The following interview was recorded on October 25, 2025 in Tucson, AZ. The interviewer is Suzu Igarashi-Hayes.

Evelyn Yanagihashi was born in Honolulu in 1934. Her grandparents came to Hawaii at the turn of the 20th century. Her maternal grandfather labored on a sugar plantation, requested a “picture bride” from his hometown in Japan, and together they started a family in Hawaii. Evelyn’s mother was nisei (second generation, born in Hawaii) and her father was issei (first generation, born in Japan), making Evelyn nisei-han (half second/third generation).

Evelyn grew up in a predominantly Japanese American community. Her grandmother instilled Japanese cultural values alongside a deep loyalty to the United States, and Evelyn is a proud product of both influences. Before her grandmother passed away, she told Evelyn to “be the best you can be” — words Evelyn took to heart and lives by to this day.

Evelyn set the example by being the first in her grandparents’ extended lineage to graduate from college. She earned her BA in Education from the University of Hawaii and her MA from California State University, Los Angeles. For over 30 years, she taught students ranging from kindergarten through college at Waianae Elementary School, HI; Pico-Rivera School District, CA; Richmond School District, CA; Eastern Michigan University, MI; Canisius College, NY; Tucson Unified School District, AZ; and Pima Community College, AZ. Evelyn’s husband, Minoru, joined the faculty at the UA East Asian Studies Department in 1976 and they moved to Tucson. In 1977, as an administrator designee, Evelyn helped create and organize a program for the Tucson Unified School District to serve the needs of Asian students. It is now part of the Asian Pacific and Refugee Student Services Department. Evelyn and Minoru were founding members of the Japanese Society of Tucson in 1981. In 2013, they helped form its successor, the Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition, to unify and promote Japanese culture across the region.