Seated (from left) Amy Hill, George Sugimoto, David Ono; middle row (from left) George Tanaka, George Henning, Jeff Maloney, Kenji Suzuki, James Choi and his daughter, Autumn, and Roy Kuroyanagi. Back row: (from left) Princess Carina Sakimura, Princess Anita Komatsu, First Princess Seia Watanabe, Joann Shin Cordeiro, Nisei Week Queen Morgan Gee, Miss Tomodachi Amy Kubo and Princess Caitlyn Sasaki.
By ELLEN ENDO, Rafu Shimpo Contributor
Actor Amy Hill admits she didn’t realize being named Nisei Week Festival parade marshal was “such a big deal” until she arrived at the DoubleTree Hotel, where the Awards Dinner was being held on Monday night.
The “Magnum, P.I.” star realized she was in good company upon learning the achievements of each honoree: Businessman and philanthropist George Sugimoto; parade grand marshal and ABC7 news anchor David Ono; and entrepreneurs James Choi of Café Dulce and Roy Kuroyanagi of Japangeles.
Sportscaster Rob Fukuzaki was slated to present Sugimoto with the President’s Award but was unable to attend. At 98, Sugimoto has supported numerous Japanese American community organizations, among them Fukuzaki’s Heads Up Youth Foundation, which supports the needs of disadvantaged young people. Nisei Week President Joann Cordeiro presented the award to Sugimoto.
Parade Marshal Amy Hill (center) with Joann Shin Cordeiro (left) and Nisei Week Queen Morgan Gee.
After years of serving as co-emcee with Tamlyn Tomita of the festival’s Queen Coronation, Ono stepped into a slightly different role as the creative entity behind a multi-media documentary focusing on the Nisei veterans of World War II.
Retired LAPD Commander Terry Hara presented the Frances K. Hashimoto Community Service Award to the Go For Broke National Education Center, in recognition of “the Japanese American soldiers who fought for their rightful place in America.” Former Alhambra Mayor Jeffrey Koji Maloney accepted on behalf of GFBNEC, where he serves on the board.
Kenji Suzuki accepted the Community Service Award for Suehiro Café, which was at the center of a landlord/tenant dispute that began in the summer of 2023. He revealed that his mother, Junko, struggled to maintain the family business in the early years. It was intended to be a mah jong parlor but somehow evolved into a restaurant. Mariko Lochridge, small business counselor for the Little Tokyo Service Center, presented the award to Suzuki.
Emcee David Ikegami, Little Tokyo Business Association president, recounted the origins of Nisei Week, which was conceived by a small group of business owners led by Mitsuhiko Shimizu of Asahi Shoe Store. Their goal: Give the young Nisei generation a reason to come to Little Tokyo.
Choi recalled the days when he and his mother first opened Café Dulce in 2011. “People would come up to us and say, ‘Gee, I hope you make it.’ That didn’t make us feel good.”
The concerns were real. Two previous businesses, both selling yogurt and/or ice cream, had opened and quickly closed at the same location. Café Dulce defied the odds and has become one of Little Tokyo’s most successful businesses with several locations, including USC Village.
Nisei Week Queen Morgan Mayuko Gee, left, joins actress Tamlyn Tomita and Nisei Week President Joan Cordeiro in honoringABC7 news anchor David Ono at Monday’s awards dinner.
Kuroyanagi, who began Japangeles selling T-shirts from a portable kiosk, was befriended by Choi when he first arrived at Japanese Village Plaza the day before the Nisei Week Festival was scheduled to start. He credits Choi and Nisei Week with propelling him into the world of retail. Today, he sells his widely known Japangeles streetwear out of his brick-and-mortar store.
Presenter Helen Ota, former artistic director of the improv group Cold Tofu, pointed out that Hill has appeared in more than 200 shows in television, feature films, and on stage and has always tried to help young Asian American and Pacific Islander actors along the way. She was selected to serve as parade marshal in recognition of her generous spirit. And, like the other awards presented during the dinner, it’s a big deal.