Ruth Bayan
Northwest Asia Weekly
David Minata
“I’m proud to be your son.”
David Mineta was one of several to speak at a memorial service for his late father, Norman Y. Mineta.
The first Asian-American to hold a cabinet position, Mineta died on May 3 at the age of 90.
Mineta’s schedule for June 11 service. (Photo by Elaine Ke)
“To be sure, it wasn’t always easy for our family to live a public life…there were some rough years, but as I got older, I cherished being Norm’s son,” David said. Say.
At the June 11 ceremony in Washington, D.C. — the first of three commemorations for the former transportation secretary — speaker Nancy Pelosi called him the “patriarch” of the Asian American community, A trailblazer and mentor to a generation of AAPI civil servants.
Tomio Moriguchi attended Mineta’s service in Washington, DC on June 11th. (Photo by Elaine Ko)
“I’m honored to be a part of this special commemoration,” said Elaine Ikoma Ko and Tomio Moriguchi, former CEO of Uwashimaya, who came from Seattle to attend the service. “I have a lot of respect and gratitude for this humble man. His achievements and contributions to this country put him on a par with the greatest American leader of all time,” Ko said.
Narazaki Karen
Civil rights advocate Karen Narasaki worked with Mineta during his tenure as secretary of commerce and transportation.
“Minister Mineta was an accomplished lawmaker and civil rights leader. He taught us all how much one can accomplish when one doesn’t care who gets the honor.”
Narasaki also credits him with creating the current national AAPI advocacy and leadership building infrastructure.
“When he joked that there were so few APA members they could meet in a phone booth, he worked hard to create the Congressional APA Caucus, which included members of Congress who were not APA but were 5 percent or more in their constituencies.”
Narasaki added: “Today, many AANHPIs of elected officials, presidential appointees, congressional or agency staffers owe their opportunity to the agency he pushed to create.”
In addition to his public service career and resume, all those who paid tribute spoke of Mineta’s kindness.
Stuart Mineta
“Dad loves his family,” Stewart Mineta said. “He loved the togetherness and intimacy that family provided…and Dad extended that intimacy beyond our family.”
He fondly recalls a time when Elder Mineta took an afternoon out of his busy schedule to “take me to the go-kart track and arcade.”
“Dad didn’t just take a roll of me in a kart going around the track over and over, and then another roll of me playing video games in an arcade,” Stewart said.
Attendees laughed when David detailed that Noam “was a good father who sometimes had a bad sense of humor.” He recalled when he was confirmed to serve in the White House Office of Drug Policy.
“One day, I invite [Dad] Went to the White House for lunch,” David said. “I am very proud of myself that I can share this special privilege with him. But it became another life lesson for Humble 101 and Norms. “Hi, Mr. Secretary! Nice to meet you, Norm! Who are these people?’ It feels like he’s working in the White House and he’s taking me to lunch!”
David continued: “It was actually quite annoying. When he walked out of the White House that day, I think he knew I was pissed, because there was a mischievous glint in his eyes… it was a half sorry half ‘hee hee’ look. “
“He was polite, courteous, humble, helpful, a servant to others, and most importantly, caring,” Stewart said. “Thank you for setting an example in our lives. I really, really miss you.”
A band performed at Mineta’s June 11 service.
“I hope I can live my life by the example you set for us,” David said. “I will try to make a positive impact on my community by trying to make it better than I found it, while being the best husband and father I can be.”
Former President Bill Clinton will speak at Mineta’s memorial service in San Jose on June 16. On June 25, there will also be a celebration at the Japanese-American National Museum in Los Angeles.
Ruth can be reached by Editor @nwasianweekly.com.
