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Show su, Kuniko Murainatsu marr~ edU neo Terasawa In 1921. The couple raised two daughters, Kazuko and Haruko Moryashu. The first issue of The Utah N~ ppo appeared in Salt Lake City In 1914 under her husband's d~ rec-tlon After h ~ sde ath in 1939 she carried on as reporter, editor, typesetter, and publisher. Follow ing the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the federal government forbade the publ~ shing of Japanese-language newspapers, but The Utah N~ ppo soon resumed clrculat~ on with government approval because the U S. wanted Japanese Americans to receive accurate information on official polic~ es regarding relocation, curfews, and other wartime news. In addition to publishing a newspaper, Terasawa oncerned herself with the welfare of others, espe- I c~ allyth e non- English- speakrng Issels. Noted for her " unpretentious w~ sdom and knowledge," she was sought out by vrs~ tors from Japan and con-sulted by a long line of Japanese consuls general stationed In San Francisco. Terasawa recelved both national and interna-tional recognit~ on. M atsumoto City commissioned Kamisaka Fuyoko, Japan's foremost woman au-thor, to wrlte a biography and a televis~ ons cript on the Utah publisher. As a result, Terasawa became " so famous rn Japan that her death was out in Japan's newspapers even before SL's obituary," Alice Kasai, a h~ storian of Utah's Japanese Amerlcan community, wrote. Leora Thatcher, costun As an exceptionally active senior citizen, above for her role as Ada Terasawa became a role model for others and was Lester in Tobacco Road. featured In Modern Matunty magazine, a publ~ ca- Courtesy Special Collections, tion of the American Associat~ on of Retrred Per- University of Utah, and Linda Thatcher. rF) sons ( AARP), and on the magazine's TV program. 4- When Terasawa received Japan's Order of the 1 Sacred Treasure, " Zuihosho- 5th Class," in LeOra Thatcher 1968, Judge Raymond Uno presented her with the jewel- studded medal at a celebration attended by This noted Broadway actress I many Utah dignitaries, including Calvin L. Ramp- a's0 starred On radio and TV(- ton who was then governor. The Salt Lake Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League honored Terasawa in 1985 as the oldest contr~ butorto the local chapter. In 1987 the Avon Jose1 Bunks Center In Japan a~ arded her " M~ llion Yen" for her strong sense of mission and indomitable spirit in accompl~ sh~ nag g reat under-taklng. She contributed thls award to a scholarsh~ p fund at the University of Utah. " She was a typically proud Issei that never bel~ eved In welfare or handouts," Kasai wrote, " but.. . [ she was] sensitive to.. . mundane prob-ms .... a nd for a 95 year old who never v~ s~ tead ctor during her Iifet~ me, she has certainly earned her rest and a peace in Buddha's Nrrvana. " 1 , I! I1 ' I I Leora Thatcher was born May 12, 1894, in Logan, Utah, to Sarah Catherine Hoplans and Moses Thatcher, Jr. She attended Brigham Young tollege, Utah State Agricultural College ( USAC), and the university of utah where she studied iheatre and speech under Maud May Babcock, . graduating in 1921, She belonged to the pocieties at both Brigham Young College and ; USAC. After graduation she taught speech at LOgan High for two years. In 1923 she was invited to join the Moroni Olsen Players, a repertory touring company that gave theatrical starts to many young actors Including |
