brother Paul Zaiser ‘75, Matha expanded the program to include sponsorships not just for high school but also deserving college students with financial need, providing school

ALUMNI lunch and installing electricity and water in local elementary schools, and much more. The program had an undeniably positive impact on the local community in Buyong Maribago.

In more recent years, Martha enjoyed being surrounded by nature in her lakefront home in Yelm, WA. She was passionate about showing her dogs at dog shows, and took home several awards over the years. She is survived by her husband Norman Koelmel and daughter Kristine Brownell, and her brothers John Zaiser ’71 and Carl Zaiser ’72.

RICHARD MEYER (AP ’64–71) passed away on January 7, 2023 at the age of 100. Richard held master’s and doctorate degrees in divinit y from Concordia Seminary, as well as a master’s degree in history from Washington University, and was commissioned as a missionary to China in 1948. Less than a year into his work there, he and his wife Lois (AP ’64–71), were evacuated to Japan to escape the Communist revolution.

Although not expecting to stay in Japan, Richard remained there for 23 years. All six of his children, Becky Meyer Schaefer ’67, Omi Meyer Woodward ’69, Debbie Meyer Luekens ’70, Kathy Meyer Shepard ’72, Mark Meyer ’75, and Kurt Meyer ’82, were born in Japan. Richard was the second missionary of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod to arrive in Japan and worked to establish congregations in the Kanto area in his early years. In 1956, he moved his family to Sapporo, Hokkaido where he worked in campus ministry. There, he helped to establish the Hokkaido International School for newly arriving missionary family children.

Upon his election to Chairman of the Japan Lutheran Church in 1964, Richard moved his family to Tokyo, during which time he was instrumental in transitioning the Nihon Ruteru Kyodan to its current independent status. In the same year, Becky, Omi, Debbie, Kathy, and Mark enrolled at ASIJ. Richard remained involved in the school, serving as a trustee from 1969-71. He served his final years in Japan as the Director of the Theological Training Program.

From 1971 to 2017, Richard resided in New Orleans where he served as a pastor and 10 years as the District President of the Southern District of the LCMS. He is survived by his children Becky, Omi, Debbie and Kurt.

Obituaries BETH MOORE ’75 passed away peacefully on December 28, 2023 at her home in Santa Barbara, CA. She was 65 years old. Born in Akron, OH, Beth moved with her family to Japan when she was only one year old for her father’s promotion to Vice President of the Goodyear Tire Company. Beth attended ASIJ from 1961-68, when her family settled in Los Alamitos, CA. It was in Los Alamitos where Beth developed into a phenomenal and lifelong athlete. Beth was most proficient in basketball and was recruited to play at UCLA in 1975. As a defensiveminded point guard, Beth contributed mightily to the Bruins National Championship in 1978. Upon graduating, Beth was "only the second four-year varsity player in UCLA history" and was awarded the Outstanding Senior Award. Commended as having a "nearly perfect 3.9 grade point average and keen understanding of the intricacies of the fast break," the UCLA Department of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics described Beth as being "the most outstanding candidate the Department has ever had" for the prestigious award. She also picked up running, a lifelong hobby, while in college, and went on to complete multiple marathons. After graduating from college, Beth attended Stanford Law School.

Beth is remembered for being a warm and kind person who genuinely cared for her friends and family, and is survived by her daughter and grandson.

RUTH OKADA (FF ’70–72) passed away on May 12, 2019 at the age of 101 years old. Born in Seattle, WA, Ruth graduated from Seattle Pacific University and went on to become a teacher. She taught home economics at ASIJ from 197072, during which time students asked her to start a “Bachelor’s Home Economics” class aimed at boys, which was unusual at the time. Ruth agreed on the condition that the boys promised to attend all of the classes, which they did. Their first project was learning to sew a chef’s hat, after which they went on to learn to cook and bake. After returning to the United States, Ruth taught Sunday School for many years. She enjoyed teaching and tutoring throughout her life. She is survived by her son Gerald Okada and his family.

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ALUMNI

SHIRLEY PETERS (FF ’74–76, ’77–78, AP ’71–78) passed away on September 27, 2022 in Hagerstown, MD. Shirley was born in Medina, NY, in 1931, and was married to the love of her life, Stuart Peters (AP ’71–78), in 1954. Shirley and Stuart embarked together on a life of adventure, moving to Niagara Falls, NY, Atlantic City, NJ, Wakefield and Topsfield, MA, Tokyo, Japan, and London, England, while raising three children along the way. During her time at ASIJ from 1974-78, Shirley worked as a kindergarten assistant and was an integral part of the elementary school community.

Upon returning to the United States in the 1980s, Shirley and Stuart settled in Nantucket, MA, where they purchased and renovated a bed and breakfast. Following Stuart's death shortly thereafter, Shirley successfully ran the bed and breakfast for another 17 years and became a fixture in the island community. After retirement, she split her time between her cherished Nantucket and Rochester, NY, where she became a regular volunteer in the local schools. Shirley is survived by her brother and her three children, Susan Peters ’78, John Peters ’80, and Jim Peters ’82, and their families.

VICTORIA POSNER (FF ’66–68) of Rochester, NY passed away on December 24, 2021. Victoria taught upper elementary at ASIJ from 1966-68. She loved Japan and spoke Japanese. She was an animal lover who cared deeply for all of the pets in her neighborhood, baking homemade treats for her neighbors’ dogs. She enjoyed weekly card games with her bridge club friends, birdwatching, and cooking, and loved old movies, musicals, and detective series.

PAT SHATTUCK RAHMANN ’47 passed away on July 10, 2021 in Chicago, IL, at age 91. Born in Washington, DC, Pat was full of stories, enjoyed playful antics, and had a love for military life.

Being in a military family, Pat's childhood was defined by the many places she lived, including Hawaii, South Carolina,

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Obituaries Kansas, Montana, Alaska, Georgia, Japan, and Maine. She spent her senior year of high school at ASIJ, where she was a cheerleader and served as both the vice president and the president of her class during different terms. She also was the photography editor of the Chochin, where she was described as “without a doubt, the most popular member of the senior class.” Friends commented about her further, writing that, “Without her, our senior year would have been quite dull.”

Pat left home in 1950 and moved to California, where she worked as a librarian at Fort Ord in Monterey. There, she met the love of her life, John Rahmann, and after John returned from the Korean War, they married in 1954. Pat loved the arts, and was a prize-winning writer of fiction, poetry, and plays. Her work appeared in numerous literary magazines including Kansas Quarterly, The Transatlantic Review, Other Voices, and The New York Times. Her plays were produced in Chicago and New York, and her poetry was read on NPR's All Things Considered. In 1992, she was a co-partner in opening Books on Vernon, an independent bookstore in Glencoe, IL. Pat and John supported the opening of a small theater in the back of the bookstore in the same year, which later relocated to its own building and gained renown as the Writer's Theatre.

Pat had a great sense of humor, embracing the comedy, drama, and adventure of life. People who knew her wished they could have lived some of the stories she told so vividly.

She is survived by her brother Milton Shattuck Jr. ’49; sister Susan Benson; three children, John Jr., Susan Rahmann, and Pamela Conant, and their families.

FRED RALL ’52 passed away on July 18, 2020 at the age of 85. He was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1935, and moved to Japan at age 11, where his father served on General MacArthur’s staff during the American Occupation. He attended ASIJ for the 1947–48 school year. After returning to the United States and finishing his secondary schooling in Washington, DC, Fred enrolled in the US Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1956 and went on to earn a masters in Education from Boston University. He served in the US Army in a variety of locations both in the US and overseas, including Alaska, Kentucky, Georgia, Germany, and twice in Vietnam, in 1964–65 and 1968–69. He also spent time working at the Pentagon and the Air Ground Operations School in Hurlburt Field, FL. Fred's military awards included two Meritorious Service Medals, an Air Medal, two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, a Legion of Merit, a Combat Infantryman Badge, and more.

ALUMNI Retiring from the military in 1983, Fred became a science teacher at Max Bruner Middle School from 1984-97. Fred married Lucinda Hall of Montgomery, AL, in 1961 and together they raised three sons: Cpt Raoul Ashby Rall of the US Navy, Jefferson West Rall, and Staten Mitchell Rall. He is survived by his children and their families.

GREGORY SAVITSKY ’49 passed away peacefully on January 23, 2022. He was 90 years old. Greg, a junior at the time, attended ASIJ for the 1947–48 school year and was on the baseball team. Greg was an electrical engineer, and retired after working for many prominent aerospace companies, including the Boeing Defense, Space, & Security division of The Boeing Company.

He enjoyed tutoring math at Enumclaw High School in early retirement and settled into his dream life of farming his 10acre plot in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. Greg is survived by his wife Barbara Savitsky, his four children, and their families.

JANE INGRAHAM THOMAS ’49 passed away on January 17, 2023 at the age of 91. Born in Brunswick, ME, in 1931, she spent her early years in Skowhegan, ME, and the Boston, MA, area. She enjoyed the outdoors and developed a passion for hiking during frequent trips to Mt Katahdin, before moving to Tokyo in 1947. Her father, Lt Col Herbert Ingraham (FF ’46–48, AP ’47–49), served as the first principal of ASIJ when it reopened after WWII. Jane attended ASIJ for two years, during which time she served as class treasurer and wrote for the school paper. She is described by her classmates in the Chochin as having been a “typical New Englander” who was “efficient” and had a “good head for business.” A particular highlight of her time in Japan was climbing to the summit of Mt Fuji.

Obituaries for 24 years until his death in 1974. During those years, when living in Eddington and raising two school-age children, she illustrated the Golden Press book, A Guide to Acadia National Park by Grant W. Sharpe. Later, she moved to Seal Harbor, ME, where she met Jonathan Thomas, who became her second husband in 1976. During that time, she was involved with Acadia National Park and worked for several years at the Hancock County Planning Commission as a cartographer. She also worked as an artist and scientific illustrator, and spent time living in California and Oregon.

Jane’s passion for Mt Katahdin and the lake at its base, Chimney Pond, continued to inspire her, and she collaborated with Beth Harmon to produce the book Chimney Pond Tales, which Jane also illustrated. Her volunteer activities drew the attention of park officials, who appointed her to the Baxter State Park Advisory Committee. She went on to chair the Committee from 1988 to 1992. She also wrote and illustrated Natarswi: A History, published by the Abnaki Girl Scout Council.

Jane is survived by her husband, Jonathan and, her children, Frank and Carol Rupp.

HARUKO URAMATSU ’57 of New York, NY passed away on September 27, 2022. Haruko attended ASIJ from 195457. She was highly involved in the school communit y, serving as a class officer and the secretary of the Student Council in her senior year. She was also a co-editor of the Chochin, and a member of the Debate Club. Accomplished in her studies, Haruko was not only Salutatorian her senior year, but also was voted “Most Scholarly” in the senior superlatives. The 1956 Chochin indicates that she “received more offers of college scholarships than any previous ASIJ student,” and that she “bowed out to the highest bidder, Smith College.” She was remembered by the quote, “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers,” by Tennyson.

After graduating from high school, Jane attended the University of Maine at Orono. She took an interest in art while at college, and was so skilled that she was asked by a biology professor who noted her skill at drawing what she saw under the microscope to illustrate a laboratory manual of parasitology.

She met her first husband, Robert Rupp, when studying at the University of Maine at Orono, and was married to him

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The Big Short Big questions, Short answers Shinobu Morohoshi ‘98 returned to ASIJ in 2007 to work at our Early Learning Center, where she is currently the office manager.

Where are you from?

I was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama, just outside of Tokyo. My childhood was mostly spent around Tokyo but also spent some time overseas.

What kind of student were you in school?

My mother once told me that I was a pretty quirky and happy child but she noticed a change in me when I started wearing hearing aids. I became self conscious about my hearing and my speech, and class participation was a challenge growing up. What kind of student was I… I was fairly quiet in class and I guess I did pretty good in school despite the challenges.

What is your favorite thing about Japan?

Clean toilets? It’s a weird answer but I truly appreciate the clean bathrooms after traveling and living overseas and experiencing other public bathrooms.

What is your favorite thing about ASIJ? The community. Some of my closest friends today are from ASIJ. I also love working at the ELC! There is never a dull moment when working surrounded by children.

Every day I am smiling and laughing about something.

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Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Which living person do you most admire?

“Let it go.” Maybe I overuse it but it’s a good motto to have, when I tend to obsess over things when stressed and overwhelmed. I’ve gotten much better at taking a step back from situations and reassessing.

My uncle is pretty cool. A couple of years ago he thought about how he wanted to spend the rest of his life and he remembered he always wanted to learn how to fly a plane. So, he signed up for some lessons and got his license at age 70. Now he flies his own plane.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I wish I could dance.

Who are your favorite writers?

I enjoy different genres, from science fiction to romance. I don’t have a favorite writer but I have a few books that have stayed with me, that I can’t forget: Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris), The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini), The Green Mile (Stephen King), The Da Vinci Code (the book by Dan Brown, not the movie), and books

by Jane Austen... Okay, I can’t list them all here because these are supposed to be short answers.

When and where were you happiest?

My wedding this past March! We had postponed it a few times because of the pandemic. It meant a lot to us in more ways than one, to finally be able to get together with our friends and families in Japan and from overseas. It wasn’t just a wedding but also a fun day for everyone - without masks.

Who are your heroes in real life?

This may be a cliché but it’s true- My parents are my heroes. I am who I am because of my parents. My mother battled cancer and went through chemotherapy for almost 10 years.

The strength she showed until the end and how my father was always there for her… they showed me what it is to be a family, to be partners in life.

What is your most treasured possession?

My mother’s ring. It’s the ring my father gave her when he retired at 60. She was always admiring this ring on her finger and now I find myself doing the same.

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