Randolph-Macon College President Robert R. Lindgren welcomed members of Japan’s National Governors Association (NGA) and Japan’s Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) representatives to campus on March 2, 2016.

Photos: Japanese Delegation

The special guests (Koichiro Yoneda, deputy secretary general of Japan’s NGA; Koichi Kawai, director of Japan’s NGA; Shigeru Fukutomi, director of the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations; Atsushi Inumaru, deputy executive director of CLAIR New York; and Yoko Mitchell, interpreter) traveled to RMC to learn more about Taylor Anderson ’08, a dedicated alumna who taught students in Ishinomaki in conjunction with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program. Anderson died during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan. March 11, 2016 marks the five-year anniversary of the massive natural disasters.

Lindgren, joined by Anderson’s father, Andy Anderson, gave the guests a tour of campus, including two memorials on campus dedicated to Taylor Anderson’s memory.

Outside RMC’s McGraw-Page Library, three memorial benches are flanked by dogwood and cherry trees, symbolizing the cultural connection between the U.S. and Japan. Inside the library, a plaque in the northwest corner of the main library dedicates the seating area and nearby books to Anderson’s memory; as a student, Anderson was a founding member of a student organization called Randolph Readers, which encouraged her peers to read for pleasure.

An Inspiring Legacy
Mayumi Nakamura, assistant director of RMC’s International Education office, helped organize the visit.

“There are so many ways that Taylor’s legacy connects RMC and Japan,” says Nakamura. “For example, Mr. Yoneda was a one of the members involved in creating the JET program. He said the number of JET participants has increased from 5,400 to 6,000 this year because many Japanese politicians were touched by Taylor’s story.”

An event in Sendai, Japan that will commemorate the fifth anniversary of March 11 will feature a very special guest speaker: Taylor’s brother, Jeffrey Anderson. “We didn’t know about these connections before our meeting at RMC,” says Nakamura. “It’s a wonderful example of the fact that Taylor continues to live her dream by bringing people together and being a bridge between the U.S. and Japan.”

Honoring Taylor Anderson ’08
Following Anderson’s death, her RMC sorority sisters donated books to the Ishinomaki bunkos (school libraries); on behalf of the U.S government and in Anderson’s memory, Ambassador Caroline Bouvier Kennedy also donated books. A film made in Anderson’s honor, “Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story,” has been shown at numerous schools, museums and societies, including at RMC.

In 2011, Randolph-Macon College received a generous grant from The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnerships, “Honoring the Life, Work, and Good Spirit of Taylor Anderson – Enhancing Japanese Studies at Randolph-Macon College.” Funds from the grant have helped the college reach its goal of increasing course offerings in Japanese language and culture, and have allowed dozens of students to travel to Japan as part of their studies.

A summer exchange program between RMC and Ishinomaki Senshu University was separately funded in part by the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund through a grant from the U.S. Japan Council’s TOMODACHI Initiative, which invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges as well as leadership programs.

The Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund, established by her parents, Andy and Jean, supports a wide range of programs that support recovery efforts in the disaster-affected areas and that provide cultural exchange opportunities for American and Japanese students.