17-20 July 03 San Diego Reunion -- SPEECHES

COMMENTS FROM JIM & IVA HYATT

IVA AND I REGRET WE CANNOT BE WITH YOU ON THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION BUT WE WANT TO TAKE THIS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A FEW WORDS TO OUR FELLOW YO-HI GRADUATES. WE HAVE ATTENDED MANY REUNIONS OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE WITNESSED THE WONDERFUL BIRTH OF 50, 60, AND 70 YEAR OLD TEEN-AGERS.

AT TIMES LIKE THIS THOUGH IT IS IMPORTANT TO REFLECT ON THE EXPERIENCES WE HAD WHILE ATTENDING YOHI IN 1947 AND 1948.   IN HINDSIGHT IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT WE WERE PART OF AN IMPORTANT ERA; NOT JUST AS EYE WITNESS TO PIVOTAL EVENTS IN WORLD HISTORY, BUT WE PLAYED A PART IN THE SPIRITUAL CREATION OF YOKOHAMA AMERICAN AND NILE C. KINNICK HIGH SCHOOLS AND ALL THAT ENTAILED; THE NAMING OF OUR MASCOT -- THE RED DEVIL - THE SELECTION OF OUR SCHOOL AND CLASS COLORS, THE CREATION OF OUR ALMA MATER, COINING THE ACRONYM 'YO-HI' AND NAMING OF THE YO-HI ECHOES. THESE FOUNDING EVENTS FOR OUR SCHOOL, HAVE ENDURED FOR HALF A CENTURY AND I HOPE EACH OF THE YOHI GRADUATES CHERISH THEM AS MUCH AS IVA AND I DO.

OUR LIFE AS STUDENTS THEN WAS NOT UNLIKE YOUR EXPERIENCES THERE IN LATER YEARS. WE, AS YOU, WERE HONORED TO BE IN JAPAN AND TAKING PART IN A ONCE IN A LIFE TIME ADVENTURE OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE THAT IS VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN TO THE MULTITUDES WHO ARE NOT 'BRATS'.

HAVING ATTENDED MANY REUNIONS IN THE PAST, IVA AND I KNOW THAT YOUR CONVERSATIONS ARE NOW FLOODED WITH PRECIOUS EVENTS, PERHAPS LONG FORGOTTEN MEMORIES AWAKENED AND UNFOLDED BEFORE YOU AGAIN THIS EVENING. THIS MAY BE SOMETHING YOU HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN ANY OTHER PART OF YOUR LIFE AND I AM SURE YOU ALL WOULD AGREE THAT THIS EVENING IS MAGICAL FOR EVERYONE, AS WAS THE ENTIRE
ADVENTURE AT YOHI -- SOMETHING UNEXPLAINABLE.

CATCHING THE TAIL OF THAT "SOMETHING UNEXPLAINABLE" SOARING OFF IN THE DISTANCE, RESULTED IN EFFORTS BY IVA AND I, BEGUN YEARS AGO, TO CREATE A 'HOMETOWN' -- A PLACE WHERE 'BRATS' CAN REUNITE TO RENEW THOSE BONDS SEALED WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, REMEMBERING THE PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT WERE SO MUCH A PART OF OUR LIVES, AND WITH EACH GRADUATING CLASS, PASS ALONG THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THE RED DEVILS. THIS HOMETOWN WOULD BE A PLACE WHERE THE YOUNGER ALUMNI, ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, CAN EXPERIENCE WHAT WE ALL LIVED EACH DAY. WHETHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT, YOHI IS A PART OF YOU STILL AND YOUR CHILDREN SHOULD KNOW HOW IT ALL BEGAN.

THE YOHI WEBSITE IS THAT HOME AND THIS REUNION IS ALSO AN EXTENSION OF THAT EFFORT TO CAPTURE FOR EACH OF US WHAT COULD EASILY FADE INTO FORGOTTEN HISTORY. IT IS REWARDING TO KNOW THAT TAKUSAN AND SUKOSHI REUNIONS ARE NOW BEING CONDUCTED OFTEN TO CELEBRATE OUR WONDERFUL HERITAGE. WE ALSO KNOW THAT IT IS THROUGH THESE MEMORABLE GATHERINGS ARE SOWN THE SEEDS THAT COULD CREATE MAJOR CHANGES IN THE LIVES OF EACH OF YOU PRESENT HERE NOW.   BUT BE FOREWARNED!   TIME IS FLEETING!   TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT FEELING BUBBLING WITHIN YOU AS YOU REUNITE WITH FELLOW ALUMNI. NOW IS THE TIME TO REINFORCE THE FRIENDSHIPS YOU HAVE REDISCOVERED WITH YOUR CLASSMATES. LEARN ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES AND EXPERIENCES AND BE A PART OF THEIR LIVES, AND THEY YOURS, BEFORE IT IS TO LATE. THE FINAL ADVENTURE HAS JUST BEGUN, LIFE IS SHORT, DON'T MISS IT.

IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF COURAGE AND SKILL TO ACCEPT THE HUGE RESPONSIBILITY OF HOSTING A REUNION. ONLY A FEW ALUMNI TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE. FOR THOSE THAT DO, THERE IS IMMENSE GRATITUDE FOR THEIR EFFORTS. FOR OUR PART, WE WOULD LIKE TO HONOR TONIGHT’S HOST WITH A PRESENTATION ON BEHALF OF ALL YO-HI ALUMNI. ACCORDINGLY, WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT AN AWARD TO THE HOST OF TONIGHT’S REUNION, JUNE SHISHIDO.

JUNE, WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT YOU WITH A CERTIFICATE OF HONOR AND IF I MAY, I WOULD LIKE TO READ THE INSCRIPTION "THE ALUMNI OF YOKOHAMA AMERICAN AND NILE C. KINNICK HIGH SCHOOLS AWARD THIS CERTIFICATE TO JUNE SHISHIDO, CLASS OF 1971. FOR EXEMPLARY AND SELFLESS SERVICE TO THE YO-HI ALUMNI COMMUNITY BY ORGANIZING/HOSTING THE JULY 2003 SAN DIEGO YO-HI REUNION."

JUNE, ON BEHALF ALL THE YOHI GRADUATES HERE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING, OUR HEARTFELT THANKS FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK. YOUR EFFORTS AT REUNITING OLD FRIENDS AND REAWAKENING OLD MEMORIES STIRRED FROM THE LAUGHTER AND TEARS OF THE PAST FEW HOURS HAS BEEN AN EXPERIENCE WE WILL CHERISH FOREVER.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO SEE THAT THE SPIRIT OF THE RED DEVILS IS ALIVE AND WELL IN EACH OF US, EVEN TODAY.

COMMENTS FROM STEVE NORDEN

JUNE, ON BEHALF OF THOSE OF US WHO ARE ENTRUSTED WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE GREATER 'YOHI WORLD,' I WANT TO TAKE THIS OCCASION TO EXPRESS OUR SINCEREST APPRECIATION TO YOU FOR ALL THE TIME, ENERGY AND EFFORT YOU HAVE INVESTED IN ORGANIZING AND HOSTING THE SAN DIEGO YOHI REUNION. I HAVE FOLLOWED THE PROGRESSION OF YOUR PLANNING FOR THE REUNION ON YOUR WEB SITE & AND AM KEENLY AWARE THAT YOU HAVE NOT ONLY INVESTED TIME & ENERGY BUT THAT THIS ENDEAVOR HAS REQUIRED SUBSTANTIAL RISK ON YOUR PART AS WELL. THE ATTENDEES OF THIS REUNION & ALL WHO ARE A PART OF THE GREATER YOHI WORLD HAVE BENEFITED FROM YOUR LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE. THE YOHI WORLD IS BETTER BECAUSE YOU WERE WILLING TO MAKE THIS COMMITMENT. ON BEHALF OF THE HYATT'S, THE SIM'S AND MYSELF PLEASE ACCEPT OUR GREATEST THANKS FOR YOUR GOOD WORK.