2008 September Bulletin - West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple

West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple September 2008
VISITING DIGNITARIES AT 2008 WLA OBON FESTIVAL by Jack Fujimoto
Rosendahl, Hara, and West Introduced
Rev. Usuki Gets Commendation
On Sunday, July 27, our
"shepherd for the vote" in the
ll th Council District, Bill
Rosendahl, came to the WLA
Obon Festival. He presented a
Certificate of Commendation to
our resident Temple minister,
Rev. Fumiaki Usuki, for his involvement in
spreading community goodwill. During his
remarks, he reiterated his respect for religious
tolerance and the importance of appreciating
the work of ancestors.
Bill Rosendahl proceeded to introduce Deputy
Chief Terry Hara of the Los Angeles Police
Department, calling Terry the "highest ranking
Asian American police official" in the nation,
and stating that he was delighted to have Terry
as head of the West(ern Los Angeles) Bureau
which covers much of Bill Rosendahl's area.
Deputy Chief Hara has not only endeared
himself to the extremely large community of
Westside citizens, but also has stated publicly
that he wants to help the Asian American
communities such as Sawtelle. So, we are proud
to have Chief Hara visit and become known as
"our friend.”
Deputy Chief Hara
introduced James West,
newly appointed captain of the West Los
Angeles Department of LAPD on Butler Avenue.
Captain West and his family were grateful to be
invited to the WLA Obon Festival. He invited the
Obon public to call his office for services at any
time. Captain West issued the invitation and
therefore, the "door is open" for us to use.
It is through the offices of these visiting
dignitaries that the WLA Buddhist Temple can
cordon off a block of La Grange Avenue to hold
our weekend Obon Odori. We are grateful that
Obon dancing can safely proceed on the street.
Nisei Week 2007 Queen's Court and 2008 Queen
Candidates Appear
Monica Teuffel, 2007 Nisei Week Queen,
addressed the Obon Odori crowd on Saturday
evening. She expressed her thanks to the West
Los Angeles JACL Auxiliary and Venice
Japanese Community Center for their sponsorship
of her before being named Queen.
The Odori crowd was overwhelmed with the
many 2007 Queen's Court members and several
2008 Nisei Week candidates who individually
addressed the audience. This is the first time in
40 years of announcing the Obon dances that
so many Nisei Week dignitaries appeared.
Maybe, their wanting to visit indicates the value
of their exposure to the WLABT Obon audience.
In any event, we are the beneficiaries.
Photo by Peter Babida
L to R: Deputy Chief Terry Hara, Captain James West,
Rev. Fumiaki Usuki with Commendation, and Councilman Bill Rosendahl
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