Two former SFSU Japanese American students sent to camps in 1942 to attend April 19 ceremony

Excellent Visuals: Tree planting and purification ceremonies and a taiko drum performance set against a serene courtyard with a memorial, garden and waterfall.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 18, 2001 -- The dedication of a permanent memorial and waterfall garden at San Francisco State University to honor the 19 former Japanese American students forced to withdraw from classes in 1942 and sent to internment camps during World War II will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, April 19.

WHO: Two former students, Helen (Nitta) Hori and Kaya Ruth (Kitagawa) Sugiyama, both San Francisco residents, will attend the ceremony along with SFSU President Robert A. Corrigan, the mayor and city council members of Osaka, Japan, and members of the Japanese American community.

WHAT: Dedication of the Garden of Remembrance. Ruth Asawa, a renowned Japanese-American artist based in San Francisco, designed the garden, which consists of 10 large boulders representing each of the internment camps set up during World War II. The waterfall signifies the return of the internees to the coastline after the war.

In addition, a bronze marker shaped as a scroll bears the names of the internment camps and the names of the 19 students who attended SFSU in 1942. The marker also tells the story of the internment through official documents.

WHERE: The slope of land just west of the Cesar Chavez Student Center and between Burk Hall and the Fine Arts Building, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. (at 19th Avenue), San Francisco.

WHEN: 3 p.m., Friday, April 19

ADMISSION: Free

INFORMATION: Christina Holmes, (415) 405-3803; cholmes@sfsu.edu

Student writer Fred H. Danfoura contributed to this press release.