School’s new
name inspires many

Supporters hail the decision to
honor the late Sen. Matsunaga

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By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

As a teenager in Montgomery County, Md., Matt Matsunaga remembers the pride he felt about his alma mater, Walter Johnson High School.

This September, the 42-year-old state senator hopes children in the county will develop the same warm feelings when classes start at the new Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School.

It is the first school in Maryland to be named after an Asian American.

"It gave me pride knowing that I attended the school where one of the greatest baseball players ever played," Matsunaga said. "I'm hopeful and confident that Asian Americans, and children generally, who will be attending my father's school will have pride knowing that they're attending a school of a great Asian-American man, and also a great American."

The county's Board of Education voted 5-3 yesterday to name its newest school in Germantown, after the late U.S. Sen. Matsunaga, a Hawaii Democrat who lived in the county from 1962 to 1990 while in Congress.

Brian J. Porter, the school board's communications director, said discussion before yesterday's vote showed support for Matsunaga, Lillian Brown, an African-American educator, and for a geographic place name.

Porter said the final decision reflected a recognition by board members that 13 percent of the county's population is Asian American and there should have a school with a name that reflects the county's diversity.

The decision is hailed as ground-breaking by a coalition of Asian Pacific Americans who pushed for the inclusion of an Asian American school name during the past four years.

Coalition member Michael Lin said the Matsunaga name will remind people not to question the loyalty of Americans simply because they look different or have unfamiliar last names.

Nguyen Minh Chau, a council member in the nearby town of Garrett Park, said this was a "tremendously controversial decision" but one that's important because it sets an example through which county residents can learn about Asian-American history.

"We must remember that not all lessons are taught in schools, and the lesson that all students will learn from today's vote is that the Asian-American community's contributions are significant and valued by Montgomery County," added Kristine Minami, a county resident and coalition member.

The school board last March recommended Matsunaga and two other names for the new school. But a parent-teacher school group added Brown and another name to the list and ranked Brown as their top choice.

The disagreement led to heated debate at the meeting yesterday.

Other places named for the senator include the Matsunaga Institute for Peace at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and the Matsunaga Veterans Affairs Medical and Regional Office Center at Tripler Hospital.