NATIONAL MUSEUM FETES PAVILION DONORS, FORMER CEO IRENE HIRANO AT ANNUAL DINNER

The Japanese American National Museum honored a group of its donors who contributed to the construction of its Pavilion and its former President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Irene Hirano who retired after 20 years at its 2009 Annual Gala Dinner, "The Pavilion: Home, Community, History—Celebrating Ten Years of Building a Legacy", held on Saturday, April 25, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. Over 1,000 attended the gala event.

The National Museum is marking the 10 years of work since it opened its 85,000-square-foot Pavilion, designed by famed architect Gyo Obata, in 1999. The Pavilion provided more gallery and collection space, a larger store and a national resource center accessible to visitors. It also had public space for a variety of events, including public programs, concerts, receptions and other gatherings.

The Museum’s key contributors who enabled the institution’s Pavilion headquarters to open in 1999 included George and Sakaye Aratani; Manabi and Sumi Hirasaki; Dr. Toshio and Chizuko Inahara; Siegfred "Sig" Kagawa; Koichi and Toyo Nerio; Reiso and Shizuka Miyamoto; George Takei; Dr. Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki; Taul and Sachiko Watanabe; Frank H. Watase; Shoan and Shizuko Yamauchi; and Takeo and Miyoko Yuki. The honorees and their families were recognized through a series of video presentations created by the Watase Media Arts Center and received leis on stage from Ernest Doizaki, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Museum and National Museum President and CEO Akemi Kikumura Yano.

"If it were not for the generosity of a special group of contributors and the leadership of the Museum’s first Executive Director, President and CEO—the Pavilion may have never opened," Kikumura Yano observed. "Tonight we gather to recognize these individuals and their families and to pay a special tribute to Irene Hirano."

Hirano became the institution’s first Executive Director in 1988 and saw the Museum through its formative years and expansion into the modern Pavilion that functions as its headquarters in Little Tokyo. National Museum Founding President Bruce Kaji presented Hirano with a Museum metallic nametag for her 20 years of service. Last year, she stepped down as President and CEO and married U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

Mineta who was first named Secretary of Commerce by President Clinton in 2000, and then was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President Bush in 2001, delivered the keynote address for the evening. "The people who rebuilt our communities (after World War II) are similar to the people the National Museum honors tonight," he told the audience. "Certainly, they all share the same spirit. Part of that spirit was accepting the responsibility for the welfare of their communities. They did not look for others to carry their load. They stepped forward and shared the load.

"So, tonight, I have come to ask, 'Who will follow in their footsteps? Who will take on the responsibilities that the Issei and the Nisei have discharged in such an honorable way?' The Issei story has been written and the Nisei story is in its final chapter. The next part of our history is still to be written. Who will write it, and what will it say? We all have a great opportunity in that we all can play a role in this next chapter. Support for the Japanese American National Museum will ensure that our history can be shared with generations yet unborn. But, the time to do something is today. I ask that you join with me in sharing the responsibility for our museum, our community and our country."

Mr. Masaaki Tanaka, President and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank/BTMU, as the Dinner Chairman, presented welcome remarks as did Kikumura Yano and Doizaki. Bryan Takeda, President of the Nikkei Federation, and Elva Flores, a teacher who was part of the Museum’s Boyle Heights Project, spoke in appreciation of the honorees and the collaborative work of the Museum through its educational programming.

Senator Inouye briefly outlined his support of the Museum’s Bid for Education program, which provides funds for bus and admission fees for over 25,000 local K-12 students annually, as well as teaching training workshops and other educational resources. Professor. Mitch Maki of California State University, Dominguez Hills, then elicited bids from the audience in support of the program. Ultimately, over $120,000 was raised to support the Museum’s educational outreach. American Airlines supported the Bid for Education by providing airline tickets for a drawing for everyone who participated in the Bid.

Signature Sponsors for the 2009 Annual Gala Dinner were Dr. Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki, and Union Bank/Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. Presenting Sponsor for the 2009 Annual Gala Dinner was Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. who also generously donated a Lexus 2009 GS 450h Hybrid for the dinner’s Lexus Opportunity Drawing. Tracey Doi, Chief Financial Officer, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., announced that the Museum had raised more than $146,000 through the opportunity drawing.

Diamond Sponsors included The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Dr. William G. & Carol Ouchi, The Pacific Bridge Companies, and Prudential. The Sig Kagawa Family was the VIP Reception Sponsor & Host for 2009.

"The National Museum is extremely grateful to all who made this event an enormous success," said Doizaki. "Despite the current economic climate, our members and donors along with our corporate and community partners once again showed their collective dedication for the continued fulfillment of our vital mission. This is the strength of our institution and why it has been able to accomplish so much in the past decade alone. Having said that, we still face many on-going challenges and need as much support as our members and donors can provide."

Sachi Koto, best known as a CNN Headline News anchor, was the mistress of ceremonies for the dinner. Koto worked for CNN for 16 years and had a long career in broadcasting before launching a public relations and video production company, SKC, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2005. Koto also serves on the Museum’s Board of Governors.

For more information, call the Japanese American National Museum at (213) 625-0414 or go to janm.org www.janm.org.