The Annual Members Meeting will take place at the Garden Study Center in the Botanical Gardens of City Park on July 20th, 2005 at 5:00 p.m. The following slate of officers and board members will be presented for approval by the membership. Additional nominations will be accepted from members in good standing during the meeting.
President: Dr. Jack P. Strong
Vice- president: Dr. Tetsuo Nakamoto
Treasurer: Mr. Johnny Martinez
Secretary: Ms. Colleen Thian
Advisor/Past President: Mrs. Nancy Turner
Mr. Vaughn Banting Mrs. Gloria Battiste
Dr. David Borne Rev. Frank Candalisa
Ms. Kathleen Devitt Mr. Elroy Eckhardt
Mr. George Hirabayashi Mr. James Hollingshad
Mrs. Noriko Lastrapes Dr. T. Gray Malcom
Mr. Mike Mitchell Mr. Narutoshi Ochiai
Ms. Jeanne Okamoto Mrs. Carol Smith
Consul General of Japan Masaru Sakato hosted a formal presentation ceremony at his official residence to commemorate a donation from Zen-Noh UNICO America Corp. Mr. Yasufumi Akimoto publicly announced the the generous contribution, which was gratefully received by the JGSNO President, Dr. Jack P. Strong. The celebration was joined by most of the JGSNO board, along with other supporters such as Ms. Teruko von Bargen of the Japan Club.
This year’s celebration of All Things Japanese will take place at the New Orleans Museum of Art on Sunday, May 15th. Details are available on the Japanese Consulate’s website.
Mrs. Teruko von Bargen, President of the Japan Club of New Orleans, attended the March 16, 2005 board meeting with a very welcome announcement. She had solicited about 50 of her friends to financially support the JGSNO. Mrs. Von Bargen presented Dr. Jack Strong with a check for more than $6,000 to help with construction costs. We cannot thank her and her friends enough for this very generous contribution.
Consul General Masaru Sakato recently assumed his post as the new Consul General of Japan in New Orleans. The Japanese Garden Society joins the rest of New Orleans in welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Sakato to the Crescent City.
Matsuura Masataka, Mayor of Matsue, Japan, recently wrote to Dr. Strong to thank the Japanese Garden Society for its "hard work and dedication over the past few years". He added " We hope that many people will visit this garden and gain an insight into Japanese culture. It is our wish that this garden will act as a building bridge between Matsue City and New Orleans, as well as between Japan and the United States of America". Dr. Strong and the entire JGSNO are so thankful for the tremendous support Matsue has shown for this project.
While in New Orleans on an exchange program, 14 educators from Matsue and the surrounding area, and their local hosts, visited the Yakumo Nihon Teien. Dr. Strong led a group of about thirty brave souls on a guided tour of the garden. This writer can vouch for the fact that not even the frigid January winds of New Orleans can hold back our President’s enthusiasm for the garden. With the aid of landscape architect Robin Tanner, Dr. Strong treated the group to a very thorough, and chilly, viewing of our recent progress.
Board members then welcomed the group into the Botanical Garden’s Education Building for a more traditional taste of New Orleans hospitality. Festivities included Jambalaya, crawfish pasta, drinks, mounds of hot boiled crawfish, and Dr. Strong’s personal rendition of Oysters Rockefeller. This was followed up by songs, laughter, and more gift exchanges than can be counted.
The Board would like to thank everyone involved for giving us the opportunity to build even more friendships with our Matsue partners.
The Board is pleased to announce that the Maintenance Fund, created to cover the on-going upkeep of our garden following its completion, has received tremendous support. The initial goal set for the fund was $100,000. With your generosity, the fund has already grown to $27,000. There is still a long way to go before we can guarantee the garden’s future maintenance. But, the entire Board would like to thank everyone who has been so generous with their contributions.
In September 2004 the City Council of N.O. voted 7-0 to declare Lafcadio Hearn’s former residence at 1565-67 Cleveland Avenue a local landmark. The house, built in 1861-62 was recently purchased by Richard Scribner, a professor at LSU’s School of Public Health, and Hearn enthusiast.
