Gwen Muranaka is Rafu senior editor and can be contacted gwen@rafu.

a former chair of the JANM Board of Trustees.a successful San José businessman.

chair of the JANM Board of Trustees.“He was a treasured board member and one of JANMs champions during the early days of the museum.and the judo coach at San José State University.

When he returned to San José State he studied biology and developed the universitys judo program.The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) mourns the passing of Yoshihiro Uchida.

Yosh UchidaBorn in 1920 he grew up on his familys strawberry and tomato farm in Garden Grove and was introduced to judo when he was ten years old.

In 1989 he sold his chain of medical laboratories for $30 million.Yoko represented River-side in the Sendai Half-Marathon in Japan and was honored for her support of the Sendai-Riverside sister-city relationship.

In 1989 she joined the Riverside Sister Cities International Relations Council and since 2012 has served as chair of the Sendai Committee.Her efforts earned her Cultural Ambassador of the Year recognition by the Asian Business Association of the Inland Empire in 2019.

I am proud to highlight Yoko Boucher.She became a California registered nurse working at at Loma Linda University Medical Center.