Japanese American National Museum Sets 10th Anniversary Celebration Gala March 8 At Grand Ballroom At Hollywood & Highland

The Japanese American National Museum will begin a series of events marking its 10th Anniversary of its public opening by holding its Annual Dinner on Friday, March 8, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., with dinner to be catered by the world-famous chef Wolfgang Puck.

The 10th Anniversary Celebration Gala Dinner and Silent Auction is one of the National Museum’s major annual fundraising events. Funds from this event are used to support the institution’s educational programming.

The Japanese American National Museum was incorporated in 1985, but at that moment had no endowment and no site and only one full-time employee. From that point until its public opening in May of 1992, the institution was able to raise over $13 million to renovate a former Buddhist temple, create its inaugural exhibition and begin its educational programs.

Instrumental in that public opening were key companies and foundations whose early commitment enabled the Japanese American National Museum to begin its important work. The 10th Anniversary Celebration Gala Dinner will recognize several of these crucial supporters, including American Airlines, American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Bank of America, the James Irvine Foundation, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Transamerica Insurance & Investment Group, and Union Bank of California.

“These companies and foundations, along with many individual supporters, were crucial to the development of the National Museum in its formative years,” explained Irene Hirano, Executive Director and President of the National Museum since 1988. “This particular group has continued to support our institution and we wanted to recognize their vital contributions as part of our 10th Anniversary Celebration.”

In the 10 years since its public opening, the National Museum has developed several major exhibitions, including traveling shows that have been installed at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in New York and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Exhibitions have traveled as far away as Brazil and Japan and the institution has partnered with regional groups to develop shows in Oregon and Hawai`i. Moreover, National Museum volunteers have been trained to provide educational tours to thousands of school children on-site while thousands of visitors have attended hundreds of educational public programs on a myriad of subjects.

The National Museum has hosted their Royal Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, Japan Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Princess Sayako. It organized symposia and conferences and in 1995, the National Museum hosted the largest Asian American dinner under one roof and drew over 5,000 people to the Los Angeles Convention Center to salute Japanese American veterans.

The National Museum opened its expansion Pavilion in 1999, providing it with 85,000 square feet of space for expanded collections facilities and six new galleries. The Pavilion allowed for the opening of the Hirasaki National Resource Center, a public outlet for the historical information gathered and preserved by the institution. It continues to gather oral histories and artifacts, create its own documentaries and publish books on Japanese American history.

The 10th Anniversary Celebration Dinner sponsors include Platinum Supporters such as American Airlines, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., George and Sakaye Aratani, Bank of America, Paul and Hisako Terasaki, Transamerica Insurance and Investment Group, and Union Bank of California. Gold Sponsors include Lewis and Deana Abe, American Fish and Seafood Co., Dr. Frank L. Ellsworth, the Capital Group Companies, Manabi and Sumi Hirasaki, Bill and Sumi Hughes, the Nerio Family, The Pacific Bridge Companies, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Francis Y. and Sarah M. Sogi, George Takei, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc., Washington Mutual, Guy Watanabe, Gordon T. Yamate and Deborah Shiba, D.D.S., and the Yuki Family.

The Dinner Committee is chaired by Ernest Y. Doizaki, American Fish and Seafood Co. Committee members are R. Thomas Decker, Strategic Resources, Tracey Doi, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Bill Hughes, Bicara, Ltd., Tom Iino, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Chris Inouye, Marsh Risk and Insurance Services, Jonathan Kaji, Kaji and Associates, Stephen Kurumada, D.D.S., Japanese American Dental Society, Margaret Miyauchi-Leong, Quon Yick Noodles, Sachi Matsuda, Lockton Insurance Brokers, Inc., Nancy Matsui, American Airlines, Jack Morey, the J. Morey Company, Inc., Stephan Morikawa, American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Andy Nakano, JOZU Restaurant, Eric Nishizawa, Tachikawa, Yasui & Nishizawa, Tim Noonan, Lockton Insurance Brokers, Inc., Jerome Paul, Transamerica Insurance & Investment Group, Frank M. Sanchez, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Gordon H. Sasaki, M.D., Japanese American Medical Association, Paul N. Shishima, Sasaki Shishima & Co., Peter Villegas, Washington Mutual, and Jon Yasuda, KSCI-TV.

Sponsor tables (for 10 people) are available are the following levels: Platinum ($10,000); Gold ($5,000), Silver ($3,500), Bronze ($2,250), and Community (for community non-profit organizations) ($1,950). A limited amount of individual tickets are available at the Gold ($500), Silver ($350), and Bronze ($225) levels. Also, ads are welcome for the Dinner Journal.

For more information on the Japanese American National Museum’s 10th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, call (213) 830-5631.