Posts tagged: Japanese-American
My Sunday story about two Japanese-American men who grew up in downtown Spokane in the 1950s reminded me once again how much we were taught as children about life by the adults around us, not just by our parents, but all the adults we knew well.
The two men, Dave Heyamoto and Ken Kato, grew up to be great successes in Spokane. But both have remained humble, kind and respectful. They credit their parents, of course, but also the other men and women in their low-income neighborhood who looked out for them. And they were especially grateful to their teachers at Lincoln School, which was located at Fifth and Browne in Spokane before being torn down. (This picture was taken there in 1957; Kato is in the first row, far left. Heyamoto in second row in suit jacket and tie).
“We had really good teachers,” Kato said. “They wanted to be there.” The famous Henry B. Adams quote that “a teacher affects eternity. He can never tell where his influence stops” could also be said of the best adults in our children's lives.
(Photo courtesy of Dave Heyamoto)
Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with Catherine Johnston, an Olympia, Wash., writer who works in hospital administration, write about issues of grief when facing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.
Ask a question: Rebecca and Catherine answer grief questions in their syndicated EndNotes column for McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. Email them at endnotescolumn@gmail.com.
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