NATIONAL MUSEUM MARKS PASSING OF TRUSTEE WILLIAM 'MO' MARUMOTO

The leadership of the Japanese American National Museum expressed its sadness at the passing of long-time Board Trustee William "Mo" Marumoto, who died in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, November 25, 2008.

The son of Issei immigrant parents, Marumoto, along with his family, was unconstitutionally incarcerated in a domestic concentration camp at Gila River, Arizona, by the U.S. government during World War II. A graduate of Whittier College, Marumoto was the first Asian American to serve at the executive level in the White House as part of the Nixon administration. He became Assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. In 1973, he founded the Interface Group, Ltd., an executive search firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. He served as the CEO and Chairman of the Board until his retirement.

"Speaking on behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors for the Japanese American National Museum, I wanted to convey our sympathies to the family and our gratitude for Mo’s sustained support for our institution," said Ernest Doizaki, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the National Museum.

Marumoto became a Trustee in 1987, one of the first national board members, and was instrumental in connecting the National Museum to potential supporters and government officials on the East Coast and especially in the Washington, D.C. area.

"Whenever I would travel to Washington, D.C., Mo would introduce me to people he thought could be helpful to the National Museum," remembered National Museum President and CEO Akemi Kikumura Yano. "He would frequently host gatherings that would help the Museum build its network."

A Century Club Life Member of the Japanese American Citizens League, Marumoto was the President and CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). He lobbied for greater participation for Asian Americans in the public and private sectors.

He was recently awarded the nation"s highest honor for volunteers, the Presidential Medal of Volunteerism by President George W. Bush and was instrumental in nominating three other National Museum Trustees, George Aratani, Manabi Hirasaki and Bruce Kaji, for the same honor. A presentation was made at the latest Board of Trustees meeting in October for Aratani, Hirasaki and Kaji.