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This year’s return to the annual RVHS Founder’s Dinner and Auction was one of the best! We gathered on October 14th to honor founder Buzz Anderson’s legacy and celebrate RVHS 2023 History Makers Kubota Garden Foundation and community leader Herb Tsuchiya.
The event was a fantastic success with ukulele musicians starting off the social hour, followed by an Asian themed menu, heart-warming award presentations, and a fun live auction with Mary Charles’ debut as auctioneer. Critical funds were raised for our educational programs and archives care from the generous donations in the room. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who attended the dinner and contributed to an enjoyable time for all.
Herb Tsuchiya - History Maker 2023
Herb Tsuchiya’s Japanese parents emigrated from Hiroshima prefecture in 1917. The Tsuchiya family were rice farmers in Montana where his father worked as a railroad laborer. Herb was born at Harborview Hospital in Seattle in 1932, the youngest of seven, and was named for U. S. President Herbert Hoover. His mother, Momoyo, was working as a waitress for a Japanese restaurant when his father, Nobuichi, left the family for Japan just as Executive Order 9066 forcing the relocation of West Coast Japanese inland came into effect and the family had to assemble with their two suitcases each for the bus caravans to Puyallup.
After release from the 3.5 year incarceration, Momoyo Tsuchiya and her family were first housed at the Seattle Japanese Baptist Church and then in public housing at Stadium Homes on Empire Way, and finally settled in at Rainier Vista on Columbian Way which felt “luxurious.” Herb Tsuchiya went on to be honored with numerous professional and community awards based on his work with underserved populations including seniors, immigrants and low-income children. When Herb co-founded Kin-On Health Care in 1985, it was the first nursing home in the nation serving non-English speaking elderly. He worked for King County Public Health at both Rainier Park Medical Clinic and Columbia Health Center after he owned and managed the Genesee Street Pharmacy for his profession.
In the 1990s Herb joined a community theater group for a production of “Breaking the Silence” as a way to share the Japanese experience of incarceration in the 1940s. Herb commented, “the whole Japanese-American community did not talk about the camps and yet it’s what totally defines all of us. We all had that common thread of experience.” Herb Tsuchiya passed away on August 21, 2023. His celebration of life was held on November 25, 2023. Herb’s three rules of life, “Be Kind, Be Kind, Be Kind” steered his life of caring for, giving to, helping, and serving others. His legacy of service will be remembered.
Kubota Garden Foundation - History Makers 2023
Kubota Garden Foundation, (KGF) was established in 1989 to support, enhance, and perpetuate Kubota Garden within the spirit and vision of Fujitaro Kubota and his son Tom Kubota. KGF has led or partnered with others on over 10 construction projects including the Terrace Overlook, the Ishigaki drystack stone wall, the Ornamental Wall, the Entry Gate, and made ADA accessibility improvements; KGF has partnered with Seattle Parks & Recreation on programming and events at Kubota Garden in Rainier Beach making lasting contributions to Southeast Seattle and beyond.
History of Kubota Garden Foundation
Fujitaro Kubota was interested in the garden becoming a public space. When he passed away in 1973, the family approached the City of Seattle to discuss their purchase of the garden, but the City declined. In the late 1980s, when developers were eager to purchase the 20-acre property and build condominiums, community members advocated for the City of Seattle to purchase the garden. Councilwoman Jeanette Williams found the necessary funds to make the purchase in 1987. Several of those community members formed Kubota Garden Foundation in 1989 to continue a partnership with the City and assure the preservation of the entire garden as envisioned by the Kubota family.
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