WILLIAM HARUMI NAKASAKI

This year being our silver anniversary, it is more than appropriate to pause for a moment and pay a tribute to Bill, our first president of the Terminal Island Club.

Bill was gifted with an innate ability to develop and operate positive relationship among different people and organization. He expanded his expertise by attacking the problem of bettering the international workings between United States and Japan in his own manner. For sure, his success of fore mentioned endeavor was motivated by his fundamental conviction of human compassion.

EXCERPT

Bill’s goal was to develop goodwill and friendship between Japan and the United States. He accomplished this in many ways:

• He sponsored 19 exchange students from Japan and helped them better understand American culture and values.

• In 1976, he established the International Goodwill and Friendship Baseball Tournment involving boys from 12 to 16 years old and was the Executive Director for 16 years.

• He was also instrumental in promoting the annual college baseball series with Japan which spanned a period of 19 years. The United States Baseball Federation recognized Bill for his continued support with an International Baseball Service Award.

• Bill was a firm believer in the Olympic Baseball movement. In 1984, he was an active member of the U. S. Olympic Baseball Organizing Committee and in 1988, his efforts culminated into baseball becoming an official Olympic sport.

Bill also worked hard to strengthen cultural and religious ties between the United States and Japan.

• He was the first president of the Terminal Islanders who help to promote Japanese-American culture within Southern California and Japan. He continued as president of the Terminal Islanders for 13 years. He was instrumental in the production of the film, “A Time Remembered. The Terminal Island Story”..

• Bill had the honor of being the president of the Wakayama Kenjin-Kai for two years.

• He was also a former director and a member of the Montebello Ashiya Sister City Association since 1971.

• Since its inception about 15 years ago, Bill was a member of the Board of Directors of the Japanese Retirement Home, a valued asset to the Japanese community.

• Bill was on the advisory board of Union Bank of Montebello for over twenty years.

• He was also an active member of the Sozenji Buddhist Temple and served as Chairman since 1989.

• For Bill’s enormous energy, unselfish devotion, and positive contributions to his community, he received proclamation from the cities of Montebello and Monterey Park. He also received a Congressional Award from Matthew Martinez, representing the 30th District of California.

For all of Bill’s accomplishment towards strengthening relations between Japan and the United States, he was the first American citizen recognized by the State of Wakayama with a Prefectural Distinguished Service Award in 1990. On November 3rd of this year, he was honored by the Japanese Government with the sixth Order of the Rising Sun. Accompanying this distinguished medal, was a proclamation signed by the current Prime Minister of Japan, Kiichi Miyazawa, and was invited to visit the Emperor of Japan.

Above excerpt, courtesy of Bill’s sister, Mrs. Kisaye Nakasaki Sato.