Math teacher Tadashi Tsufura was an internee in a Japanese American internment camp, and later a US Army veteran. Photo Credit: Japanese American Museum
There are many talented educators who are stellar teachers largely because they have overcome tough personal circumstances themselves. One of these was Tadashi Tsufura, a math teacher and principal in New York City who spent several years of his childhood in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.
Tadashi was born on September 17, 1930, in Los Angeles, California. He was the third son of a Buddhist minister and a teacher who immigrated to the United States from Japan.
The youngster’s life changed dramatically on December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Empire of Japan. Prejudice against Japanese people living in the United States ran high, and even the US government was guilty of racial profiling. On his 12th birthday, Tadashi and his family were forced by the United States to move to one of the two Gila River internment camps located in a desert valley in Arizona. They were among approximately 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who were interned during the war. Many of those interned were American citizens.
As a young man, Tadashi determined to serve his country in the military. He enlisted in the Army in 1951 and fought on the front lines of the Korean War from until 1953. After his discharge, Tadashi earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Fenn College. The college is now known as Cleveland State University.
Although Tadashi enjoyed success as a chemical engineer, he was not happy in his work. He moved to New York City where his brother was living. Because the city was experiencing a shortage of educators, the scientist decided to try teaching. He completed education courses at Brooklyn College and then accepted a position as a math teacher at two schools in Manhattan.
Before long, Tadashi was promoted to the position of principal of PS 41 in Greenwich Village, where he worked for eight years. Then he was promoted to the position of Deputy Superintendent of District 3 on the Upper West Side. He retired in 1988.
Sadly, Tadashi Tsufura passed away from coronavirus on March 29, 2020, in New York City. He was 89 years old. To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see this link at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose.
