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Show This text message is used to keep the image from rotating in ocr process. Be sure to crop the top .25" off after the ocr process. I turned' to for such as · '{asuo Ab iko, Oscar I~isnka, Ned Church, Wa rd Killpack. Dr. Melvin Smith, people from Delta City and many more. It is a great feeling to receive the desire of others to help on such a project. Thanks again for the two and a tears you have given me! ! ., . / Dedicatory Ceremony At Topaz ___-.... On Octobcr ,), 1976, a.b out 200 people go.thered at .the former site of Topaz to ocdicate R monument erected to memorialize the $pirit ~nd the significance of a w~rtime concentration camp kno..n 35 the Topn Relocs.tion Center. This ceremony mnrked the culmination of a two nnd 0 hnlf ycor"of dedi ented work on the pnrt of the Top3z con.lli t tee he''lded by Frank Yor.himurn of Nount Olympus JACL. It n11 storterl n.t n l.lount Olympus board meetinr, whcn 3ftcr n nootalgic discussion rbout the prer.ent. conclition of Top .... , 1-1r. Frank Yor.himun volunteered to head R comrllittce t.o go nee Topa z at fiJ'st hene! Society placed their offical seal of approval on the directional ~bnument that was erected in the Delta City Park. Other State Agencies including Utah Travel Council Panoramaland, Utah State Highway Department and .Utllh State Board of Education cooperated end contributed to the ultimate success and fruitation of this Topaz Project. '~"" ;~ f"'''''.''''''~~~~:~~ I" ~~. and Mrs. Louis B. Ellsworth of Globe, Arizona, the present owners of the land at Topnz, graciously donated one acre of land for the monument. The Pedication Ceremony emceed by Ch'lirman Frank Yoshimura included greetings ~~O~t~~~~~ ~~:s~~~i~/~~!~:' ~~"::~ion- Iucybeth Rnmpton, the first l~dy of the State of UtM. Mrs. Rampton in her short remarks minced no words in calling Topaz a concentration camp which it was. Mr. Yas Abiko of Son Francisco reminisced about om! po, s ibly to erect" marker designating the spot as the wartime home for some 8000 Japanese Americ~n evacuees from the San Topaz and its people in a very touching and Francif>co nren. effecti ve manner, while Mr. Paul Kato spoke The com,nittee composed of members from in Japanese to the many older Issei who both the I-lount OlYmpur. and Snlt LaJl.e Chap- trnveled to Delta in a chartered bus to ters of JACL included Frank Yoshimura, participate in this ceremony. A musical Chairman, Sadie Yoshimura, Yukus Inouye, number was rendered by the Sweet Adelaines, Sami Tedehara , Alice Kasai, Ted Nagata , a group of singing ladies from the local T'lka Kida, and Shake Ushio. A touching communi ty of Delta indicating wide spread account of a viGit to Topaz, a concern interest and support from the people and that soon absolutely nothing will remain officials of the surrounding areas. Shake nt Topaz, and " plea that we preserve the Ushio then spoke about the history and esessence and ,the reality of Topaz, was pub- pecially the significance of Topaz as a lished in the Pocific Citizen. It brought historical experience of great importance instant nnd enthusiastic renponse from to a Nation end its people. Mr. Ward Mr. Yas Abiko, Editor of thc Nichi Bei Times Killpack of the Bicentennial comrllission and n fromer resident of Topaz. He pledr,ed pronounced the dedicatory prayer. to rnisc money for the projcct from R:o,ong The JAYs conducted the initial Flng thc fOl'!1ler inhabitants of Topaz now living ceremony with Reverend K~nai giving the in Northern Ca. lifornia. invocRtion. The official unveili.Jg of the In the meantime a nice feature monument wa.s under the direction of Ted o1"ticle ,.bout Topaz and some of its former Nagnta and Carl Inowny. After the cereinterneeg publishcd in the HOME section of mony a. delicious luncheon wos served in the Salt Lake Tribune so increased the the Delta High School Cn.feteria to all of public awareness of what tran s pired there the participants. All in all this project thi rty four years ago, t1",t the Utah St~. te was very successful both in term of the Bicentennie.l Com'lli s:;ion, its counterpart in excellence of the two monuments that were District Four, the City of Delta, and erected, and in term of the tremendous .allnrd County nesignnted this project as amount of favorable public relations work "n official Bicentenni~l project and funded th~.t w~. s accomplished. Perhaps the gre'ltit accordingly. A well illustrated broest source of satisfaction will be in the chure and n Historical P"per to be distri- knowledge th~.t we have attempted to prebuted to the schools and libraries, as well serve for our posterity an ~ccounting in as a short television documenta.ry was stone and steel of the darkest pnd the most !,roduced. The Ut Ah State Historical tre.umatic period in our lives. . ~"', ..; " |
