ASIJ Ambassador Magazine Fall 2010
ASIJ Ambassador Magazine Fall 2010
ASIJ Ambassador Magazine Fall 2010
Paul Tange
redesigns the face of ASIJ
the architecture issue
4
contents
cover story
A Man with a Plan 4
Architect Paul Tange talks about his plans for a new-look for ASIJ.
features
Head of School’s Message 3
Head of School Ed Ladd on “The Alchemy of ASIJ.”
Campus Timeline 10
A look at ASIJ through the ages.
16 Modern Living 16
Parent, architect and writer Naomi Pollock talks about her passion
24 for the modern Japanese house.
Head of School
Ed Ladd
T
Kanako Sato Alumna author Pia Tipper Fenton ‘77 launches herself he faces of schools change all the time, yet the rarified ethos last year during one of my transition visits, and her dynamic style
as a novelist with her debut historical romance. of a school is created over time. This dynamic of new and is one that engages students actively in the nuances of tones
old creates a natural tension that allows for opportunities to and articulation. The inclusion of Chinese in our school has the
the ambassador
is published by the Center for 2009-10 fundraising report become realities, and for realities, over time, to become part of the
place we call ASIJ. In some ways, I think this description is very
potential to have great impact for all future learners at ASIJ.
Paul Tange’s imagination and creativity are only matched by his
School-Community Partnership,
The American School in Japan. apt for my entry into the ASIJ community. The blend of old and sartorial taste. The genius behind the “cocoon” building, one of
The Power of Giving 40 new is an alchemy of sorts, not to magically create gold as believed the most recognizable structures in Tokyo, Paul is now bringing his
ASIJ alumni, families, faculty and
A message from Jere Miller, Chair of the Fundraising Committee. in medieval times, but to transmute the “new” into the old: in a talents literally to the front gate of ASIJ. As an ASIJ parent, Paul
friends receive the ambassador.
We solicit your comments and sense to absorb and make something its own. In the case of ASIJ, understands the role that a campus plays in the life of a school and
encourage you to submit ideas and
Gift Clubs 41 everything over time becomes part of the legacy and tradition of in creating those memories that our alumni carry all over the globe.
articles for consideration.
the school and community. In the first phase of a two-phased process, Paul has designed
I can truly say after three months that I feel more and more like a new façade for our front entrance that is both striking and
Letters and inquiries may
be addressed to:
Honor Roll of Donors 43 a “mustang.” ASIJ is working its magic on me, and every smile and functional. This façade, along with a new building under which to
hello from a passing student in the hallway, every greeting from a park our buses with tennis courts and a fitness center on top and
the editor,
the ambassador,
Matching Gifts 48 parent, or invitation to a classroom by a teacher is transforming me. complemented by spaces for wrestling and dance, will give ASIJ
The American School in Japan, I particularly felt the tug of this transition during the recent “Spirit an entire facelift. This stunning creation will connect all elements
1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi ,
Tokyo 182-0031, Japan.
Planned Giving 49 Day.” Watching the interactions of our community on a beautiful of our school’s architecture into a cohesive whole, resulting in a
Saturday afternoon of football was mesmerizing, and talking to safer flow of buses and children to and from school, better security,
Tel: 81-422-34-5300, ext.700
alumni at their reception on the terrace made me feel more and and a more aesthetic welcome to all visitors who cross the new
Fax: 81-422-34 5304
Board of Trustees and Board of Directors 50
Email: [email protected] more that this was home, that I was part of this place called ASIJ. piazza to enter the school. There is, indeed, magic in the alchemy
http://community.asij.ac.jp
This same transformation takes place at many different promised by this bold new design.
levels and on many different planes at our school as curriculum Phase Two of our project will address a number of
alumni section changes, our physical space is redesigned, or a new event is programming and curricular issues and enrich the learning
added to our social calendar. experience for students throughout the school. I am especially
In this issue of the ambassador you are going to read about excited about the plans to realize the vision of our “action plan”
Back on Campus 51
our Chinese program, about our building project, and about our to design a Japan Center on the campus. While ASIJ has a long
architect, Paul Tange. All three of these elements possess their own history of interacting with the culture and language of Japan, this
Class Reunions 52 alchemy, and while they will impact and change our school, they new learning space will cultivate greater focus on the context in
A look at this summer’s reunions and events will eventually become part of ASIJ as well. which we all live and enrich the experience of Japanese language
It should be no surprise to anyone that the meteoric rise of China and culture, both inside and outside the school. I believe that this
Class Agent List 58 over the past decade, in addition to the sheer size of this country is the kind of alchemy that can create a “gold” standard within
and its influence, not only in Asia but also throughout the world, our school and enlarge the experience of what is ASIJ.
has been a catalyst for the development of Chinese language So, as you can see, there are many new “faces” to ASIJ,
The Chochin Goes Digital 60
programs. To this end, ASIJ began a Chinese program last year but over time these too will become part of the legacy and
that will eventually expand into a full-blown program for teaching tradition of our school. I think all of us should be enthused to
In Memoriam 61 Chinese as a foreign language at ASIJ. We are very fortunate to be part of such great “alchemy.”
Photograph and Cover Design have had Joyce Huang join our faculty last year to spearhead this Warmly,
by Francine Flora 2011 Stateside Receptions 64 language initiative. I had the pleasure of visiting Joyce’s classroom Ed Ladd, Head of School
a
with a plan
I
n architectural circles the name Tange is synonymous with cutting-edge grand designs and the creation
of many of Japan’s iconic modern buildings. From the Hiroshima Peace Park and the Yoyogi National
Gymnasium to the Fuji TV Building in Odaiba and the Tokyo Metropolitan Building, the work of Pritzker
Prize-winning architect Kenzo Tange defines 20th century architecture for many Japanese. With the
completion of the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower in 2008 and his current redesign of Roppongi Crossing,
Kenzo’s son Paul Tange is continuing that work, helping create Tokyo’s future cityscape.
In between large-scale projects in Singapore, where he is building a 38-story addition to the Overseas
Union Bank Center, Paul has generously agreed to lend his expertise to ASIJ, redesigning a significant area
of the campus. The two-phase project will focus on the front of school and the redevelopment of the old
MPR building and is the culmination of a master plan to improve the school’s facilities that began in 1998
with the seismic retrofit (see timeline on pages 12-13).
Did you know from an early age that you wanted to be an architect?
My father was an architect and I suppose I didn’t know any better. I always ask myself when did I really decide and
I don’t have an answer really. When I was growing up it was always architecture, architecture, architecture. When
we had a family trip it was always visiting one of my father’s job sites. We went to interesting places like Nigeria,
Tanzania, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Lots of places you wouldn’t usually go on a family trip. It was very exciting, but it
was still architecture, architecture, architecture. I began thinking, well this might be what I want to do. But my real
turning point came when I was a sophomore in college and I asked myself, is this really what I want? When I was
in college, they didn’t have an architecture school, just liberal arts or science all the way until graduate school level
when you choose a professional direction. I always liked math and physics, so as an undergraduate I was preparing
myself to go to architecture school by doing an art and engineering double major. But then all of a sudden I
came to a standstill and asked myself whether that what really what I wanted to do. So I changed my major to
economics for a year. And I hated it with a passion. I was good in math, so I understood the curves of supply and
demand and all of the different coordinates, but that meant nothing to me. So maybe I made a mistake there.
That’s when I realized that I really did want to go into architecture. I refocused and carried on through my junior
and senior years to prepare myself for architecture school. I think that was the best thing I’ve ever done because
otherwise even today I might have been asking the same question — did I choose the right profession?
Did your father give you any advice when you started out as an architect?
I don’t think he knew that I wanted to go into architecture at the time. Especially after I changed my major I think
he didn’t know what I was doing. One summer trip to Bologna, over a spaghetti lunch I told my father that I
wanted to be an architect. In summertime in Italy during those days all of the restaurants closed for about two
months, so we were in a restaurant in Bologna train station and it was the lousiest pasta I’ve ever had. That made
me gutsy enough to tell my father what I wanted to do. There was sheer silence for about 30 seconds and he said
“Well you live only once, do what you want to do.” I was very relieved but at the same time, now when I think
about it I think those 30 seconds, as a father, he must have been happy that his son was going to follow in his
footsteps but on the other hand he knew how tough it is to be an architect because that’s what he did.
So it must have been a very confused feeling that he went through in his mind in those 30 seconds of silence.
But by the end he came to the conclusion that there are so many people that live their lives doing a job that doesn’t
necessarily make them happy—it’s just a job. But if you can find something to do that makes you happy, then think of
yourself a lucky person. He told me that if that happens to be architecture for me then he would support that. That’s
the only time he ever mentioned the architecture profession to me.
for Roppongi Crossing, we think about how Roppongi is related with them after they depart ASIJ.
to Akasaka and how that is related to Nishi-Azabu, and how the
new building
flow of people moves through them. We are urban planners and cafeteria building How did being an ASIJ parent affect your designs for the school?
MS
architects. We have to see the bigger picture. When we came onto Was the process different to the other academic design projects
this project we wanted to present to ASIJ the possibilities of today you have worked on?
and the possibilities of the future. To understand the possibilities Whether I like it or not I am much more personally involved. I get
of today we have to understand the history of the school as well. involved personally with all of the projects we do because that is our
policy. If we cannot be involved, what is the purpose of doing that
Can you talk us through some of the main elements in the re-design? project? It doesn’t matter how big or small the project is, we are
We have to understand that this is a campus and every building providing a service for our client. We are not artists, we’re service
has a specific function. We have to move things around into the providers. If I cannot provide that service, I would rather not do
right order to fit in everything. We have to understand what the project, regardless of the size. With my daughter being here,
will happen, future potential developments, from the near to far that is an added interest on my part, but she is graduating soon, so
future. In the far future we may not be around but the school the project is not for her personally. But I do see the school from a
will continue. Tim [Thornton, Deputy Head of School] explained different perspective—not just from an architect’s perspective, but
ASIJ Project -Phase 2 from a parent’s perspective. I asked not only my daughter, but other
to us how everything started and how it has evolved. This is not
just a project, it’s a whole master plan. At this point we are in one present students for their opinions. Because I have more access to
phase and it can go on into another phase. It’s a process we have way and buses by another, we are creating a sense of arrival. It’s little spaces in between because that is what people use as a these users’ opinions than usual, I hope that my approach is more
to present for the future. When it came to this particular site, we the place where people feel like they’ve come home as they reach communicating space. accurate. I have incorporated students, teachers, and parents’
did a total analysis and one of the things we concluded was that the school. That experience is very important. Essentially we’ve perspectives. They are all users, and I’m quite fortunate to have the
even though there are those that commute by bicycle and train, analyzed what a school experience is in various ways and for us What role does good design play in an educational environment? opportunity to be involved with them personally.
the majority of students come in by bus and there is also car drop- it is based around the gate, a sense of arrival, historic monuments, My father, who was an architect from the age of 33 until he
off. Every one of the bus drivers deserves a gold medal because space, etc. A school has these various important elements. We died in 1991, was also an educator and he had a strong belief in What makes for a successful design?
they are fabulous at what they do. But we thought that we should realized ASIJ doesn’t really have a threshold when we arrive there. school architecture. What I was taught by my father is that the Architects cannot make people think a certain way, we cannot tell
reduce the movement of the buses as much as possible. So when We have Nogawa Park, which continues on to the tennis courts most important part of an educational building is the corridor. The them how to feel. Perhaps teachers are the same way in that they
they enter campus, instead of going around every which way we and then open spaces and buildings and they are welcoming, but corridor is where people meet, talk and chat. The corridor can can give one possibility of how to think but cannot tell anyone to
should have a traffic flow with the buses able to get to where there isn’t an experience of arrival. So by creating this building for then extend out into a school yard. Everyone thinks the classroom think that way. So what we do is we give people a lot of choices
they have to be as quickly and easily as possible. Now there are safety reasons and necessity, we realized that it is a chance to create is important, and yes it is very important, because that’s where to have their own experiences. We create the hardware and from
too many interfaces with other students and vehicles. We thought the face of the school. It will be different, but it is what we think is students learn and teachers teach, but education is not all one there we hope that it will give a certain feeling. We try to create
that a parking structure would be the best solution. Once we’ve important. direction of learning, teacher to student. It’s also student to student architecture that gives emotion to the user. Hopefully our building
created a parking structure it’s a very simple exercise to lift up the communication and informal student to teacher environments. In will make people feel like they want to go in, or they want to
tennis courts above. What is your concept for the new front entrance? our designs for educational buildings, corridors are much wider come back, or they want to spend more time there. Or they stop
Students will come in from all directions into a central plaza and because it’s not just an area for people to walk through but to and say “I like it!” or even if they stop and say “I hate it!” that’s
How will that change the face of the school? then move on to their destinations. It’s all about the flow of people. sit and enjoy like a plaza. We have to think how we can turn not fine. Architecture is successful if while people are going about
We can’t simply see the new facility as a parking structure and There are spaces in the school that are not yet well defined. So very utilized space into active spaces for students. That’s where we their busy lives they stop and see it and it triggers some emotion.
tennis court—as we have students coming in from the station one we are not creating the front plaza only, but also analyzing the came up with the idea of a plaza in the front. Since we have to At the end of the day we are just a space creator.
campus
MASTERPLAN
timeline
From humble beginnings in rented rooms and mission properties in Tsukiji
to the spacious Chofu Campus and state-of-the-art ELC in Roppongi,
ASIJ has moved and changed with the times. We look back at some of the
significant points in the school’s 108-year history and also look to the future
and the completion of the facilities master plan that began in 1998.
Nakameguro
After an extensive search the Board purchases
YMCA Kanda land in Nakameguro and a new school
The Tokyo School for Foreign Children begins campus is constructed. Architect and parent Chofu
classes at rented rooms in the Kanda YMCA
Shibaura Antonin Raymond assists with the re-design The iconic elementary school “donut” is the
Middle School
building, but soon outgrows the facility. It Board Member Everett Frazar constructs and re-construction of several of the school first building completed on the new Chofu The construction of a new middle school
moves after only four months to the Episcopal a new three-story school building on land buildings on the new site. Campus, closely followed by the high school, building sees the creation of a new division and
Mission in Tsukiji. reclaimed from Tokyo Bay. The new school gym and little theater. the end of junior high classes in the high school.
opens with a new name, becoming The
American School in Japan. 1939–1945 WWII
Nakameguro Campus
1902 1910 1918 1921 1923 1927 1939 1941 1945 1946 1962 1963 1968 1973 1983 1985
facilities master plan Over the last 12 years ASIJ has made many significant improvements
to both campuses, following the Board’s facilities master plan laid out in 1998.
1998–2014
As we near completion of that plan and the launch of the 4 x 4 Campaign,
we look at how those changes have impacted students and the final
two phases that will bring further enhancements.
Ricketson Theater
If you asked us what we can do better than
we could before, the answer is everything.
We can provide students with a variety
of performing arts experiences in a safer,
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Phase 1 (2010-11)
Phase 1 will see the front of school transformed with a
new entrance and streamlined traffic system. The athletics
program will benefit from new multi-use tennis courts and a
new building housing a wrestling room, dance studio, fitness
center, trainer’s room and athletics office. The high school
lobby and admissions area will also be significantly improved.
Y400 million
current curricular and co-curricular programs. The elevation
of the tennis courts will allow us to create a designated bus
drop-off and pick-up zone with covered bus parking.
Phase 2, beginning in 2012, will focus on the current MPR
building, which will be replaced with a new two-story building.
4 years
Housing elementary classrooms for art and science and a
new ES performance space, the facility will also include a new
strings room to be used by all the Chofu divisions. The creation
of a Japan Center will add specialist resources to support our
Japanese studies program at all levels. Cross-divisional services,
For ASIJ
such as the kiosk, bookstore, health center and curriculum office
will move to the new building, creating space in the middle and
high schools for additional learning spaces.
To help us realize this vision of educational enrichment and
facilities fit for the future, we are launching the 4 x 4 Campaign—
for more details on the campaign, see page 40.
C
overed in concrete, laced with overhead expressways and
peppered with garish neon, Tokyo is not exactly a beautiful
city. Unlike New York, Chicago or San Francisco, it has no
discernable skyline, turns its back on the waterfront and is not
organized around a central square or major park aside from the
imperial palace. And those tree-studded grounds are all but
closed to the public. At the same time, Tokyo is an architect’s
paradise. It has vitality. It has charm. And, since few buildings
are made to last, it constantly reinvents itself. In Tokyo, there
is always something interesting to see. The trick is in knowing
how to look. As an architect and a writer, I have been sending
this message to readers for over 20 years.
I began retraining my own eye almost as soon as I stepped
off the plane at Narita in 1988. A newly minted architect, I took
a leave from my job at a large Manhattan firm to accompany my
husband on a three-year assignment in Tokyo. Having lived here on
and off all his life— including his middle school years at ASIJ—my
husband David Sneider ’75 was keen to come back. Fortunately this
opportunity also offered me chances to advance my own career. I
fleetingly considered entering a local design office but after I won a
scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education, I enrolled in a
master’s degree program at Tokyo University instead.
Unlike in the United States, where graduate education in
architecture centers on building design, academic research is the
focus at many Japanese universities. Shortly after arriving on campus,
my advisor, a part-time professor and a fulltime architect, asked
what I planned to study. At the time I knew very little about Japan,
let alone Japanese architecture. Yet I was struck by the contrast
between American and Japanese buildings. In Tokyo, for example,
many seemed oddly shaped, tightly crammed together and, for the
most part, unrelated to each other. I decided to find out why.
But if I wanted to understand the new, I needed to study the old
as urged by my advisor. So I chose historic minka farmhouses as
the subject of my thesis. While I spent my weekdays investigating
these thatch-roofed homes, I spent many weekends visiting brand
new steel and concrete buildings alongside my fellow students.
In Japan, architects have a wonderful custom of inviting peers,
professors and parents to preview their newly completed works
before handing them over to clients. Eager to get up to speed
quickly, I attended as many of these events as possible.
When a magazine editor I knew back in New York got wind of
my adventures, she asked me to write an article about Tokyo
architecture. I gladly accepted her offer and then, bitten by
the writing bug, began seeking out journalistic opportunities
on both sides of the Pacific. Shortly before my graduation, I
became the Tokyo correspondent for Architectural Record, a
Current parent, architect and leading American magazine geared towards architects.
Initially convincing the New York-based magazine to
writer Naomi Pollock casts her publish buildings located in places no one could pronounce
and designed by architects no one had ever heard of was a
eye over Tokyo’s skyline hard sell. But as Japan’s Bubble Economy grew and the country
became a source of work for architects around the globe, the publisher and I began talking about doing a monograph featuring
appetite for information about Japanese design grew steadily the work of a single designer. Having dealt with 23 architects and
and my workload increased exponentially. almost as many photographers for the previous book, the idea
While reporting on new buildings in Japan and other parts of delving deeply into the work of one designer was enormously
of Asia, I noticed that libraries, museums and office towers had appealing. Though there were many possible candidates, we both
begun to look more and more alike. It did not seem to matter agreed on Abe, a young whippersnapper with a strong design
whether they were in Seoul, Tokyo or Hong Kong. Yet houses sensibility and, we were guessing, a rosy future ahead.
seemed immune to this trend. Instead they remain stubbornly Unlike most designers of his generation, Abe did not head to
rooted in the local lifestyle and traditions, especially in Japan. Tokyo for graduate school or apprenticeship in an established
Here international standards suffice for commercial buildings but firm. Instead, he went to California for school and then stayed on
most homeowners still want to exchange their street shoes for to work. This overseas stint came to a screeching halt when, on a
slippers and soak in a steamy ofuro bath when they come home. lark, he entered a government-sponsored competition to design
Though the contemporary homes I visited as a journalist a 40,000 seat soccer stadium back in Sendai. Amazingly, the then
bore little outward resemblance to the historic houses I 30-year old designer beat out famous architects and construction
observed as a researcher, the two were clearly and inextricably companies alike. This was a truly remarkable feat, but it required
linked. Viewed through the lens of tradition, even avant-garde Abe to relinquish California to set up shop back home.
contemporary homes made sense. This idea became the theme The stadium was only the beginning of Abe’s success. What
of my book, Modern Japanese House. followed was an impressive array of buildings that including
Due to the rapid rate of construction here, many books on an award-winning community center on a remote island off of
contemporary Japanese architecture are out of date before Kyushu, elegant restaurants in Sendai and an array of inventive
they even go to press. Determined not to fall into this trap, I houses for both foreign and Japanese clients. Over the course of
aimed to provide background information and analytical ideas a couple years, Abe and his staff took me to see as many of these
that readers could easily extend beyond my book to buildings buildings as possible— an outstanding extension of my education
they might encounter on their own. and the basis of my monograph.
Midway between a coffee table portfolio and an academic While writing the book, I hoped Abe would land
tome, the book presents 25 houses organized by type, such another high-profile commission. Instead he was offered
as the tiny house, the indoor-outdoor house and the vacation the chairmanship of the school of architecture at UCLA, an
house. Based on site visits plus interviews with architects and appointment that enabled him to return to LA, and the book
clients, each profile includes a written explanation, professional to benefit from his new notoriety in the US.
photos and simple architectural drawings. While it was not easy After the release of Hitoshi Abe the book in 2008, a
to select just twenty-five houses from the hundreds I visited, I London-based colleague and her husband, an architectural
had strict, self-imposed criteria. Since I wanted to engage general photographer, invited me to join them as co-author of a survey
readers as well as design professionals, every house had to be book featuring 100 new buildings throughout Japan. An
architecturally innovative but have plenty of human interest. opportunity to acquaint myself with buildings I did not know
One of the houses that made the strongest impression as well as re-visit some of my favorites, I gladly accepted their
on me was a weekend retreat near Zao Mountain in Miyagi offer. The product of our collaboration, New Architecture in
Prefecture. A warm wooden home organized by a dynamic, Japan, made its Tokyo debut this past spring.
pinwheel-shaped floor plan, the house was practically devoid More recently, I have completed magazine articles about a
of windows – a curious condition that conflicted with just bank in the Tokyo suburb of Tokiwadai, an orthodontic clinic
about every weekend home I had visited in the United States. in Omotesando and a brand new, environmentally sustainable
But on the ground floor, its backside was made largely of city 40 miles from Seoul. Occasionally I miss design and in
glass doors opening onto a covered porch. Modeled after interviews find myself reconfiguring floor plans and elevations
a traditional engawa veranda, it ran the width of the house in my head as architects explain them to me. But journalism
and overlooked a densely wooded ravine that seemed to go enables me to stay connected to architects around the globe.
on forever. Built for a media executive who liked to hike and And through buildings I continue to gain a deeper and more
hunt for wild mushrooms in his spare time, the house was the profound understanding of Japan.
product of a young designer from Sendai, Hitoshi Abe.
Shortly after Modern Japanese House was released in 2005, my Photographs courtesy of Naomi Pollock, Phaidon and Merrel.
ASIJ
five years of internships during the summers and winters in
Tokyo, I worked on everything from high-end office interiors,
sustainable-themed cafes, the Aichi World Expo grounds and
booths and smaller graphic design jobs to an entertainment
complex that spanned multiple blocks in Yokohama.
After graduation with a plethora of odd projects on my
architects:
resume, I set out to work at a startup firm as a creative director
in Chicago, Illinois. The firm aimed at marketing undervalued
commercial office buildings without the use of major
construction. This involved graphics, interior renovations,
signage programs, marketing rooms, creating marketing
collateral and logos. While the ability to work on magnificent,
historically significant properties—even ones that would
change the Chicago skyline— fascinated me I left the firm to
search for an opportunity to create from the ground up.
I still have not worked at a true architecture firm, and have
stepped into the landscape architecture field. I found out today
that Stearns Quarry Environmental Park, also known as Henry C.
Ishikawa ’01 district of Chicago called Bridgeport. The quarry closed its doors
over a hundred years ago, the city turned it into a construction
material dump, and working alongside multiple city agencies and
D
esign, whether it is a single chair or a large-scale firms, Site Design Group, Ltd., amongst others, developed a plan
entertainment complex, is similar to a math problem. to turn the landfill into an educational wetland park. It is difficult
There may be multiple correct answers, some problems to fathom that within the flat Great Plains, a park that had over
will be more difficult than others, and there are obviously wrong 50 feet in elevation change could exist. The park is sustainably
answers. The good projects are functional, the better projects designed so that all the water on the site, even from “Mount
will last, and the best projects are also aesthetically pleasing. Bridgeport”, ends up in the tiered native wetland system where it
After several years at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), a cascades down multiple recycled limestone and sidewalk concrete
sustainability-oriented, conceptual-design-driven architecture waterfalls and finally into the fishing pond below. The water is then
program and several more at the famed utilitarian you-can’t- pumped up to the top to be re-circulated down to the pond again.
teach-design Mies Van Der Rohe program at Illinois Institute Most recently, I was involved with a project that saw
of Technology (IIT), I graduated even more convinced that the Mary Bartelme Park take down its fences and open up to the
profession was meant for me. Architecture to me has been a neighborhood. Five stainless steel fountain gates at the northwest
delicate balance beam bridging art and science, and through it, I entry act as an iconic gateway to the park. Using only three gallons
could do both. of water per minute, the fountain cools off visitors by emitting a
Despite always knowing that I would one day major in fine mist of vaporized water, immersing the area in a cloud. A fully
architecture, I only knew several major architects’ names when I accessible playground allows for inventive, explorative play complete
Stearns Quarry Environmental Park
was interviewing for colleges during my senior year at ASIJ. I did with mounds, depressions, and custom equipment for the site. There
however possess an eye for aesthetics. Growing up surrounded is also a dog park, a quieter seating area, and a viewing mound that
by family and friends who were designers whether it was in takes advantage of the Chicago skyline and a lawn.
fashion, illustration, or construction, I was able to see their Each of my past projects (post my paradigm-shift at Nomura)
vibrant world. I managed after one year at CMU to gain an have been done with the passion of an artist but with the logic
internship at Nomura Kougei, Inc., under a famous creative of an engineer and during any design decision, still, I often have
director by the name of Shigechiyo Suzuki. I was drawn to a fear that any part of my project could fail. After the successful
his work, which was vibrant, outlandish and full of life and opening of Mary Bartelme Park the contractor commented that
color. During your first week at a design firm nobody expects “the playground’s success could be attributed to a child’s mind
your boss to be searching for “castle goods” so that he designing it.” And that, I’m okay with.
could build a castle-like African themed spa. Needless to
say, my experience diversified quickly at Nomura. During my Photographs courtesy of Site Design Group, Ltd.
though I’m sure that was mainly a response to the fuzzy black-
and-white images faxed across the Atlantic. My wife and I sold
our car and moved to Paris for seven months. I was the only
American in the office, but there were other student interns
from Switzerland, Belgium and France.
Portzamparc’s office had a collegial atmosphere; people
worked hard but also went out together almost every day
for lunch, even when project deadlines loomed. After a while
I realized my small stipend couldn’t support a regular lunch
habit, so I began to stay in the studio working on models of
projects that were in the design phase. On occasion Christian
would come by my desk during lunch hour, and we would
sit together and discuss the models I was building, which
was a formative experience. My leisure time in Paris was
J.C. Schmeil ‘86 spent exploring buildings, taking photographs and making
sketches—it was probably the most free time I’ve ever had to
think about architecture and urban design.
O
ne of my first memories of ASIJ (which I attended I graduated with a Master of Architecture degree in 1998, and
from 1979-86) is of the elementary school “donut” accepted a job in Austin with a small firm. I worked there for four Trails End (Dripping Spings, TX)
building—I loved how it formed a garden courtyard and years, on a variety of project types: theaters, schools, fire stations,
created a connection between the classrooms and the exterior. houses, urban design. In 2002, I joined two former classmates
In my senior year, I took a mechanical drawing class, taught by who had started a design-build firm and gained valuable
Gerry Hoops (FF 1978-90). Though I couldn’t have predicted at experience there helping to build the projects I was designing.
that point that I would study architecture, it’s interesting to note I decided to open my own office full-time in 2004. I’ve been
that Jennifer Sands Marsh ’89 was in the class as well, and we fortunate to work on a variety of projects in California, New
are now both practicing architects in Austin, TX. Mexico and Texas, and have had several projects featured
At Stanford University, I studied international relations with on local Homes Tours. My work has mostly been residential,
a focus on the Japanese political economy. Perhaps the most though in the past couple of years I have had the opportunity
influential class I took in college, though, was one called visual to expand into urban design and historic architecture. I recently
thinking, an introductory class in the mechanical engineering completed a project with my wife’s environmental consulting
curriculum in which we invented mechanical devices and kept an firm, overseeing the relocation of a historic farmstead.
idea journal; the most important lesson I learned was that every In March of 2010 I returned to Japan, spending four weeks
idea has merit, and shouldn’t be rejected without consideration. in Osaka on a Rotary-sponsored Group Study Exchange writing
After graduation, I moved to New York where I started work a blog, “An Architect in Japan” (anarchitectinjapan.blogspot.
as a metals trader at Mitsubishi International Corporation. My com). I met local architects and toured buildings designed by
office was two blocks from the Museum of Modern Art, and Tadao Ando, one of my favorite architects. After the exchange,
I spent many lunch hours there finding inspiration, ultimately I spent a couple of days in Tokyo visiting with old friends from
deciding to apply to architecture school. My last year in New ASIJ. Norie Fukuda ’86, who is also an architect, took me on a
York, I shared a loft in Tribeca with Steve Knode ‘86, Ken tour of some buildings in Tokyo. I also visited Jun Watanabe, who
Sackheim ‘86 and Maya Sackheim ‘83. We had a lot of fun, was my first studio professor at UT, and now has a firm in Tokyo.
and it was a creative environment that helped me make the Unfortunately I wasn’t able to visit ASIJ during my trip, but I
decision to move on from my job at Mitsubishi. remain appreciative of my experiences there and the influence
I attended the Master of Architecture program at the they have had on my design philosophy. This fall I will teach an
University of Texas. During my third year there, I applied for an introduction to architecture class to elementary school students,
internship with the French architect Christian de Portzamparc, and look forward to showing them photos of the ASIJ donut.
who had recently won the Pritzker Prize. I sent portfolio
images for his review—he described them as “seductive,” Photographs courtesy of J.C. Schmeil Painter’s Studio (Austin, TX)
chinese
to go!
Lucy Williams heads to class to
learn how ASIJ’s Chinese language
program is expanding
S
tep into Joyce Huang’s high school Chinese II class and
you might forget that you’re in Japan. Though it’s only the
beginning of their second year, the students are already
posing questions about grammar entirely in Chinese. Joyce knows
how to immerse the students into the language, only using the
occasional linguistic term in English, but otherwise speaking Chinese
at the student’s level and expanding with pantomime and gestures
to get the point across. The students are not shy with their responses,
more than a lecture it feels like a room-wide conversation. Suddenly
there is silence as everyone jots Chinese characters across their
notepads when Joyce asks them to make up questions for a set of
the hypothetical “answers” on her next PowerPoint slide. After a
few minutes they begin comparing answers and discussing all of the
possible options and sentence forms.
Chinese II student Angela Squillacioti ’14 likes the style of the
class, “Ms. Huang gives us examples that are easy to use in real
life. It’s not just memorization. Most of what we use is not from a
textbook so we get to be creative.” she explains. Jeremy Homler ’11
agrees, “The class is really engaging, I never zone out.” It’s easy to
see why Joyce considers the first year of the Chinese program at ASIJ
to have been a big success. “The students are focused and active.
They always want to know more Chinese characters and they really
like the language. When they like it and they want to continue it,
and I can tell it’s going to be part of their life, that’s when I feel that
I’ve been successful as a teacher.”
That’s not to say that it was not a challenge to build a Chinese
program from the ground up. Joyce acknowledges that there is
always a stereotype that Chinese is a hard language to learn, even
though most students later find that’s not the case. So the main
struggle initially was enrollment, but in only the program’s second
year there are 18 students in high school Chinese I and 15 students
in Chinese II. There are also 12 students now studying it in middle classroom understanding the value of a foreign language and exchange to trade laws. Leslie Birkland explains, “Because we live language and the culture will enrich their life. My goal is not
school, showing that the program is expanding quickly. Leslie ready to learn. “I don’t just teach reading or speaking, I aim to in an international community in Asia, there is ample opportunity just to teach them, but to inspire them to keep learning,” she
Birkland ‘66, head of the foreign languages department, recounts: teach communication. When it comes to real communication for our students to speak Chinese. As the Chinese language gains says. Having seen the way in which many students have been
“Chinese classes are now vying for ‘a piece of the pie’ along with in a new language, everyone starts from scratch. So I have to popularity in the world, many of our multilingual students will be motivated by their experience in her class, she is excited about
Japanese, French and Spanish, and there had been some concern create an environment where they are comfortable with each better prepared as global citizens.” the plans to expand the program over the coming years. Levels
about lower enrollment in the other language classes. However, other and invested in learning together, where they are never ASIJ students are taking these possibilities into consideration will be added with each year so that students can continue on
surprisingly, the other languages are maintaining their enrollments afraid to communicate.” Yun-Joo Park ’14, a Chinese II student when they study Chinese. Jeremy’s reason for choosing Chinese to more advanced courses. Director of Curriculum, Instruction
and in some cases their classes are bursting at the seams due to confirms, “When we have assignments it’s not just to memorize reflects these trends: “It’s a growing language. It’s expanding. and Assessment Patty Butz also expressed enthusiasm for the
increased interest from students in picking up multiple languages. something. We always have to work together in class so it’s never More and more people are learning it around the world because growing program, revealing that it is a plan that has been in the
So, with the addition of Chinese, we are all able to ‘have our pie boring or stressful. It feels easy and fun.” it’s so useful.” Alto Ono ’14 says that he chose to learn Chinese so works since the ASIJ visioning process in 2004-05 which showed
and eat it too!’” Indeed, sometimes the perception that Chinese ASIJ’s growing Chinese program is just one example of how that he can use it both personally for travel, and professionally for a strong interest among stakeholders in taking advantage of
is difficult is an advantage, “Students that take Chinese are Chinese language instruction is expanding throughout the world. business. Out of the 15 students in Chinese II, 13 are continuing our position in East Asia through a Chinese language program.
students that are up for a challenge,” Joyce confides. In fact, the number of students in North America studying Chinese students from Joyce’s class last year. Richard Rowland ’13 is one Now with the program proving so successful, ASIJ plans to offer
Though there are other obstacles to introducing a new is estimated to be as high as 50,000 today. This is unsurprising of the continuing students who made the decision based on the Advanced Placement (AP) in Chinese language and culture in the
program, it’s not Joyce’s first time setting one up; she previously seeing as Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the progress he made in his first year. “I wanted to continue to build on near future. The College Board began offering the course for the
founded a Chinese program for Millburn High School in New world and is used in many areas outside of China itself. China the foundation I have,” he said, noting that he was able to come so first time in the fall of 2006 and as of 2008 there were over 3,500
Jersey after gaining experience by teaching at the university level has always had a major international cultural presence — in far in the first year that it would be a waste to not make use of his students taking the exam. Patty and Joyce have been working
in the United States. Although she has now taught for over 10 literature and cuisine, music and film, dance and art, religion and new ability. In fact, several students, such as Mia Tsusaka ’11, want together to put ASIJ on the leading edge of language learning by
years, she started out in TV and newspaper journalism in Taiwan. philosophy— drawing on its tremendous heritage as the most to get a head start by learning Chinese in high school because they preparing for the introduction of the AP curriculum.
Working in the media gave her the confidence to engage an enduring civilization in the world. In recent years rapid economic have already decided to study it in college. Mia explains, “Then Whether students choose to take the AP exam or not,
audience and her interest in the power of communication growth and increasing participation in the global market has made by the time I graduate university I’ll be fluent, and I’m sure I can they are already proving the benefits of learning the Chinese
eventually led her to teaching. When asked how it is different China a point of interest for those looking to learn a language use it in whatever I do in the future.” All of the students have put language as they use it in their travels, continued study in
teaching students at ASIJ who have mostly been exposed to an that will enhance their career. Additionally, China’s political a lot of thought into their decision and want to make the most of university, or as a step in their future careers. Perhaps most
Asian language already, she admits that having a knowledge importance in the Asia-Pacific region is broadly acknowledged this opportunity. Two students even participated in an independent of all, what Joyce would have them take with them is the
of kanji makes it possible to intensify the reading and writing and, particularly since 9/11, its help has been sought on difficult program in China over the summer break. confidence that comes from rising to a challenge and working
aspect of the class, but overall it’s not the students’ experience issues like North Korea and terrorism. Collaboration with China is With good reason, Joyce strongly believes that ASIJ’s Chinese together collaboratively. These are the keys to communication
but their open attitude about language learning that makes increasingly deemed essential for solving a range of global issues, program will open doors for her students, even if they can only that she hopes to instill through her class and the reason
the difference. Students who have lived abroad come into the from nuclear proliferation to the environment, from currency participate for one or two years. “I hope that experiencing the behind the soaring success of the Chinese program at ASIJ.
ballplayer
STUDENTS STUDENTS
B
Bessie Noll ‘13 hopes the essie Noll won’t celebrate her 16th birthday for another to American Little League, encourages effort over fun.
year, but she’s already got a sweet swing on her future. “It is definitely the time put into everything. As you get older,
skills from her Musashi Noll hopes her experience as the starting center fielder practice starts earlier and finishes later,” she said. “By my sixth
for Musashi Fuchu’s little league baseball team in the competitive year, I was there by 7:30 in the morning until 6 at night, every
Fuchu stint earn her a spot Tokyo League will give her an edge toward securing a softball Saturday and Sunday, year round. We only took one weekend
write
VISITORS VISITORS
the
stuff
Author and Scholar-in-Residence
Alan Gratz shares his expertise
with the Middle School
A
lan Gratz, wildly popular children’s fiction writer whose first novel, Samurai Shortstop, was named one
of the American Library Association’s 2007 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, was ASIJ’s Scholar-
in-Residence for six weeks last spring. Born in Tennessee, Alan started his career as an eighth grade
English teacher and in addition to fiction has written for the stage, magazines, TV and radio.
Alan got connected with ASIJ when former seventh grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher
Chris Rose’s class read Samurai Shortstop last year at the recommendation of MS Librarian Martin Swist
and had a Skype visit with Alan as part of the unit. Dan Smith’s seventh grade class read the book as
well, which led Dan to propose Alan for the Scholar-in-Residence program, made possible by donations
to the Annual Fund. Students in the seventh grade were practicing research papers before Alan came,
but with his assistance they were able to delve into historical fiction and see an entirely different way to
use their research skills. They could construct different places and time periods through their writing that
they had never seen in person, all through careful research.
Although Alan’s debut novel was set in Japan, this was his first trip to the country that inspired him. To write
Samurai Shortstop, which is set in Meiji-era Tokyo at a well-known school of the day, he relied exclusively on
research, reading over 30 books ranging from history to baseball. A big baseball fan himself, writing about a high
school youth’s quest to make the school team was no stretch, but immersing himself in Japan was a challenge
at first. Eventually he became fascinated by the country and culture. During his time at ASIJ, Alan was able to
pursue many cultural explorations when not in school, posting his observations and photos on his official blog.
During his six weeks here, Alan worked with just about every middle school student individually at one
point. The sixth grade worked on short story writing, the seventh grade on historical fiction, and the eighth
grade created one-act plays. Dan Smith believes it is this direct contact with students and the clearly visible
impact on their writing and the way that they think about literature that shows the effectiveness of the
Scholar-in-Residence Program. Alan’s authentic real life experience and his skillful way of explaining his
writing process gave the students genuine tools they could use in their own work, “It was a lesson for the
teachers as well, giving them the confidence to incorporate a wider range of topics and teaching methods
into the curriculum for the following years based on the projects we did together during Alan Gratz’s stay,”
Dan Smith explains. The seventh grade classes will continue to read Samurai Shortstop and to use the
lessons from Alan in order to apply their research skills to creative writing. Dan explains that it is difficult
to teach historical fiction with the right balance, so that it is a good history lesson but also enjoyable as
literature. Alan was able to provide projects that met this balance perfectly.
Middle School English teacher Mark Burpee can see the effect of last spring’s program on his new incoming
eighth graders as well. They come in with more knowledge and tools from their sessions with Alan. “We
are now doing a unit on analyzing and writing short stories and the results are better than I’ve ever seen,”
Mark says. Many of the writing and analysis techniques that Mark is teaching his eighth graders this year
are not entirely new to them—they have already created a foundation from working with Alan last year and
music
man
Artist-in-Residence Linsey Pollak, the
Australian musician and instrument
maker, charmed the elementary school
with his unusual musical creations.
M
aking innovative instruments from such diverse materials
as a carrot or a rubber glove, Linsey Pollak has traveled
all over the world performing and teaching about his
methods. This October he joined ASIJ as an Artist-in-Residence in
the elementary school thanks to sponsorship by Friends of the Fine
Arts (FOFA). The students were delighted to learn how to make and
play some of these unique instruments as well as to invent some
of their own. “The children have taken home their excitement and
have shared their enthusiasm with their friends and relatives. I have
had children say they forwarded YouTube clips and Linsey’s website
to their grandparents for their enjoyment,” says ES music teacher
Karolee Kent . In Jody Fuller’s Grade 4 class, Rogier Fransen came
into school the day after Linsey presented and brought a special
homemade instrument he had produced based on the principle of
the vibrating membrane that Linsey had explained. Twins Rikako
and Ryusei Kent also made a carrot clarinet at home by following
Linsey’s instructions. Jody adds, “In a recent activity, Grade 2
students wanted to explore several ways of adding instruments,
testing out various mallets to change the tone quality, and looking
beyond conventional musical instruments to see if other items in
the music room could become percussion instruments and still add
the integrity we sought in our song accompaniment.” In addition
to using unusual materials, Linsey also makes use of digital sound
effects and other technology. “Linsey really opened our eyes to
new possibilities, and he was kind enough to give us a professional
development session on the operation of these machines, which
we also found really useful,” Karolee explains. “Jody and I are now
pumped to access some of this wonderful technology in our music
composition/creation activities with students.”
S setting
et in 1731-32, Trade Winds is the story of handsome
Scotsman Killian Kinross, who goes to Sweden in the hope
of making his fortune. There he meets strong-willed Jess
van Sandt, a merchant’s daughter, who believes that she’s
being swindled out of her inheritance by her stepfather. They join
sail
forces for mutual benefit and enter into a marriage of convenience,
but then Killian is offered the chance of a lifetime with the Swedish
East India Company. He sets sail for China, but the journey doesn’t
turn out quite as he expected ...
My three years at ASIJ were some of the best of my life and
while I was in Japan, I fell in love with all things Oriental. When
I started trying to write a novel, it therefore seemed obvious that
I had to set it at least partly somewhere in the Far East. Since I’m
half Swedish, I decided to combine the two, and the idea for my
story took shape when I came across a replica of an old sailing
ship used by the Swedish East India Company. Although I ended
up with my hero going to China, my own experiences of living
in Japan helped me with his reactions to such a foreign country.
His feelings of delight and wonder at the sights he sees are very
similar to how I felt when I first arrived in Tokyo. It was all just so
amazingly different to what I was used to and I’m sure that would
have been even truer back in the 18th century.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit Japan a couple of times
recently and I still find everything about this country fascinating.
When I attended the ASIJ ‘70s decade reunion in Orlando, FL,
earlier this summer, I realised that I’m far from alone in feeling
like this. My fellow ASIJ alumni all had a great time in Tokyo too
and those years during our teens created an incredibly strong
bond that still remains. Even after several decades, it was like we
were family. We had a great time, both in our teens and now,
and I can’t wait to meet up with them all again soon!
I’ve always loved books and prefer reading to almost any
other pastime. I spent many happy hours hiding away in the ASIJ
library—or in the garden behind it—reading romance novels when
I should probably have been studying instead. Likewise, the long
train journeys from Mejiro to ASIJ passed much more quickly
when I had my nose in a book. And it was in Tokyo I discovered
just how many wonderful novels there are written in the English
language and so many genres. (Thanks Mr. Boyd for starting up
the “Futuristic Lit” class that introduced me to science fiction!)
I was never very good at writing essays, however, so it didn’t
occur to me that I could be a writer myself. I was brilliant at
daydreaming, but who knew you could translate that into a job?
Not me. When I had my first daughter, I was due to go back
Pia Tapper Fenton ‘77 to work after six months, but by that time I’d realized I much
preferred staying at home with her. There was so much I didn’t
launches her debut novel – a want to miss and I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving her with
strangers all day. So I thought – why not write a book? Then I
romance that follows a journey could earn money while still being at home with her. I decided
to try my hand at a Mills & Boon [standard romance novel]; they
from East to West seemed simple enough so how hard could it be? Well, a lot harder
2009-10
personally. They just meant I wasn’t good enough – yet. It
practical guide to Japanese as it is
took me 18 years to finally get published, but it was definitely
really spoken is already in its fourth
worth the hard work. The irony is that my daughter is the one
printing despite only being on
leaving home now that I’ve made it, but luckily I was able to
shelves for less than a year.
stay at home with her in any case, so it didn’t matter.
Hollywood Savage If anyone is thinking of becoming a writer, the best advice I
could give is to persevere. Don’t give up, and grow a very thick
fundraising
Kristin McCloy ‘80
Like her previous works Velocity skin, because rejections are inevitable unless you’re extremely
and Some Girls, Kristin’s third lucky and/or talented. It’s also essential to join writer’s groups or
novel has received rave reviews. organizations—I belong to the Romantic Novelists’ Association
Written in a journal form, it follows here in the UK for example—attend talks and workshops to learn
a screenplay writer as he deals with more about the craft of writing, but above all mix with other
report
the dark side of Hollywood. authors, published and unpublished. Being a writer can be very
lonely and although family and friends try to be supportive, they
don’t always understand. Other authors will though and if you can
Melting Point - Bali find a “writing buddy” you trust, someone to swap manuscripts
Yoshitaka Saji with for constructive, honest criticism, that can be invaluable.
Long-serving staff member There were many times when I thought of giving up, but then
Yoshitaka Saji has published a another story idea would worm its way into my mind and I’d be off
compilation of his amazing photos again. Also, my writing friends refused to let me stop–I even made
taken in Bali over the years. a pact with my writing buddy that neither of us could quit unless
the other one allowed it. So far, we’re still writing.
The great thing about being an author is that there is no age
Kaba no Chindonyasan
limit–the more you’ve experienced, the more you have to write
David Shapiro
about–and it’s something you can do any time of day or night.
Alumni parent David Shapiro,
For someone who’s not a morning person like me, that’s perfect.
professor at Ryutsu Keizai
And you can take time off whenever you want, plus you get to do
University, weaves a charming
some interesting research. While writing Trade Winds, for example,
morality tale based on the young
I went on board a sailing ship called the Götheborg, which is an
hippo Pippo and his dream of
exact replica of a ship used by the Swedish East India Company to
becoming a chin-don-ya, a
go to China in the 18th century. It was fascinating.
gaudily dressed street performer.
As I said, I drew on my own experiences in moving to Japan
Encounters: A Lifetime Spent when I wrote Trade Winds, even though the hero in that story
Crossing Cultural Frontiers ends up going to China instead. My second novel, however, is
Nancy Keeney Forster set in Japan and for that I was able to use a lot of my memories
Born and raised in Asia during the from my time in Tokyo. It is called The Scarlet Kimono and will
tumultuous years before WWII, be published in March 2011. I can’t give any more details at
Clifton Forster later joined the US the moment, but my research for that involved visiting Himeji
Foreign Service. His wife, educator and Castle, Dejima in Nagasaki and, of course, eating lots of sushi and
alumni parent Nancy Keeney Forster tempura. My family all love Japan as much as I do, so no doubt
combined his records and her own we’ll be back for another visit soon. Can’t wait!
into an account of the encounters
and passions of a lifetime devoted to Trade Winds is published by Choc Lit Ltd, ISBN no. 978-1-906931-
international understanding. 23-0. Pia Tapper Fenton writes under the pseudonym Christina
Courtenay: www.christinacourtenay.com
Gift Clubs
The American School in Japan’s Gift Club program recognizes the outstanding and vital support of its most generous contributors.
The objectives of the Gift Clubs are to strengthen the annual giving program and to help build an enthusiastic group of parents,
alumni and friends who feel a particularly close association with ASIJ. Special recognition is given to members of these clubs. Please
I
n 1963, ASIJ moved from a downtown location in Meguro to its present location in previous nine school years regardless of the total amount.
Chofu. The purchase of property and subsequent relocation were the first steps of The 1902 Society
a forward-thinking governing body that realized the potential that ASIJ had to ¥1,000,000–¥4,999,999* in gifts within the current year. The Double Decade Club
become a leading school in Tokyo and the need for better facilities. Today, ASIJ enjoys Members who have donated consecutively for the current and
an outstanding, global reputation as a top international PK-12 college preparatory The Headmaster’s Circle previous nineteen school years regardless of the total amount.
school. To maintain this position, ASIJ’s Board of Directors strives to be innovative ¥200,000–¥999,999* in gifts within the current year.
and continues to focus on school improvement. Our planning is not just for today’s The Triple Decade Club
students, but also for future generations of ASIJ students. The Black and Gold League Members who have donated consecutively for the
¥100,000–¥199,999* in gifts within the current year. current and previous twenty-nine school years regardless
After several years of careful study, we are preparing to complete our 1998-2014
of the total amount.
master plan for campus and program improvement. To achieve this, we are launching the
The Mustangs Club
4 x 4 Campaign—a four-year fundraising program to generate ¥400 million for the project.
¥50,000–¥99,999* in gifts within the current school year. * or US$ equivalent
ASIJ’s financial stability has allowed fundraising monies to be used for enhancements
to our facilities and curricular programs. Through generous support, both campuses have
improved dramatically during the last 11 years. The Chofu campus has a new cafeteria, new
theater, two all-weather sports fields, field lights and a new elementary school playground.
Gift Club Members
The former NK is now the beautiful Early Learning Center in Roppongi, with a model The Second Century Circle Piez, Catherine A. ‘82 Nishimi, Tetsuya ‘94
program that other schools study and look to for best practices. In addition to facilities, Royer, Louis J. & Yuko Y. Oline, Richard A. & Jean
Zwaanstra, Shizuka M. ‘85 & John
funds have been used to reduce our environmental impact by cutting our carbon footprint Schmidt, Fredrick K. & Schmidt, Miki ‘82 Peel, Jeffrey J. & Nawako
through a range of green initiatives and our curriculum has been enriched through the
The 1902 Society Seltzer, Theodore S. & Yuen-San Bailey, George & Pieper-Bailey, Susan
Scholar-in-Residence program (see page 30), which was funded entirely by donations.
Flannery, John L. & Tracy B. Sipe, Eric & Emily Plum, John E. & Mimi K.
The final phase of the master plan (see pages 12-15) will see major improvements to
Godbout, James T. & Kelly R. Suzukawa-Tseng, Linda M. ‘72 Ras, Andrew A. & Mariko H.
the front of school, a new athletics facility, the redevelopment of the old multi-purpose
Guild, Theodore & Yasuko A. Takemura, Shigeharu & Rino Raub, Joshua A. & Shimada, Mihoko
room (MPR) and the creation of a Japan Center. The first enhancements to the curricular
and co-curricular programs will impact students beginning next fall. Kent, Eric A. & Yasuko N. Tanaka, Takumi & Diana Salsberg, Brian S. & Chessler Salsberg, Abbie
Over recent years, the philanthropy of many has had a profound impact on ASIJ Nishida, Tina Y. ‘85 & David A. Toppino, Jon-Paul & Stephanie A. Sasao, Toshiaki & Masami
students. We are particularly appreciative of the Zwaanstra family, who generously funded Forster, Louis J. & Pike, Kathleen M. Tsusaka, Miki & Jun Shiroishi, Robert H. & Mayuzumi, Sue
the new Berger Choir Room; former Board Chair Thierry Porte who spearheaded the Siegel, Kenneth & Michiyo Young, Yuriko J. ‘84 & Brace Singh, Jesse & Linda
Second Century Campaign and made several significant gifts to the school; the Yonamine Tange, Noritaka & Denise F. Zavattero, Jeffrey J. ‘83 & Eri Sneider, David A. ‘75 & Pollock, Naomi
family for their leadership contribution to the lower field project; and Roy Ryu’s donation Wendel, Christopher & Hilary Bird, Jack E. & Thomas, Karen C.
of field lights and invitations to impressive guest speakers. The financial contributions by Yonamine, Paul K. & Lynda S. The Black and Gold League Vickrey, Geoffrey & Kimberly
current and former ASIJ families such as the Eharas, Schwarts, O’Bryants, Kindreds, Daniels, Downs, Vicky Wisoff, Marshall D. & Therese A.
Pike/Forsters, Rothbergs, Siegels, Yamazakis, Thomas/Birds, Gregors, Kents, Mallat/Decks,
The Headmaster’s Circle Finn, Robert G. & Kimberly A. Wu, Andrew C. ‘89 & Alice
and Schmidts have been exemplary. We thank them and the other donors listed on the
Lorentz, Douglas W. & Sukunya A. Fujii, Daniel K. ‘82 & Yuki Yamasaki, A. Paul & Afifah R.
following pages for their generosity.
Maggart, Bradley J. & Leann L. Gythfeldt, Magnus D. & Keeko O. Yoshii, Sakae & Mimi
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I invite you to join me in supporting the 4 x 4
Matthews, Jim & Amy Hudson, Christopher S. & Nicole
Campaign and help us build on the fantastic stewardship shown by our community
over the past decade. Your gift will directly impact our students next year, as well as Mistry, Azam & Halley Kindred, Jonathan B. & Sachiko The Mustangs Club
many more in the school’s future. Morgenstern, Frederick N. ‘83 & Kendra McCagg, Peter B. & Yukari G. Abrell, Matthias & Jeanette
Warmly, Neilon, Michael D. & Cora A. Miller, Bruce W. & Jere C. Bernier, Jeffrey S. & Seiko S.
Jere Miller, Chair, Fundraising Committee O’Bryant, Allan E. & Tina Nakayama, Tetsushi ‘84 Cohen, Frederick ‘69 & Topper-Cohen, Barbara
Cohen, Maury R. ‘76 Bergt, David E. ‘60 & Jeannine C. Kuwana, Yumi ‘82 & Eiichiro Bailey, Mark E. ‘78 & Denise Kamano, Hiroyuki & Harumi Shorrock, Hallam & Yasuko
Cox, William G. ‘62 & Joyce Boatwright, David ‘73 LaDow, Kristen ‘77 & Richard J. Barrett, James H. & Sue C. Kang, Edwin E. & Mae S. Snell, Richard T. & Francine J. S.
Doyno, David & Judith M. Brooke, George M. ‘63 & Jane Lank, Dannette L. ‘69 & Avi Barry, James J. & Martha G. Kirby, Kyoko O. ‘80 & Peter S. Soga, Michitaka ‘81
Duffy, Christopher A. & Lee, Min Jin Bruns, David R. ‘68 & Shirley J. LaPorte, Charles R. & Sarah A. Maynard, Donald E. & Beneventi, Judith Kohl, Kari O. ‘87 & David Stauffer, Daniel B. ‘41
Geis, Charles A. & Bernadette Burkart, Edward I. ‘48 & Pauline A. Lenz, Pamela L. ‘50 & Ben Berkove, Ethan J. ‘86 & Kyra Kuroda, Mitzi ‘77 & Elledge, Stephen J. Stokes, Paul A. & Rose
Glovins, Keith R. & Lisa E. Carlin, Christopher D. & Donna K. Leybold, Sandra L. ‘73 & Dennis Blizzard, Jan M. ‘71 & D. Craig Larson, Nathanael C. ‘80 & Elizabeth A. Struebing, Joel ‘78
Hatakeyama, Yasu & Maki Carlson, Ernest D. ‘39 & Joyce Livingston, Jerry K. ‘81 & Bonnie Blum, Andrew W. ‘58 Lee, Ronald E. & Toshiko A. Swann, Barbara ‘57
Hofmann, Peter A. ‘77 & Ana B. Colville, Glenn L. ‘68 & Dianne Ludlow, Thomas W. ‘70 & Jane F. Borheck, Steven J. ‘76 & Antonina Leonard, Elizabeth ‘75 Tanimoto, Hiroshi & Michiyo
Honaman, William F. & Eleanor Conrad, Nancy A. ‘77 Lund, Andrew E. ‘81 & Denise Bragg, G. Mark ‘75 & Debra Majid, Nasir & Chie Bird, Jack E. & Thomas, Karen C.
Irvine, Peter Crandall, Leslie G. & Aiko K. Lury, Richard R. ‘65 & Gemma Bruzek, Patricia A. Matsumoto, Tadashi C. & Mildred C. Thompson, Heather M. ‘57 & Donald B.
Ishigami, Kumiko Davis, Jenny L. ‘72 Magnuson, Jody ‘73 & Clark E. Carlin, Amy E. ‘92 Mayer, Jean E. ‘38 Toyama, Kentaro ‘87
Kido, Shino ‘02 DeLong, Paul H. ‘51 & Lynne Martenstein, Thomas B. ‘50 & Carolyn T. Case, Caleb B. ‘45 McCoy, Julia L. Tunis, Jeffrey S.
Kirkwood, Timothy C. & Julie S. Dennis, Thurman H. McCoy, William L. ‘59 & Lynne V. Caudron, Cordell R. ‘60 McKee, Craig L. ‘60 & Kathy Turner, Sally A. ‘66
Lee, Daniel W. & Park, Young-Sun Durloo, Ruth S. ‘34 McVeigh, Thomas R. ‘70 & Rebecca B. Clark, Barbara ‘78 Meller, Louise S. ‘63 & Lukowski, Jay D. Umezaki, Margit
Leoni, Michael A. & Allison D. Farkas, Jennifer J. ‘65 & Arthur J. Meyer, Mary A. ‘65 Clark, Matthew R. ‘93 Mera, Yuhka ‘81 Wakat, Barbara M. ‘88
Lury, Richard R. ‘65 & Gemma Fattal, Leon ‘57 & Suzanne Michalski, John J. & Nancy E. Clevenger, Thomas R. & Doris J. Miller, Robert X. & Lorraine Welti, Donald R. & Patricia R.
Matsunaga, Len & Naomi Fielding, Raymond E. ‘48 & Carole Mirah, Alan R. ‘76 & Therese Cobb, Elizabeth S. ‘88 & Steven Miller, Scott M. & Mary E. Whitehead, Charles K. ‘79 & Debbie
Maynard, Donald E. & Beneventi, Judith Fisher, Carl M. ‘51 & Miriam Morgenstern, Frederick N. ‘83 & Kendra Coopat, E. Thomas & Cheryle P. Moore, Craig K. ‘71 Wiederwohl, Mailyn G. ‘65
Moss, Carolyn M. ‘73 & Daniel J. Ford, Gregory R. ‘72 & Maita, Toni Moss, Carolyn M. ‘73 & Daniel J. Cooper, Peter R. & Pamela Muscari, Joseph C. & Donna M. Wierman, Albert & Ineke
Noddin, Robert L. & Janette I. Fox, Eugene A. ‘50 & Chantal Muhl, Richard R. Cox, William G. ‘62 & Joyce Nagata, Paul ‘74 & Susan Williams, Renee L.
Norris, Margaret ‘65 & Charles Franklin, Richard G. ‘50 & Gloria W. Nicol, Joanna ‘52 Downs, Constance ‘81 Neff Heath, Susan C. ‘69 Witt, Eugene W. & Janet M.
O’Donnell, Chris & Lynne Frugoli, Susan F. ‘51 Nicoll, Hilda K. ‘45 & Donald E. Duke, Christopher K. ‘88 Nishida, Tina Y. ‘85 & David A. Yanagishita, Toshio
Rosario, Jason & Allison Haines, Andrew L. ‘60 & Elizabeth Peacock, Jeffrey D. ‘60 & Cynthia Duke, Susan N. ‘83 Nishimi, Tetsuya ‘94 Yang, James H. ‘62
Rossetto, Joy K. Hand, Richard A. & Yumi Pierce, Lucia B. ‘68 Ehrenkranz, Andra K. ‘83 & John Norris, Margaret ‘65 & Charles Yao, Alejo & Lusan
Smith, Rosemary B. Hanson, Mirja P. ‘74 & Samuel Pietraszek, Henry T. & Margaret Farrell, William R. & Marabeth Y. Notehelfer, Fred G. ‘57 & Margaret Yoshii, Sakae & Mimi
Takagi, James M. & Tsukasa Harkness, Donald R. ‘50 & Mary H. N. Relnick, Philip R. & Nobuko Francischetti, Mark P. ‘72 Ogawa, Hiromitsu & Betty J. Young, Yuriko J. ‘84 & Brace
Turner, Sally A. ‘66 Harnik, Peter L. ‘69 & Yoko M. Roeser, Patricia N. ‘72 Fujii, Daniel K. ‘82 & Yuki Okada, Elizabeth Zavattero, Jeffrey J. ‘83 & Eri
Whitehead, Charles K. ‘79 & Debbie Harper, Flora ‘38 & Robert A. Rossier, Beth ‘74 & Alan Fujii, David K. ‘83 & Makiko Okada, Mutsuko Zwaanstra, Shizuka M. ‘85 & John
Williams, John S. ‘87 & Heidi Hayao, Kenji ‘76 & Victoria W. Sa, Sophie ‘61 Fujishima, Julie K. ‘84 & Takuya Oline, Richard A. & Jean
Wu, Chung J. & Yamada-Wu, Stella N. Higa, Ernest M. ‘70 & Aya Schmalz, Sally Burks ‘83 Fukuma, Lalaka ‘93 Ondry, Pamela L. ‘77 & Mark A.
Zimmerman, Gary & Chana S. Honaman, William F. & Eleanor Skillman, Alan M. ‘70 & Reiko Fuller, Jody R. Onishi, Randall & Susan Honor Roll of Donors
Horwitz, Elizabeth M. ‘76 & Barry Smith, Rosemary B. Gibson, Margaret G. ‘40 & Wallace Parr, Frederick L. ‘80 & Blair E.
The Triple Decade Club Hsia, John S. ‘57 & Lynn W. Smith, Tara L. ‘78 & McSwiggen, Patrick Gilbert, Miriam C. ‘77 & Randall C. Phillips, James M. Parents & Alumni Parents
Cohen, Frederick ‘69 & Topper-Cohen, Barbara Huskins, Shirley E. Squier, Middleton P. & Carol L. Gilman, Irene P. Phillips, Marjorie R. ‘77 & Carrig, Steve *Abrell, Matthias & Jeanette
Downs, Vicky Jacobson, Kimberley A. ‘77 & Hutchison, Straus, Ulrich A. ‘44 & Sarah Gish, George W. & Yoko F. Plum, John E. & Mimi K. *Acito, Paul L. & Clouthier, Margaret M.
Glazier, Kenneth C. ‘67 Dennis Suzukawa-Tseng, Linda M. ‘72 Gogerty, Daniel J. & Lana J. Potter, Meredith W. ‘52 *Adams, Jim D. & Nancy
Nielsen, Jeannette A. ‘59 James, Larry G. & Sharon Tanaka, Richard E. ‘67 & Catherine Greenberg, Myron L. ‘55 & Helga C. Reckord, Josh G. & Nancy *Andersen, Robert P.
Pariser, Rudolph ‘41 & Louise Jones, Linda E. ‘69 Thede, Ann L. Grimes, William W. ‘83 & Melinda S. Reynolds, A-Lan ‘74 & John *Avery, John W. & Carolyn C.
Shimizu, George ‘39 Karcher, Carolyn ‘62 & Martin Turner, Barbara B. ‘40 Haines, David W. ‘64 & Karen R. Rich, Miriam S. ‘76 Bailey, George & Pieper-Bailey, Susan
Teaze, Robert S. ‘43 Kemmerer, Ruthli Walsh, Robert R. ‘81 Harada, Mary ‘81 & Greg Riecks, Robert E. ‘39 *Barrett, James H. & Sue C.
Yamada, Roy H. ‘58 & Sandra A. Kerr, Virginia M. ‘67 Yamada, Leslie L. ‘64 & Tadataka Harris, Bonita G. ‘61 & Gene Rubinfien, Elisabeth S. ‘73 & Sneider, *Barry, James J. & Martha G.
Kidder, David D. ‘70 & Jane D. Yamasaki, A. Paul & Afifah R. Harte, Norman F. & Esther L. Daniel C. *Benack, Bill & Keri
The Double Decade Club Kidder, Paul M. ‘76 & Terry P. Yusha, Alexander ‘42 Hastings, James E. ‘53 & Constance Sanders, Michael ‘87 *Beneventi, Judith & Maynard, Donald E.
Adams, Jim D. & Nancy Kindred, Jonathan B. & Sachiko Zimmerman, Suzanne ‘59 Hermann, Kenneth W. & Beatrice A. Sapala, Elizabeth M. ‘61 Bernier, Jeffrey S. & Seiko S.
Anderson, Russell D. ‘76 & Lori Kobayashi, Albert S. ‘42 & Elizabeth Huo, Eugene J. ‘96 Schlichting, Richard D. & Cynthia M. Bird, Jack E. & Thomas, Karen C.
Armstrong, Peter H. ‘52 Kreyling, Peter A. ‘67 & Catherine S. The Decade Club Huo, Jeffrey S. ‘94 Schriever, Sandra M. ‘72 *Blizzard, Jan M. ‘71 & D. Craig
Barber, Martha M. ‘45 Kurahashi, Nancy ‘65 Amos, William H. ‘38 & Catherine Jones-Morton, Pamela Shimizu, Louise L. ‘64 Bowers, Thomas A. & Kasahara, Michie
42 the ambassador FALL 2010 * Alumni Parents Repeat donors listed in bold FALL 2010 the ambassador 43
2009-10 2009-10
FUNDRAISING REPORT FUNDRAISING REPORT
Brown, Arlo A. & Yuko S. Hatakeyama, Yasu & Maki *Miller, Scott M. & Mary E. Sipe, Eric & Emily o Clark, Franklin T. & Susan C. ASIJ Alumni Donors
*Butterfield, Peter T. & Joanne S. *Hermann, Kenneth W. & Beatrice A. Mistry, Azam & Halley *Smith, Rosemary B. o Cooper, Peter R. & Pamela
Class of 1934
*Callanan, Regina & John J. *Hester, James M. & Janet R. *Miyake, Yoshihito & Yuko Sneider, David A. ‘75 & Pollock, Naomi o Crandall, Leslie G. & Aiko K.
Durloo, Ruth S. (Stirewalt)
Callon, Scott ‘83 & Janel A. Higa, Ernest M. ‘70 & Aya Morgenstern, Frederick N. ‘83 & Kendra *Snell, Richard T. & Francine J. S. o Dennis, Thurman H.
Cannon, Alan & Kitakado, Fuyumi Hikida, Ross & Lee, Hoshin *Mulkern, Louis & Dorothy *Squier, Middleton P. & Carol L. o Downs, Vicky Class of 1938
Capizzi, Peter & Gina Amos, William H.
Hoffmann, David & Heather *Muscari, Joseph C. & Donna M. *Stokes, Paul A. & Rose o Duke, Christopher K. ‘88
*Carlin, Christopher D. & Donna K. Suzukawa-Tseng, Linda M. ‘72 Fuller, Jody R. Harper, Flora (Wikawa)
*Holcomb, Stan A. & Elizabeth S. Neilon, Michael D. & Cora A.
*Carr, Timothy S. & Barbara *Takada, Yuko o Furth, Ronald J. & Sandra S. Mayer, Jean E.
Hong, Gregory & Diane Nishida, Tina Y. ‘85 & David A.
*Chitani, Yinsei Chang ‘68 Howe, Christian J. & Francesca P. Noddin, Robert L. & Janette I. Takagi, James M. & Tsukasa o Gilman, Irene P. Class of 1939
*Clevenger, Thomas R. & Doris J. Hudson, Christopher S. & Nicole O’Bryant, Allan E. & Tina Takemura, Shigeharu & Rino o Gogerty, Daniel J. & Lana J. Carlson, Ernest D.
*Coopat, E. Thomas & Cheryle P. Hunsaker, Mark D. & Jane *O’Donnell, Chris & Lynne Tanaka, Takumi & Diana o Hand, Richard A. & Yumi Riecks, Robert E.
*Cooper, Peter R. & Pamela *Huskins, Shirley E. *Ogawa, Hiromitsu & Betty J. Tange, Noritaka & Denise F. Hatakeyama, Makiko Shimizu, George
*Crawford, David & Mary L. Hyman, Gary & Weiss, Efrot Oghigian, Haig B. & Kathryn A. Toppino, Jon-Paul & Stephanie A. o Hickok, Leon & Roberta
Class of 1940
Culbert, Geoffrey & Ward, Emma Irvine, Peter *Okada, Mutsuko Toyosaki, Masahito & Motoko o Ishigami, Kumiko
Gibson, Margaret G. (Noss)
*Dornoff, Jeffrey M. & Deanne M. *Ison, Stuart D. & Deborah L. Okuno, Marcus & Kazuko Tsusaka, Miki & Jun o Jones-Morton, Pamela
Turner, Barbara B. (Young)
*Downs, Vicky Iverson, Chad M. & Rumi K. *Oline, Richard A. & Jean *Tunis, Jeffrey S. o Kemmerer, Ruthli
Doyno, David & Judith M. *James, Larry G. & Sharon *Onishi, Randall & Susan *Umezaki, Margit o Koshewa, Allen P. Class of 1941
Duffy, Christopher A. & Lee, Min Jin *Johnson, Jay A. & Adrianne B. Onuma, Satoshi M. & Lisa M. Vickrey, Geoffrey & Kimberly Maggart, Bradley J. & Leann L. Pariser, Rudolph
Edmunds, Eric F. & Misa *Kang, Edwin E. & Mae S. Owens, Daniel E. & Ayako T. *Wakamatsu, Ernest T. ‘75 & Yuko o Meadows, Viola Stauffer, Daniel B.
*Eisenhart, Scott F. & Michelle M. Keese, Jack S. & Pamela L. Parr, Frederick L. ‘80 & Blair E. *Wales, George H. & Judith o Muhl, Richard R. Class of 1942
Elkareh, Oliver & Linda Kent, Eric A. & Yasuko N. *Parrott, George & Ruth Wendel, Christopher & Hilary o Okada, Elizabeth Kobayashi, Albert S.
*Farkas, Jennifer J. ‘65 & Arthur J. *Kindred, Jonathan B. & Sachiko Peel, Jeffrey J. & Nawako *Wierman, Albert & Ineke Raub, Joshua A. & Shimada, Mihoko Yusha, Alexander
*Farrell, William R. & Marabeth Y. *Kirby, Kyoko O. ‘80 & Peter S. *Phillips, James M. Wisoff, Marshall D. & Therese A. o Reckord, Josh G. & Nancy
Class of 1943
*Finn, Robert G. & Kimberly A. Kirkwood, Jonathan S. & Christina W. *Pietraszek, Henry T. & Margaret *Witt, Eugene W. & Janet M. Rosario, Jason
Teaze, Robert S.
*Flannery, John L. & Tracy B. Kirkwood, Timothy C. & Julie S. *Plum, John E. & Mimi K. Wu, Andrew C. ‘89 & Alice Rossetto, Joy K.
Folsom, Richard L. & Yukiko Koll, Jesper J. W. & Matsui, Kathy M. *Porte, Thierry G. & Tashiro-Porte, Yasko Wu, Chung J. & Yamada-Wu, Stella N. Seevers, John K. & Karen Class of 1944
*Forster, Louis J. & Pike, Kathleen M. LaMacchia, Thomas & Wein, Jacqueline *Proctor, David M. *Yamada, Roy H. ‘58 & Sandra A. o Snell, Richard T. & Francine J. S. Straus, Ulrich A.
Fujii, Daniel K. ‘82 & Yuki *LaPorte, Charles R. & Sarah A. Radmilovich, Todor M. & Abigail L. *Yamasaki, A. Paul & Afifah R. o Squier, Middleton P. & Carol L. Class of 1945
Fujii, David K. ‘83 & Makiko *Larson, Nathanael C. ‘80 & Elizabeth A. Ras, Andrew A. & Mariko H. *Yano, Judy C. & John S. Sugiya, Minako Barber, Martha M. (Kipp)
*Fujishima, Julie K. ‘84 & Takuya LaScala, Russell J. & Sheryl A. *Reckord, Josh G. & Nancy *Yao, Alejo & Lusan o Tokuhiro, Yumiko Case, Caleb B.
*Furth, Ronald J. & Sandra S. Lee, Daniel W. & Park, Young-Sun *Relnick, Philip R. & Nobuko Yasutomi, Wayne K. & Nakamura, Keiko o Umezaki, Margit Nicoll, Hilda K. (Farnum)
Geis, Charles A. & Bernadette *Lee, Ronald E. & Toshiko A. Rezneck, Jonathan N. & Lottie C. Yonamine, Paul K. & Lynda S. o Viglielmo, Frances
Class of 1948
*Gish, George W. & Yoko F. Leoni, Michael A. & Allison D. Rosario, Jason & Allison Yoshii, Sakae & Mimi o Welti, Donald R.
Burkart, Edward I.
Glantz, Roy M. & Rie Lin, Victor H. & Susan S. *Rosen, Janet B. Zavattero, Jeffrey J. ‘83 & Eri Wilce, Matt D.
Fielding, Raymond E.
Glovins, Keith R. & Lisa E. Lorentz, Douglas W. & Sukunya A. Royer, Louis J. & Yuko Y. *Zimmerman, Gary & Chana S. o Williams, Renee L.
Ryan, James H.
Godbout, James T. & Kelly R. Lostaglio, Keith & L’Esperance, Kathleen Salsberg, Brian S. & Chessler Salsberg, Abbie Zwaanstra, Shizuka M. ‘85 & John Witt, Eugene W. & Janet M.
*Gogerty, Daniel J. & Lana J. Maggart, Bradley J. & Leann L. Sano, Hiroyuki & Eiko Wooles, Angela Class of 1950
*Greenberg, Myron L. ‘55 & Helga C. Majid, Nasir & Chie Sasao, Toshiaki & Masami Current/Former Faculty & Staff o Yanagishita, Toshio Fox, Eugene A.
Gregor, Eugene C. & Barbara T. Matsunaga, Len & Naomi *Schlichting, Richard D. & Cynthia M. o Andersen, Robert P. o Yano, Judy C. Franklin, Richard G.
Griffin, Michael L. & Montana L. Matthews, Jim & Amy Schmidt, Fredrick K. & Schmidt, Miki ‘82 Anonymous Faculty Harkness, Donald R.
Guild, Theodore & Yasuko A. Mayer, Ray & Robin *Seevers, John K. & Karen Beneventi, Judith & Maynard, Donald E. Friends Lenz, Pamela L. (Alexander)
*Guyett, Greg & Stephanie *McCagg, Peter B. & Yukari G. Seltzer, Theodore S. & Yuen-San o Booth, Andrea Foley, Brian & Kristen Martenstein, Thomas B.
Gythfeldt, Magnus D. & Keeko O. *McCoy, Julia L. Shenk, Scott M. & Megumi o Bruzek, Patricia A. Kamano, Hiroyuki & Harumi Class of 1951
Hall, Larik M. & Katherine A. *Michalski, John J. & Nancy E. Shiroishi, Robert H. & Mayuzumi, Sue Burpee, Mark D. & Nakamura, Machi Suzuki, Erimitsu & Kawasaki-Suzuki, DeLong, Paul H.
*Hamilton, Stephen & Janie Mies, Michael J. & Eiko I. *Shorrock, Hallam & Yasuko o Callanan, Regina Tamami Fisher, Carl M.
Harris, John D. & Diane Miller, Bruce W. & Jere C. Siegel, Kenneth & Michiyo o Carr, Timothy S. & Barbara Weese, Laura Frugoli, Susan F. (Tucker)
*Harte, Norman F. & Esther L. *Miller, Robert X. & Lorraine Singh, Jesse & Linda Chitani, Yinsei Chang ‘68
44 the ambassador FALL 2010 * Alumni Parents o Former faculty/Staff Repeat donors listed in bold FALL 2010 the ambassador 45
2009-10 2009-10
FUNDRAISING REPORT FUNDRAISING REPORT
Class of 1952 Class of 1964 Schriever, Sandra M. Class of 1979 Williams, John S. Class of 2005 Earl, The OPI Japan K.K.
Suzukawa-Tseng, Linda M.
Nicol, Joanna (Strother) Haines, David W. Whitehead, Charles K. Class of 1988 Woods, Steven T. Estee Lauder K.K. Pacific Islands Club Guam
Potter, Meredith W. (Woods) Shimizu, Louise L. (Picon) (Suzukawa) FAB Academy Pacific Islands Club Saipan
Class of 1980 Cobb, Elizabeth S. (Horn) Class of 2006
Reid, Russell P. Yamada, Leslie L. (Davis) Class of 1973 Kirby, Kyoko O. (Ono) Duke, Christopher K. Yoshii, Takashi M.
Foreign Buyers’ Club, The Panorama Hospitality
Story, Morris E. Boatwright, David Wakat, Barbara M. Four Seasons Hotel Pan Pacific Yokohama Bay
Class of 1965 Larson, Nathanael C.
Class of 2007
Kleinjans, Constance Marunouchi Hotel Tokyo
Class of 1953 Farkas, Jennifer J. (Burkard) Parr, Frederick L. Class of 1989 Onozuka, Juliana
Leybold, Sandra L. (Colville) Frijoles Park Hyatt Tokyo
Hastings, James E. Kurahashi, Nancy (Nagase) Hurd, Samantha (Fritz)
Magnuson, Jody (Kroehler)
Class of 1981 Class of 2009 Fukushima Garo Peninsula Hotel Tokyo, The
Lury, Richard R. Wu, Andrew C.
Class of 1954 Moss, Carolyn M.
Downs, Constance
Yoshii, Emi M. Global Dining Company Priya Indian Restaurant
Meyer, Mary A.
Hawkins, Nancy E. (Fish)
Rubinfien, Elisabeth S.
Harada, Mary (Che) Class of 1990 Gold Salon Tokyo Restaurant L’osier
Rubenfeld, Linda S. (Steele)
Mamlin, Sarah E. (Dozier)
Wiederwohl, Mailyn G. (Snyder) Tsuchihashi, Noriko
Livingston, Jerry K.
Lund, Andrew E.
Hagg, Nicole B. (Harris)
Corporate Grand Hyatt Tokyo Riedel Japan Co., Ltd.
Class of 1955
Class of 1966 Class of 1974 Mensendiek, Martha
Class of 1991 Donors H&R Consultants K.K.
Higa Industries
Ritz Carlton Osaka, The
Greenberg, Myron L. Kaser, Patrick S. Roppongi Hills Club
Ahn, Mi C. (Ryu) A Cut Above
Turner, Sally A. (Noll) Mera, Yuhka Hitachi Consulting Co., Ltd. Royal Copenhagen
Class of 1956 Hanson, Mirja P. (Karikoski) Soga, Michitaka Class of 1992 Agos Japan Inc.
Matsumoto, Tadashi C.
Class of 1967 Nagata, Paul Carlin, Amy E. AIG Co. Japan
Hyatt Regency Kyoto Sakura Japanese Program
Walsh, Robert R. Ito-En Co. Ltd. Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay
Glazier, Kenneth C. Alco Japan
Reynolds, A-Lan (Von Hornlein) Harvey, Christopher J.
Class of 1957 Kerr, Virginia M. Class of 1982 Jeffrey Boyle Shinko Studio
Rossier, Beth (Pedersen) Karim, Arshad Akariya Kanaru-sha
Fattal, Leon Kreyling, Peter A. Fujii, Daniel K. Jewels ‘n Style Sin Den
Allied Pickfords Japan
Hsia, John S. Tanaka, Richard E. Class of 1975 Kuwana, Yumi (Mera) Class of 1993 J’s Kitchen Sogetsu Foundation
Amway Japan Limited
Notehelfer, Fred G. Bragg, G. Mark Piez, Catherine A. Clark, Matthew R. Junkadelic Sony Marketing (Japan) Inc.
Swann, Barbara (Bowles)
Class of 1968 Leonard, Elizabeth Fukuma, Lalaka (Ogawa)
ANA InterContinental Tokyo
Kamisou Foundation Specifix8
Thompson, Heather M.
Bruns, David R.
Sneider, David A.
Class of 1983 Andrea Bernard Beauty Salon
Class of 1994 kate spade new york Sports TMC Ltd.
Chitani, Yinsei (Chang) Callon, Scott Art Land Hotel Tateshina
Sult, Nathan
Class of 1958 Colville, Glenn L. Duke, Susan N. Greig, Katherine H. Asia Jet
Katell SRMG and To the Moon and Back
Wakamatsu, Ernest T. KidZania Japan K.K. Stark-Condé Wines
Blum, Andrew W. Pierce, Lucia B. Ehrenkranz, Andra K. (Bowman) Huo, Jeffrey S. Asian Tigers Premier
Yamada, Roy H. Class of 1976 Fujii, David K. Nishimi, Tetsuya Audi Japan Sales K.K.
Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotels Sumitomo 3M Ltd.
Class of 1969 Anderson, Russell D. Riceberg, Jessica L. Krispy Kreme Doughnut Starbucks
Class of 1959 Cohen, Frederick
Grimes, William W. Bacardi Japan Ltd.
Borheck, Steven J. Japan Co., Ltd. Swarovski Japan Ltd.
McCoy, William L. Harnik, Peter L.
Morgenstern, Frederick N. Class of 1996 Baccarat Pacific K.K.
Cohen, Maury R. Le Cordon Bleu SwimFriends
Zimmerman, Suzanne (Long) Schmalz, Sally (Burks) Huo, Eugene J. Beaute Absolue
Jones, Linda E. (Jones) Lego Japan Ltd. T.Y. Express K.K.
Horwitz, Elizabeth M. Zavattero, Jeffrey J. Bluesilver
Class of 1960 Lank, Dannette L. (Hill)
Kidder, Paul M. Class of 1997 Let’s Party Tokyo Tai Kou Rou Chinese Restaurant
Botejyu Tokyo Food Corp.
Bergt, David E. Neff Heath, Susan C. (Neff)
Mirah, Alan R.
Class of 1984 Ewart, Emilie F. (Fisher) Mais Co., Ltd. Taj, The
Burton
Caudron, Cordell R. Fujishima, Julie K. Pontius, Pamela R. D.
Class of 1970 Rich, Miriam S. (Rich) Canyons
Make a Friend Co., Ltd. TASAKI & Co., Ltd.
Haines, Andrew L. Nakayama, Tetsushi Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Tokyo American Club
Higa, Ernest M.
Class of 1977 Class of 1999 Carpet Doctor
McKee, Craig L. Young, Yuriko J. (Takahashi) Mays Food International Tokyo Fitness
Kidder, David D. Pontius, Elizabeth P. D. Cartier Richemont Japan, Ltd.
Conrad, Nancy A.
Peacock, Jeffrey D. Ludlow, Thomas W. Class of 1985 McDonald’s Co. (Japan), Ltd. Toriizaka Art
Gilbert, Miriam C. (Clark) Watt, Julie D. Cave de Re Lax
Class of 1961 McVeigh, Thomas R. Glastal, Catherine E. (Swanz) Mockingbird Trading Co. Toys “R” Us Japan, Ltd.
Hofmann, Peter A. Class of 2000 Chez Vous Co., Ltd.
Harris, Bonita G. (Bongard) Skillman, Alan M. Sheehan, David W. Mori Building Co., Ltd. Two Rooms Grill & Bar
Jacobson, Kimberley A. Choo, Yoon Suk China Airlines, Ltd.
Sa, Sophie Tsai, Linda L. L. (Yen) Zwaanstra, Shizuka M. (Asakawa) Mori Building City Air Services United Airlines, Inc.
Kuroda, Mitzi Cirque Du Soleil
Sapala, Elizabeth M. (Danker) Class of 2001 My Gym United Dental Office
Class of 1971 LaDow, Kristen (Jordan) Class of 1986 Coca-Cola (Japan) Company
Thomas, Sarah MyToyota.jp Wagumi-D
Class of 1962 Kobata, Kathy K. Ondry, Pamela L. (Eldredge) Berkove, Ethan J. Conrad Tokyo
Woods, Matthew M. NASPA New Otani Resort Wally Yonamine Co., Inc.
Cox, William G. Moore, Craig K. Phillips, Marjorie R. Herault, Gretchen S. (Swanz) Cornes & Co. Ltd.
National Federation of Coffee Walt Disney Attractions Japan, Ltd.
Karcher, Carolyn (Lury) Sanoden, James P. Class of 2002 Corning Holding Japan GK
Class of 1978 Class of 1987 Growers of Colombia WDI Corporation
Yang, James H. Kido, Shino Daniel Kelly Studio
Class of 1972 Bailey, Mark E. Destival, Charles A. Nike Japan Corporation Wishbone Cooking & Catering
Uchida, Aki Dave’s Party Entertainment
Class of 1963 Davis, Jenny L. (Skillman) Clark, Barbara (Clark) Kohl, Kari O. (Odquist) NoniNet Japan Yoga Tree
Dean & Deluca
Brooke, George M. Ford, Gregory R. Smith, Tara L. Sanders, Michael Class of 2004 Nu Skin Japan Company, Ltd. Yokohama Country and
Delta Air Lines
Martino, William L. Francischetti, Mark P. Struebing, Joel Sharp, Robert L. Taffel, Max W. Oberoi Mumbai, The Athletic Club
Devi Fusion
Meller, Louise S. Roeser, Patricia N. (Moss) Toyama, Kentaro Okinawa Marriott Resort & Spa Y’s Table Corporation
Diya Indian Restaurant
46 the ambassador FALL 2010 Repeat donors listed in bold FALL 2010 the ambassador 47
2009-10 2009-10
FUNDRAISING REPORT FUNDRAISING REPORT
Organization Name
Abbott Laboratories Fund, The Ethyl Corporation Mitsui USA Foundation, The
Adobe Systems Incorporated ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha Mobil Foundation, Inc.
Allied-Signal Foundation Fidelity Foundation Morgan Stanley Matching Gifts Program
American International Group Inc. The Field Corporation Fund Motorola Foundation
Amherst International, Inc. First Hawaiian Bank Nike, Inc.
Amoco Foundation, Inc. GAP Foundation, The North Star Reinsurance Corporation
Associated Dry Goods Corporation GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Northrop Grumman Int’l Inc.
Atlantic Richfield Foundation Goldman Sachs Educational Matching Gift Norton Company Foundation
Avon Products Foundation, Inc. Program Owens-Illinois (Asia) Ltd.
Bank of America Foundation GTE Foundation PepsiCo Foundation Inc.
Bank of California N.A., Tokyo Branch, The Hewitt Associates LLC Pfizer Japan Inc.
Bankers Trust Foundation Home Depot, The Prudential Foundation, The
Baxter Allegiance Foundation
Bell & Howell Foundation
BOC Group, Inc., The
Houghton Mifflin Company
Hughes Aircraft Company
IMC Fertilizer, Inc.
Raytheon Engineers & Constructors
RJR Nabisco Foundation
Rohm and Haas Company
Planned Giving
L
Boeing Company, The International Schools Services Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation
ike many nonprofit institutions,
BP America Inc.
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP
ITT Corporation
The J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation
Sanofi Winthrop, Inc.
Security Pacific Foundation
ASIJ is fortunate to have a vibrant The Gate Society
community that supports its
Charitable Foundation JK Group, Inc. Signet Banking Corporation ASIJ’s Gate Society honors individuals who have included ASIJ in their estate plans
mission with annual gifts. In addition to
Cabot Corporation Foundation, Inc. Johnson & Higgins of Japan Inc. Sony Corp. or have made another form of planned gift to the school. Please let us know if you
annual donations, from time to time ASIJ
Cardinal Health Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. Sony Corporation of America Foundation, Inc. have already included ASIJ in your estate plans (donors may also be added to The
also benefits from bequests and estate
Charles Schwab Corporation Foundation Jostens Foundation, Inc., The SPS Foundation Gate Society posthumously).
gifts. Planned gifts such as these are a
Chubb Corporation, The Kemper National Insurance Companies Sun Microsystems Foundation, Inc., The
vital and much appreciated component Ms. Irene M. Anderson ‘74 Ms. Julia Ludlow-Ortner ‘72
CIGNA Foundation Legg Mason Sundstrand Corporation Foundation
of the school’s fundraising. Mr. David Bergt ’60 Ms. Rhoda (Knudten) Miklos ‘40#
Cisco Foundation Lehman Brothers Tandy Corp./Radio Shack
Planned giving is a long-term option Mr. Frederick Cohen Mr. Richard R. Muhl*
Colgate-Palmolive Company Lucent Technologies Foundation Thomas J. Lipton Foundation, Inc.
that enables individuals to make larger Mr. Peter Cooper* Mr. David B. Nicodemus ‘33#
ConocoPhillips Company Manhattan Life Insurance Company, The The Torrington Co.
charitable donations that consider the Mr. & Mrs. Ray Downs* ‘50 Ms. Elli-Hideko Shibata ‘66
CoreStates Financial Corp. Manufacturers Hanover Foundation Towers Perrin
personal and family needs of the donor. Dr. Frederick P. Harris*# Mr. Ronald J. Snyder*
CPI Corp. May Stores Foundation, Inc., The Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Planned gifts are usually made with Mr. Robert D. Haven Mr. John J. Sullivan*#
Dana Corporation Foundation McGraw-Hill Foundation, Inc., The UBS
assets rather than current income and Ms. Ann Hesselink ‘71 Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sundberg ‘77
Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation MediaOne Verizon Foundation
are a tax-effective means of giving to Ms. Abigail Hoffsommer ‘27# Mrs. Chizu Shindo Suzuki ‘64
Digital Equipment Corporation Merrill Lynch & Co. Foundation, Inc. Young & Rubicam Foundation, The
the school. They can range from simple Mr. W. Alfred Hoffsommer ‘29# Mr. & Mrs. Brent Ware ‘74
Electronic Arts Inc. Microsoft Corporation
bequests of funds, gifts of stock or Dr. James R Huddle ‘70 * = Former Faculty
property to making ASIJ the beneficiary Dr. Pamela Jones-Morton* # = Posthumously
of a life insurance policy.
If you are interested in joining The Gate Society and have included ASIJ in your estate plans, please let us know.
For more details, please email <[email protected]> or contact the Alumni Office.
alumni
MESSAGE
Abbie Chessler Salsberg Richard Folsom Eugene Gregor Jesper Koll Ed Ladd Lina Yamashita ’04 visited the Chofu Campus on September 8, 2010 for the Cynthia Kawamura ‘90 and her husband stopped by ASIJ on October 28, 2010
High School College Fair to talk about her experience at Oberlin College. It had during a two week stay in Japan that was the start of a 3 month voyage around
been five years since Lina had been on campus, so we were glad to see her! Asia including Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
Bradley Maggart Jere Miller Allan O’Bryant Stephanie Toppino Miki Tsusaka
Diane Tadlock Siuda ‘99 with her husband and current faculty Gene and Janet Witt Fumiaki Tosu ’95 had a great chat with current faculty Gene Witt and Keiko
during a campus visit on October 27, 2010. Diane was married in April and was Auckerman. Fumiaki had been teaching high school in San Jose, CA, for seven
in Japan for her honeymoon. She hadn’t been on campus for ten years, but she years and is now taking a year off to travel the world. He stopped by to visit
has kept close to her friends from ASIJ. Tamina Plum ’99 was the officiate of her ASIJ on November 4, 2010 for the first time in ten years after visiting his
Paul Yonamine Mimi Yoshii Shizuka Zwaanstra ‘85 Linda Suzukawa-Tseng ‘72* Frederick Morgenstern’83* wedding and Emily Ewins ’00 was her Maid of Honor. grandmother in Shikoku.
*Statutory Auditors
This Year’s
Class Reunions From the 1950s to the year 2000, a half century of ASIJ alumni reconnected
50’s
decade
The reunion for the ‘50s decade alumni was held in the quaint
small town of Los Gatos, CA, located 50 miles south of San
Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley. The weekend was beautiful
60’s
faculty
A terrific reunion of old friends and former ASIJ colleagues
took place at Chico Hot Springs, Pray, MT, from August 15 -
20. Chico is located between Livingston, MT, (birthplace and
with clear blue skies and temperatures in the mid eighties, typical current home of Gary Fish FF 1965-95) and Yellowstone Park
for this time of the year. Excitement was running high in the in beautiful Paradise Valley. After the initial round of greetings
September group even before the start of the week with telephone calls August and a wonderful dinner served by Alaete Fish (FF 1978-95) the
17-19 going back and forth. The anticipation of the celebration and 15-20 remaining time of the first night was spent reminiscing about
the reconnection with former classmates, some for the first time ASIJ and our lives since teaching there. The rest of the week was
Los Gatos Pray, MT
since 1956, set the festive mood for the reunion. Twenty-three spent swimming in the hot springs, shopping in Livingston, white
CA alumni and spouses arrived for the gala which represented four water rafting on the Yellowstone River, observing the beauty of
Gary Fish
classes. Organizer Charlie Wu ’57 was able to bring all of these the Valley from both the rental home and principle residence of
(FF 1965-95)
Charlie Wu ‘57 classmates together with the help of his daughter May-Lynn. This the Fishes, and wine tasting. One day was spent caravanning
reunion was planned with an international theme and began on through Yellowstone Park watching the buffalo roam and the
Friday evening, September 17th, with a reception dinner, an geysers spout. We finished the week with a wonderful dinner
Italian feast, at the Bella Saratoga. On Saturday morning, a at a five star restaurant in Chico before our departures the last
Hong Kong style Dim Sum brunch was enjoyed at the Joy Luck morning. A great time was had by us all and we left with the
Place. In the afternoon the group toured the famous Hakone promise that we would meet again in Alabama sometime in
Garden in Saratoga. The Saturday night dinner was held at the 2011. An interesting revelation was that Gerry Moore, the
Kamakura Restaurant. The reunion concluded Sunday with a husband of Nancy Kepner (FF 1965-68) and Gary Fish were
champagne brunch at Pedro’s Restaurant. It was a memorable altar boys together in the mid-‘50s in Livingston, Montana.
weekend and the events were thoroughly enjoyed by all. The
group departed with promises to do it again soon.
class of 50
years
class of Four members of the Meguro HOBOs met in
‘60
‘51
Newport, OR, from October 4 – 8, 2010 for a
memorable four days of reminiscing, dining, touring,
and planning for the next get-together in 2012. September
Meeting in a B&B in Newport with their spouses
October 24-26
were Eldon Carr and Anna, Daniel Garges and
4-8 Peggy, Bill Wardell and Jenny, Carl Fisher and Portland
Newport Miriam. Prior meetings have taken place in Lake ME
Tahoe, Las Vegas (twice), Squirrel Lake, WI, and a
OR Mississippi River cruise on the Delta Queen. Our David Bergt ‘60
next meeting will be in Branson, MO. Not present The Class of ‘60’s 50th anniversary reunion was just wonderful, with great Maine weather, and nary a hitch to
Carl Fisher ‘51 for this meeting were Bill Brunckhorst and Ed the reunion plans. Fourteen from our class attended, along with six spouses. We enjoyed a city and harbor tour, a
Rankin who are usually in attendance. Hosting for lobster dinner on a nearby island, an afternoon in famous Freeport, home of Lands End, and finished with a great
the event was Al and Anna Carr. Tours included dinner at a harbor-side Irish pub. Needless to say, as with any ASIJ reunion, the highlight was not the food and sites,
coastal Oregon, The Space Museum, the Newport but the great and endless conversations shared by all, remembering the good old days at ASIJ, and laughter from
Aquarium, and many scenic places. These days we beginning to end. Marsha (Bassford) Miller was the coordinator on the ground in Portland, and she did a terrific job!
come with a few more aches and pains but always She was helped by classmate Kiyoko Uramatsu, who lives across the border in New Hampshire. Between the two of
go home rejuvenated, refreshed, and full of new them, they worked the better part of a year on the reunion. We’ve already started planning our next reunion, which
hope and vigor. Reunions do that for you. we’ll hold in 2013, and have a number of sites selected, which we’ll vote on down the line.
25
REUNIONS REUNIONS
years
70’s
decade
The reunion had an outstanding alumni
turnout of 80 Students and two faculty
members, Pamela Jones-Morton
class of
‘85
(FF1972-77) and Nancy Grohman (FF
July 2-4 1973-8). Also joining us were spouses, August
children and friends totaling 120 people
Orlando 21-22
“In the House” as we welcomed
FL everyone’s arrival with hugs, laughter Boston
and tears. It had been 30 or more years MA
Cheryl Wise ‘79 since many of us had seen each other. The class of 1985 held a reunion in historic Boston, MA, on August 21-22. As classmates came together to celebrate
Lake Buena Vista Resort was the place 25 years, there were many stories to share and happy memories to recall. Jennifer Krouse organized the gathering
to be on the 4th of July if you attended and guaranteed everyone had a great time.
ASIJ. Friday morning started with Dean
Kistler ’79, Carlos Chaveco and myself
setting up a red carpet photo shoot for
class of The Class of 1990’s 20 Year Reunion held in San Francisco was a
‘90
everyone who arrived. Then there was smashing success, with a large turn-out of classmates flying in from
a welcome shot of “Gentleman Jack” to faraway places like New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Organizers
get the reunion started. Friday evening Kaoru Hudachek, Patty Sharp and Andy Ogawa were excited to
Deanna (Adams) Smith ‘78 had the clever
20
get the party started. The weekend-long festivities kicked off with
idea of making buttons for every alumni September a Meet and Greet Event on Friday, with our main reception taking
with their yearbook picture. The night
turned from the 32 beers on tap at Frankie
17-19 years place on Saturday night. Highlights from the reception included
the raffling off of ASIJ caps and T-shirts and singing along to the
Farrell’s Irish Pub and Grill to a “Find your San Live ‘80s-themed Karaoke Band, the Amazing Embarrasonics,
face party” created by Debbie (Wise) Francisco culminating in a group chorus of “We Are the World” (video
Guitton ‘82. Celebrations on Saturday
were held pool side and we ruled the pool,
CA available on Facebook). Winding down the weekend on Sunday
was some Family Fun in the Sun at the Ogawa Residence, with a
bar area and Pirates Plunge slide! Sembei relaxing BBQ and pool time for the children. A great time was had
Kaoru Hudachek
were passed around to capture the smells by all, and we’re looking forward to our next reunion.
‘90
and tastes of our time in Japan in the ‘70s.
The semi-formal Saturday night dinner
at Ming Court was a perfect setting,
decorated by the Alumni Office gift box class of The reunion was a great success! Classmates caught up and
‘95
reminisced during three events in Washington, DC. We first
of balloons, key chains, stickers and fans.
met for Happy Hour on April 9 then on April 10 we enjoyed a
All 120 people arrived and were seated
leisurely picnic at the Tidal Basin and wrapped up the weekend
to a wonderful Chinese meal and many
with dinner. Attendees included Hilary (Yoshimura) Michener, Jill
ordered sushi trays. Sunday concluded April 9-10 (Kuo) Goeckner, Sanae Kubota, Katie (Kaser) Gifford, Rahul Bhat,
with the thrill-seekers heading to Universal
Studios and Disney World for a long day
Washington Brooke (van Houten) Allen, Paul Hernandez, Liz Chisolm, Katie
Dutkowski, Rachel Roby, Teena (Gallops) Chavis, Dana Fink, Ken
of adventure, which ended with 4th of DC Innes, Jenny Mandel, Winston Floyd, Lisa (Hilgendorf) Seigel, Dan
July fireworks! Pearl Vos ‘95
Connelly, Brian Faulkner, Adam Bjornholm, and Betsy Yoshimura
Many people said they could not
‘97. Many thanks to all and it was great seeing everyone!
explain the overwhelming feelings the
weekend brought them. It was a time and
15
a place where we could share the unique
stories only children who experienced this
years
together will ever know. Attend a reunion
just one time and you will walk away so
incredibly astonished at how all the years
in between that time disappear.
10
years
all
class of The reunion event kicked off on September 3 When planning this event, I felt that many times we only
‘00
at Johnny Utah’s in midtown Manhattan. One think of class specific reunions. Knowing that there must be
of the highlights of the night was Tom Rowe a fairly large ASIJ Alumni contingency in the Washington
September
doing a pretty good job on the mechanical
bull. Late night hot dog cravings led Kiki ASIJ DC area, I simply threw open the invitation using Facebook
as my launching pad. I was extremely happy and surprised
3-6
Rodriguez to snap some cool shots of Christie
Cruz and Ken Chin posing with Spiderman
reunion at how quickly information got spread around. Soon I was
being contacted by alumni located all over the world and
New York in Times Square. The next day started with June 19-20 those that attended from the 1940s through the most
a picnic in Central Park. Paul Hastings and recent graduates. I was even in contact with former HS
NY Debbie (Wissel) Hastings ’99 staked out a
Washington Principal Dr. Robert Winer as well as some families who
great spot on a hill overlooking the rest of DC said that they left ASIJ prior to graduating. On the first
Gary Yamada ‘00 Sheep Meadow. With Frisbees and footballs, day of the event, held at Dave & Busters in Rockville, MD,
some folks played around, but most soaked Scott Trickey ’89 there were alumni from Maryland, Virginia, Washington
up the amazing weather and talked. Of DC, North Carolina, West Virginia, New Jersey, New York,
course, Joseph Waldman’s little ones weren’t Arizona, and Germany! I was really happy to learn that for
interested in talking with the adults; they kept our “youngest” alumni John ‘45 and Nancy (Brewer) ‘53
themselves entertained the entire time. Eills who had come down from Mahattan, NY, this was the
After we disbanded from the picnic, everyone first ASIJ alumni event that they have ever attended! John
left to get changed for the reunion reception at was actually at the Meguro Campus and had many stories
Joshua Tree Bar. The ASIJ crowd had a private to share. Also a fantastic event occurred simultaneously,
space in the back of the venue, but with over 50 as this was a full on Rimilinger Family Reunion! Parents
attendees, it was cozy. Megan (Foster) Glen and Richard and Ellen Rimlinger were very proud (as was I) to
Emily Chan take the cake for traveling the farthest; have their entire family present. The following day we were
Megan and her husband traveled from New extremely lucky to be all invited to John Wylie ‘88’s house
Zealand, while Emily flew in from China! in Leesburg, VA for a BBQ. Dr. Robert Winer was there
At the early hour of just 9:30pm, we left Joshua and we informed him of the huge success of the previous
Tree Bar and headed to the rooftop lounge/bar of evening. Having received such a huge response, we are
230 Fifth Avenue. We had an amazing view of already starting to plan the next event later this year in
a lit up Empire State Building, so it was a perfect October. Hopefully those who had prior commitments will
spot to end the day (for some). Since some of be able to attend.
the other international schools were having their
own reunions in NYC, we met up with about
30 Seisen, Scared Heart, and St. Mary’s reunion
attendees. Fifteen of us decided to go to karaoke
where we had fun recreating the karaoke rooms all
ASIJ
of our Kichijoji and Shibuya days.
On Sunday, those who were still hanging
around met up at the High Line and Chelsea
Market for a short stroll. The beautifully reunion
maintained gardens made for an incredible
ending to a terrific weekend. All in all, an July 16
excellent reunion weekend! Organized by Tokyo
Paulene Kawasjee, Rachel Goldner, Paul
Hastings, Joseph Waldman, and Gary Yamada
(Aimee Singer and Brandy Snyder couldn’t A Mega-Reunion for international schools in Japan was held July 16 at ROTI Roppongi. ASIJ alumni living
attend but helped with the pre-planning). More in the Tokyo area traded stories with alumni from 12 other international schools hailing from Okinawa,
pictures can be found at http://www.picacasa. Kansai, and Kanto. Not only was it a great chance to reconnect with ASIJ classmates, it also was a way
com/asijco2000 as well as on class photo blog to meet new people who had similar experiences growing up as a global citizen. Entertainment included
at http://asijco2000.posterous.com opera tenor John Nuzzo, a capella group Senme, and recording artists Emyli and Keiko Walker.
2011
save the date:
alumni receptions
ASIJ will be hosting two receptions in New York and San Francisco to introduce new
head of school Ed Ladd to the Stateside alumni community. Also in attendance will
be some familiar faculty faces (see below). If you are able to join us at either event,
please RSVP by January 7th to the Alumni Office at <[email protected]>.
January 28
6:30-8:30 pm
The Harvard Club
New York City
Join us at the Harvard Club in Midtown and
meet Head of School Ed Ladd, former faculty
members Bill and Sandy Jacobsson and current
HS counselor Tim Olson ‘77. Look out for more
details in the Alumni e-News.
February 9
6:30-8:30 pm
Urban Tavern
San Francisco
Join us at the Urban Tavern on Union Square
for an evening with Head of School Ed Ladd
and former faculty member John O’Leary. Look
out for more details in the Alumni e-News.