St. Louis JACL member and 1954 St. Louis Chapter President, Harry Hayashi, passed away on December 23, 2020 at age 102 in Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Hayashi served in the U.S. Army during World War II with the 160th Hospital Medical group. Mr. Hayashi graduated from Washington University and worked for 35 years at Incarnate Word Hospital. A military funeral is planned for Spring 2021.
The St. Louis JACL is sponsoring the 2020 St. Louis International Film Festival film “A Shot Through the Wall” directed by Aimee Long. The film is set in modern-day New York and touches themes of media, justice, and racial politics. The 2020 St. Louis Virtual Film Festival (SLIFF) will run from November 5-22, 2020. Please see cinemastlouis.org/sliff/film-listings for tickets and passes.
The novel “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett has been selected for the 2021 JACL Book Club scheduled for January 8, 2021. This book discussion will be conducted virtually using Zoom. We invite anyone that wants to participate to contact stljacl1@gmail.com after December 15, 2020 to get the details on the Zoom event. To receive more information on this The New York Times-best seller, please click the link below. We hope you can join us for the lively discussion!
The book “Finding Solace in the Soil: An Archaeology of Gardens and Gardeners at Amache” by Dr. Bonnie J. Clark is now available for preorder. Japanese American Citizens League members receive a 40% discount by using the promo code CLAR20 at checkout. The easiest way to order is by hitting the “Buy Now” button at the website below.
Dr. Bonnie J. Clark is a professor and curator for archaeology at the University of Denver. Artifacts and displays from Dr. Clark’s research at Amache (Southeastern Colorado), a camp that incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II, were displayed at the Missouri Botanical Garden during 2019 and Dr. Clark made a presentation at the Missouri Botanical Garden in May 2019.
There will be an online memorial service for Richard “Dick” Henmi on Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 1:00 pm Central time. Please sign in through the information contained on the memorial website.
Wendy Roll, now resident of Huntsville, Alabama, recently received her much deserved JACL Past President’s Pin. Mrs. Roll was the longest serving president in St. Louis JACL Chapter history presiding during the years 2003 to 2019. Congratulations, Wendy, and thank you for your contributions!
A brick at the circular courtyard of the William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden was dedicated to Bob and Anne Mitori on June 10, 2020 for their over 50 years of contribution to the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Chapter of the JACL. Mrs. Anne Mitori was able to view the brick for the first time on August 19.
The National Park Service is collecting cranes, with personal messages of peace, in one of three formats to be saved as part of “Messages of Peace.” The cranes will be collected in a time capsule to be opened in 2045, the 100th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. The deadline to send your crane is August 5, 2020.
Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! by author Gil Asakawa of Mile Hi Chapter was part of the collaboration Tadaima! A Community Virtual Pilgrimage Week 6 LIVE Event. During this video Mr. Asakawa made mention of our very own St. Louis JACL cookbook, Nisei Kitchen. You can view the clip by going to the link below and scrolling down.