Mary Uyematsu Kao

Mary Uyematsu Kao retired after working 30 years at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center as the publications coordinator.  Kao received her MA in Asian American Studies (UCLA) in 2007.  She is author/photographer of Rockin' the Boat:  Flashbacks of the 1970s Asian Movement (2020), and writes for Through the Fire series of the Rafu Shimpo since 2016.

Updated October 2021

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Shoso Nomura—Through The Fire And Back

  • By Mary Uyematsu Kao
  • 6 Apr 2016
One hot summer afternoon back in 2008, my husband and I had just finished taking my mother to Huntington Library for her 83rd birthday. We decided to visit our old hometown Sierra Madre, where I spent most of my pre-teen years. Even though we hadn’t planned on it, we thought by chance we might be able to meet up with Sho Nomura. Mom’s childhood friend Shag told Mom about Sho because she thought my husband John would want to talk to him. Sho was in China during World War II, and Shag knew that John was a champion of the People’s Republic of China. So we headed up Grove Aven…

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