Wave Staff Report
WHITTIER — Longtime resident Yoshio Nakamura, whose engaging personality and gentle encouragement transformed the highly decorated World War II combat veteran into a much beloved and influential art teacher for multiple generations of Whittier students, returned to Whittier High School on Sept. 7, when the district officially dedicated the school’s art building in his honor.
The Whittier community, which included the Whittier Union School District Board of Education, congressional representatives, City Council members, former students and veterans from the U.S Armed Forces, gathered to honor the 98-year-old Nakamura, known to everyone as “Yosh,” for his longtime career in education, which included 10 years as an art teacher at Whittier High School and nearly 30 years as an art teacher, dean, and vice president at Río Hondo College.
While a young family member joyfully played “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “The Lion King,” Nakamura was praised by Whittier Union Board President Gary Mendez and Superintendent Monica Oviedo for his accomplishments, which include being a member of the legendary 442nd “Go For Broke” Regimental Combat Team.
“I want to thank everyone, especially the families who have assisted their students to be successful,” Nakamura said during his speech. “I had the great privilege of working with so many talented people who created a good environment to support my teaching. At times I asked myself, ‘I’m getting paid for this?’ Whittier Union is a great place to work.”
In his speech, Nakamura, decked out in Cardinal red, joked that after being hired, students “didn’t run away” and in fact were attracted to his art class. This, Nakamura believes, led to more Asian-American teachers being hired in the district.
Nakamura also took time to praise his late wife, Grace Nakamura, a well-known community activist, and his three children, Linda, Joe and Gary.
Nakamura taught at Whittier High from 1952 to 1963, when he left to take a position at Río Hondo College. Years later, a young Mendez would pop in on Nakamura, just to sit and listen.
Nakamura’s empathy and patience had a profound effect on Mendez, who later became a student leader and served five terms as a member of the Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees.
“I think every student at Whittier Union should know Yosh’s story,” Mendez said. “As a teenager he was placed in an internment camp, but he fought back, became a war hero, and spent his entire life serving his community. In Whittier Union, Yosh’s name will live forever.”
One former student who came to support Nakamura was Ron Reeder, who was so inspired by Nakamura’s personality and teaching style that he became an art instructor himself, teaching two- and three-dimensional art in Southern California for more than four decades, including more than 15 years at Río Hondo College, before retiring in 2022.
Reeder met Nakamura as a shaggy-haired Río Hondo College art student in the fall of 1966, the first semester that the college held classes at its current Whittier campus. Reeder credits Nakamura for instilling passion, vitality and humor in his lessons, allowing his students to pursue creative avenues of expression like Japanese ink drawings, known as sumi-e, which expanded the scope of their art projects.
“Yosh’s lessons were challenging and entertaining and he made it possible for students to live, eat and sleep art at all times,” Reeder said. “Yosh’s dedication to the arts, his school, and his community is inspiring to me.”
After Nakamura spoke, the district unveiled a plaque, officially dedicating Whittier High’s “Q” building, located on its south campus, as the Yoshio Nakamura Art Building. Nakamura also received certificates of achievement from state Sen. Bob Archuleta and U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez.
“Yoshio Nakamura is a community treasure, a man who is revered as a teacher, mentor, artist, husband, father, and war hero,” Oviedo said. “Whittier has been blessed by his presence and, with the dedication of the Nakamura Art Building, each new class of emerging artists at Whittier High will know and be inspired by his story.”
