Old war memo was spark that led to building of Garden of Remembrance at SFSU

By Maharaj Zoneil

Carole Hayashino was sitting at her desk in the office of university advancement at San Francisco State University when she received a strange memo one day in 1995. Addressed to the faculty was a letter with a list of 19 students who had withdrawn from their classes. Every last name was Japanese. The document was dated April 6, 1942.
Immediately, she knew the circumstances for these withdrawals - the Japanese-American internment during World War II. Often glanced over in history books, this period deeply scarred the Japanese-American community. For Hayashino, the wounds had not yet healed.
Her grandparents were removed from their homes and forced into internment camps. Her grandmother had to give birth in a horse stall in an internment camp in Arkansas, despite the fact her family lived in Stockton, CA. It was here that her grandfather attended College of the Pacific (now University of the Pacific) before being removed and placed in an internment camp in 1941. Because of her family’s experience, she understands and appreciates the value of education.
“They can take away your house, they can take away your business, but if you have an education you can land on your feet,” says Hayashino to a group of journalism students as she revisits a landmark she helped create in honor of the 19 students who, like her grandfather, were deprived of their education.
This landmark, which was conceived upon reception of the memo, stands between Burk Hall and the Fine Arts building on the SFSU campus. The memorial is no secret garden, though what it symbolizes is often unrecognized by its many patrons.
There is no setting as serene on the SFSU campus as the Garden of Remembrance. Upon entrance, you’re overcome with a subtle sense of relaxation and calm. Maybe it’s the waterfall that brings peace of mind, or the tall trees whose branches shade the small expanse of land underneath to create a comforting ambiance.
Many SFSU students tread this land as they cut across campus. Some come to read on one of the 10 benches that outline the perimeter of the garden. Others sit on the large hand-picked stones to eat lunch, clueless that each stone represents an internment camp where Japanese-Americans were held during WW II.
Isao Ogura, one of the lead landscapers who helped construct the Garden of Remembrance, refers to the Japanese-American internment as “one of the ugliest mistakes of America.” The Garden, which was completed in 2002, serves as a permanent memorial for those who were victims of this mistake and as a reminder of our country’s history.
“The thing about the Japanese-American experience is that it isn’t just for Japanese-Americans, it’s for everyone,” Hayashino says. “We wanted to remind people that we have a responsibility to constitutional civil rights,”
Had it not been for the internment, the students would have graduated with degrees in their respective fields. It is for this reason that SFSU president Robert Corrigan made the 19 students honorary alumni during the 1998 spring commencement ceremony, though only four were able to attend.
The Garden was specially designed by renowned artist Ruth Asawa and completed with the assistance of Ogura, master rock-setter Shigeru Namba and Phil Evans, manager of SFSU campus grounds. Together, they worked to construct an authentic Japanese-style garden that wasn’t too joyous but, rather, subtle yet warm, welcoming and inviting.
There is symbolism throughout the garden. Every stone has a face and they’re all placed in harmony with their surroundings. The stones, Namba says, are “friendly and welcoming.” The waterfall symbolizes renewal. The plaque, designed by Asawa, contains facsimiles of original executive documents, including the memo Hayashino received, so as not to add their own interpretation of the history but rather, allow students to interpret the history themselves.
“People have to ask questions, and that’s what it’s about,” Hayashino says.
Taking roughly two years to complete, they hauled close to 130 tons of stones which were hand-picked by Namba. They worked weekends to complete the project.
“I had to do something for the past generation,” Ogura says. “We’re Japanese, it’s our honor.”
Ogura recalls a moment when, upon completing the project, a stranger walked over and shook his hand. “Thank you for doing this,” the stranger said, leaving Ogura affirmed that his effort to honor the victims of the internment was being fulfilled.
“I hope that by seeing this garden…the new generation will take it with them when they graduate,” Ogura says.