Ruth Tanbara (; October 15, 1907, in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

– January 4, 2008, in

Afton, Minnesota Afton ( ) is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,886 at the 2010 United States census. It lies on a small bay where Valley Creek empties into the St. Croix River, several miles north of its confluenc ...

) was a Japanese American community leader in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

. From Oregon, she was the first Japanese American graduate of what is now

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

Early life

Born to Frank Jiro and Kiyo Takeda Nomura, Ruth Tokuko Nomura was one of four children, with two brothers, Howard and Paul and one sister, Elsie. Before attending college, Nomura won an essay contests for

Nisei is a Japanese language, Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the nikkeijin, ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants, or . The , or Second generation imm ...

appreciation and in 1926, traveled by steamship to Japan, which she said, "enriched my life and gave me a deep appreciation for Japan." Her parents emigrated from Japan in 1903 and she was the first

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...

to graduate from Oregon State Agricultural College in 1930 with a BA in

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

. While college, Nomura was active in campus organizations, joining groups such as

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to the area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of educa ...

honor society, as well as serving as the

Omicron Nu Omicron Nu () was an American honor society for home economics. It was established at Michigan Agricultural College in 1912. In 1925, Omicron Nu became a founding member of the Professional Panhellenic Association, a predecessor to the Professiona ...

secretary and the Cosmopolitan Club's vice-president. Following her college graduation from Oregon State Agricultural College, she married Earl K. Tanbara on September 16, 1935, taking the name Ruth Nomura Tanbara and they moved to the

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. During the onset of WWII, the Tanbaras moved to

Reedley, California Reedley is a city in Fresno County, California, Fresno County, California, United States. It is located in the San Joaquin Valley, east-southeast of Fresno, California, Fresno, at an elevation of . The population at the 2020 census was . Its c ...

to avoid wartime internment under Roosevelt's

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a President of the United States, United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. "This order authorized the fo ...

. Shortly after, Ruth and Earl Tanbara were formally resettled to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, where Ruth's brother, Paul, was living. From St. Paul, the Tanbaras assisted over 100 evacuees to leave internment camps on the West Coast and resettle in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

area. Within this, they helped establish the St. Paul Resettlement Committee, which managed temporary housing, food, and adjustment to Minnesota's winter climate for evacuees. Following the end of the war, the Tanbaras decided to stay in St. Paul, where Ruth attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, earning her master's degree in

in 1953. During and after the war, Ruth Nomura Tanbara worked for the St. Paul

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

for thirty years as a secretary originally, before she transitioned to teaching adult education including classes on flower arrangement and Japanese cooking.

Later years

She was also very active in community service, and her and her husband were founding members of the Twin Cities chapter of the

Japanese American Citizens League The is an Asian American civil rights charity, headquartered in San Francisco, with regional chapters across the United States. The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) describes itself as the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights ...

, or JACL. She was recognized by the Mayor of St. Paul, Randy Kelly, with a "Ruth Tanbara Day" on August 20, 2005, for her work on the Governor's Committee on Human Rights and the St. Paul Council of Human Relations. Aside from her work with evacuees and Japanese Americans, Ruth Nomura Tanbara was a member of the Unity Church - Unitarian in St. Paul where she arranged flowers for Sunday service for over thirty years. Ruth Nomura Tanbara was cited in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in March 1996 in support of

Women's History Month Women's History Month is an annual observance to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. Celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with Internationa ...

by Hon.

Martin Olav Sabo Martin Olav Sabo (February 28, 1938 – March 13, 2016) was an American politician who served as United States House of Representatives, United States Representative for , which includes Minneapolis; the district is one of eight Minnesota Congre ...

of Minnesota. She died on January 4, 2008, at the age of 100, 34 years to the day after the death of her husband, Earl Tanbara.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanbara, Ruth 1907 births 2008 deaths People from Portland, Oregon Oregon State University alumni University of Minnesota alumni American people of Japanese descent American women centenarians

Early life

Later years

See also

References