Nao Takasugi

1922 - 2009

"MBA - Master of Butchering Arts." This was the quick witted response from the unassuming young man working behind the meat counter at the Asahi Market. Nao Takasugi was speaking to one of his Wharton classmates, Bill Schroeder, who found Nao working at the family establishment. Bill and his sister were travelling across the country shortly after he and Nao had graduated from business school in Philadelphia. Even then, Nao was known to have quite a sense of humor and was always quick with a pun or funny story. Wife Judy even commented that Nao's mother would complain that she could never tell when her son was telling the truth or pulling her leg. Nao passed away Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 at Saint John's Regional Medical Center as a result of complications from a stroke he suffered that evening.

He had been in the hospital for several weeks and just earlier that day, doctors were consulting with the family about preparing for Nao's release from the hospital since he was recovering so well. In fact, Nao was scheduled to receive a "hall pass" to go down to the patio of the hospital so that his family could bring Nao's beloved Maltese dog "Mia" to visit him. Mia was a constant companion to Nao going to church, family outings and even accompanying him in restaurants.

Born Naoyuki Takasugi on April 5, 1922 in Oxnard, his parents were Shingoro and Yasuye Takasugi. Shingoro had immigrated to Oxnard from Okayama, Japan around 1903. After establishing himself here, he wrote to his family back home to send him his picture bride - Yasuye Hayashi. In 1907, Shingoro and a group of his friends formed and established the Asahi Co., Inc. and opened the Asahi Market. Shingoro eventually bought out his business partners and ran the business until his passing in 1968. Nao was born in the family residence which was on the second floor of the original store building. He was the sixth child of seven and the only son of Shingoro and Yasuye. Nao was a product of the Oxnard School District and eventually graduated from Oxnard High School as the Valedictorian in 1939. Nao continued his education at UCLA in the fall of 1939 majoring in business. He made the tennis team his freshman year and recalls how tough his coach Bill Ackerman was on the young freshman. Because he was the only son in his family, when his parents needed help with the family business he was asked to come home. Nao spent his sophomore year attending Ventura Community College completing some of his general education requirements. In the fall of 1941, Nao returned to UCLA for what would become his shortened junior year. Besides playing tennis, Nao pitched for his intramural softball team which he recalls defeated several of the fraternity teams to win the school championship.

To help defray his educational expenses, Nao worked for his brother-in-law, Edward Sakamoto, who had a landscaping business in West Los Angeles. He grew to love working in the garden and even in his last days at home one would find him outside pulling weeds and tending to the lawn. In April 1942, Nao again was called back home but for a different reason. The family was ordered as a result of Presidential Executive Order 9066 to pack up whatever personal belongings they could carry and prepare to be shipped off to an internment camp. Nao recalls the family was initially sent to the Tulare County fairgrounds in the California Central Valley. Several families were required to share each cramped horse stable. Nao recalled that the stables weren't even cleaned out in preparation of the Japanese families arriving. After a few months the family was loaded on a train and was not told of their destination. Nao recalls that the windows on the train were all covered so he could not enjoy the scenery of wherever they were headed. After a long train ride the family ended up in Gila River, Ariz. just outside of Phoenix. There the rest of his family would remain until after the end of the war. Through an organization known as the American Friends Service Committee and with the help of Quakers in Philadelphia, Nao was able to leave camp and resume his education in Philadelphia. He eventually received his undergraduate degree in business from Temple University in 1945. He continued his education and received his Masters in Business Administration (not Butchering Arts) from the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1946.

Unable to find a position with any accounting firms in Philadelphia, Nao was asked to come home to help restart the family business after the war concluded. During the internment period, the market had been left in the care of a family friend, Ignacio Carmona, who had gone to Nao's father and offered to take care of the market while the family was away. Upon returning from camp, Carmona simply handed the keys back to Nao's father and thanked him for the opportunity to run the business. None of the Takasugi property in a locked closet was disturbed. Nao operated the family business along with his parents and helped the business flourish. The market catered to the Japanese community as well as the growing Mexican American community. Fresh sashimi tuna could be found next to beef tripe and chorizo in the butcher department. Through his management of the store, Nao became fluent in Spanish, Japanese and even a little Tagalog. Not long after his return home, Nao attended a wedding of his close friend Seiichi Mayeda. There Nao happened to meet the young Judy Mayeda from Berkeley. By the following weekend, Nao would make the first of his many drives up to northern California to visit her. He once told his kids "I had to marry your Mom; the long drives were killing me." They were married in March of 1952 in a ceremony in Oxnard at the former Nisei Methodist Church on "A" street.

Nao was busy working at the store and raising his family. However he did find time to participate in several weekly bowling leagues. He once held the Ventura County scratch doubles record with Seiichi for nearly 18 years. He also taught his children the love of tennis which he continued to play late into his life. He was a regular at the Oxnard Tennis Center and even played in USTA tournaments well into his 80's. Nao's sons fondly remember the many deep sea fishing trips Dad would take them on. Nao was an avid UCLA basketball fan and a Dodger fan.

Customers at the Asahi Market would regularly be entertained with sports broadcasts while shopping. Nao, along with nine other of his close friends, also formed an investment club known as the Ku-Ichi Investment club. The members would meet each month and dabble in the stock market. They would talk about business for a while then complete the evening playing poker. After an issue with the City of Oxnard regarding signage on the market's building, Nao found his calling in politics. He said about City Hall, "I thought they needed a businessman's perspective. That was the beginning of my civic career." Takasugi would spend a couple of years serving on the City's Planning Commission before being approached by other city leaders to run for a vacant city council seat. Later he would run for Mayor's position. He held that official title for 10 years from 1982 - 1992 before moving on to the California State Assembly. There he served for three consecutive two-year terms representing the 37th District before terms limits required him to step down. Rather than pursue a seat in the State Senate, he elected to return home and relax. It was not very long afterwards that he was asked to run for the Oxnard Harbor Commission, a post that he held for two four-year terms. In his career, Takasugi never faced defeat at the polls in his 12 elections.

In 1992, Takasugi was recognized by the Government of Japan with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette awarded in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan. He was an invited speaker at the Republican National Conventions in New Orleans (1988) and Houston (1996). He was the 1996 recipient of the National Association of Home Care Facilities, National Legislator of the Year Award. Nao was the founder of the Oxnard World Trade Center as well as the Oxnard/Shizuoka Friendship City Committee. He was also active in the Ocotlan, Mexico Sister City program. In 2002, Nao became a founder and Member of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Commerce Bank in Los Angeles.

Nao was profiled in Tom Brokaw’s 1999 best selling biography “The Greatest Generation”

Nao and Judy have been members of the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church since the church merged with the Nisei Methodist Church in 1963.

A celebration of Nao Takasugi’s life will be held on Sunday December 6, 2009 at 1:00 pm, at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center located at 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, California. Due to the anticipated size of the attendees of the service, the family has arranged a dedicated viewing at the Garcia Mortuary located at 629 “A” Street, Oxnard, California, 805 486-9148 on Thursday and Friday December 3rd and 4th from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm and on Saturday from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Cemetery services at Ivy Lawn will be private and conducted on Monday.

The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund, Inc. (NSRCF) This is an organization dedicated to the advancement of assisting students from Southeast Asia attend college in the U.S. It had evolved from the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council (NJASRC) which was instrumental in assisting Nao and thousands of other young Japanese Americans continue their education during World War II. The NSRCF address is 19 Scenic Drive, Portland, CT 06480. Dad is survived by his wife, Judy, to whom he was married for 57 years. He is also survived by five (5) children: Scott Takasugi, Russell Takasugi (Jeannen Takasugi), Ronald Takasugi (Natalie Takasugi), Tricia Takasugi (Declan Rushe), and Lea Takasugi. His is also survived by seven (7) grandchildren: Ryan Takasugi, Lara Takasugi, Jessica Takasugi, Raquel Dominguez, Taylor Takasugi, McKenna Spagnola, and Dane Dominguez.

He is also survived by his sisters Chiyeko Sakamoto of Santa Monica, Hisaye Takasugi of Los Angeles and Shika Akiyoshi of Montebello. Nao will join his sisters Midori, Takako and Kaneko who predeceased him.