May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
*Denotes an individual actively contributing to the community
Clifford Nakata
Clifford Nakata’s personal story includes recognizable themes in the history of Colorado Springs: patriotism, migration, national defense, and growth.
PATRIOTISM
After Pearl Harbor, teenaged Clifford, his twin sister and his parents were moved from their home town of Kingsburg, California to an internment camp in Gila, Arizona. This experience led Clifford to affirm his loyalty to his nation, and strengthened his patriotism. Subsequently drafted to take up arms in defense of the United States during the Korean Conflict, Clifford served with distinction. He told that he completed 77 missions behind enemy lines, and was the only member of his unit to have survived.
MIGRATION
From growing up in California to being relocated to the internment camp in Arizona; from providing military service in the Korean Conflict to working as a NATO planner in Europe; then finally deciding to adopt Colorado Springs as his place of residence and professional practice, Clifford’s migration story is like that of many military service members choosing to settle in Colorado Springs and make it their home.
NATIONAL DEFENSE
Clifford’s Nakata Planning Group was regarded as one of the premier professional military planning practices in the 1980’s and 1990’s, helping make Colorado Springs synonymous with planning for victory in national defense. He provided the first ever comprehensive survey of US Army bases in Europe for USAREUR, locating and mapping all the military communities and bases that were established after World War II and are still in use today. He guided his Planning Group’s development of comprehensive base master plans, mobilization plans and demobilization plans for US bases throughout Germany, England, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. He also developed plans for installations across the continental United States and Alaska, including the local ones of NORAD, Peterson Air Force Base and Fort Carson. By formulating plans to strengthen US military installations in important theatres of military engagement, Clifford’s efforts contributed to the United States’ victory of the Cold War.
GROWTH
Clifford was not only a significant planner in our nation’s history, but also a prolific architect. Responding to Colorado Springs’ growth, he completed numerous education buildings, among them the Centennial Campus of Pikes Peak Community College; and ones at Colorado College, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and the United States Air Force Academy. He completed a large number of school buildings for Academy School District 20 and Harrison School District 2. Among his signature civic buildings are the downtown Colorado Springs Jail, the Alamo Corporate Center and with his long-time friend and associate John James Wallace, the El Paso County building and Pikes Peak Center complex. His corporate projects included ones for Current Inc., Goodwill Industries, IBM and the corporate offices of GE Johnson and Nunn Construction companies. His health care work included projects for the Penrose-St. Francis hospital system. Of particular significance, with both his planning and architectural practices, he completed the Downtown Action Plan which has been instrumental in shaping the development of Downtown Colorado Springs.
Generously Submitted by Gregory Friesen, FAIA
Ding-Wen Hsu*
Ding-Wen Hsu is a business executive and community leader with a tireless commitment to preserving Asian culture and highlighting the deep traditions of Colorado’s Asian population. The granddaughter of a prominent Chinese revolutionist, Hsu arrived in the United States in 1976 by way of Taiwan, came to Colorado in 1978, and became a U.S. citizen in 1981. She rose to become a prominent business owner as the president of Pacific Western Technologies Ltd., a technology company she cofounded in 1987 and ran with her husband, Tai Dan. The company, which specializes in information technology, program management, and environmental/facility management services, has consistently ranked in the top 20 minority-owned businesses in Colorado.
Hsu is best known as founder of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the largest Asian festival in the Rocky Mountain region. The festival, which she began in 2001 in order to raise the profile of an “invisible community,” is an ethnic celebration of Colorado’s rich Pan Asian-American heritage and a cultural showcase of diverse Asian Pacific cuisine and performing artists. The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival now attracts more than 100,000 spectators each year.
Hsu also works directly with Asian students in order to preserve Asian cultures. She took on the role of volunteer principal at the Colorado Chinese Language School and reinvented the curriculum to include cultural activities in addition to language lessons, and increased the skills of the school’s teachers. Hsu is the cofounder of the International Multicultural Institute, a private foundation that supports organizations promoting cultural diversity. When she recognized the lack of leadership programs tailored for Colorado’s young Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, Hsu formulated the committee that created the Asian and Pacific Islander Emerging Leaders Program, focused on identifying and developing the next generation of Asian leaders. Hsu and her husband have also endowed an ongoing scholarship at Regis University for low-income Asian students.
Hsu is a national fellow of the Asian Pacific American Women’s Leadership Institute. She has also served on several nonprofit boards such as the Chinese American Council of Colorado and the Asian Pacific Development Center, and the Rocky Mountain Chinese Society of Science and Engineering.
Courtesy of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame
Naureen Singh*
Naureen Singh is a Youth Support and Development Specialist at the Asian Pacific Development Center, the Policy Director of Colorado Sikhs, and currently serves in the United States Air Force. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and went on to earn her Master of Criminal Justice degree from the University of Colorado-Denver.
Most recently, she researched the impact of COVID-19 on Colorado’s Asian American population with hate violence and hate crimes. In addition to her academic work, Naureen has extensive professional experience with grassroots organizing, interfaith coalition building, and community building. She currently serves on the Colorado’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Statewide Steering Committee, CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs GOLD Board, and continues to volunteer and provide consulting for education and civil rights organizations.
Courtesy of Colorado Sikhs
Marion Konishi
Marion Tsuruko Konishi was born on May 7, 1925 in Los Angeles, CA to first generation Japanese immigrants Tanigoro Konishi and Tokuko Eiki from Fukushima, Japan.
As a 16-year-old American citizen, Marion and her family (along with 120,000 other Japanese Americans) were uprooted from their West Coast community following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. After initially being confined to horse stalls at the Santa Anita Racetrack, she and her family were relocated to Camp Amache–one of ten internment camps built in desolate parts of the U.S. There, Marion was named Amache Senior High School’s valedictorian and delivered a commencement speech at the school’s inaugural graduation ceremony. Despite being an incarcerated teenager, her speech provided a sense of hope. Her words were so inspiring that the speech was read on the Senate floor 73 years later and is now recorded in the Congressional Records of the National Archives.
A full scholarship from the Methodist Church allowed her to leave Amache to attend Simpson College in Iowa. At Simpson, Marion met the love of her life, Ken Takehara. After volumes of love letters were exchanged, they were married in 1947 and moved to Johnstown, PA where they raised three children. They moved to Cumberland, Maryland in 1966, and she received her Master of Education degree from Frostburg State College. In 1976, Marion and Ken moved to a golf course community in Houston, TX to live out the rest of their lives together.
Marion continued her teaching career in Spring Branch Independent School District at Terrace Elementary, and in Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District at Owens Elementary and Lieder Elementary. Outside of the classroom she enjoyed hosting family dinners on Sunday evenings and helping grandkids with homework. She was a dog lover, a golfer and a bridge player, and she was a regular at exercise classes into her 90’s.
As a lifelong teacher, Marion dedicated time late in life to talking publicly about the multi-generational effects of World War II on her family. She will always be remembered for her strength and positivity–inspiring others to treat everyone respectfully and equally. Her beautiful smile and faith through adversity will serve as inspiration for generations to come.
Courtesy of the Takehara Family
Nga Vu'o'ng-Sandoval*
Nga Vu’o’ng-Sandoval is a Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate. She and her family fled their homeland due to the Việt Nam War and became refugees. They were displaced in refugee camps before resettling in the U.S. and were known as the “boat people.”
Nga concurrently serves as the United States Refugee Advisory Board Project Manager and the immigration & DEI Advisor at 3i Law Firm. Her prior professional experience has included serving at the Colorado Department of Law, the state homeland security office and specializing in counterintelligence and counterterrorism, as well as working as affiliate faculty at two universities.
As a Việtnamese refugee, Nga embraces her heritage and refugee experience and is empathetic to the plight and struggle of other underrepresented communities. In addition to being a TEDx Presenter, she is active in a number of advocacy roles, including being a member of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; a founding member and public speaker with Colorado Refugee Speakers Bureau; the first refugee elected to Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of the Program Services Committee; a Noble Ambassador for Christina Noble Children’s Foundation; an advisory member for Denver’s Little Sài Gòn Redevelopment Group; and an advisory member to the Denver Elections Advisory Committee. She previously served as a Commissioner with Denver Asian American Pacific Islander Commission.
Nga’s human rights advocacy was recognized by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for Asian American Heritage Month in a spotlight story and featurette titled “Badge of Honor”. She met with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden where she advocated to raise the Presidential Determination for refugee admissions. She received the 2021 Refugee Congress Excellence Award, a peer-nominated award that recognizes exemplary role models who dedicate themselves to advocacy, community engagement, capacity building, and mentorship. She was honored with a mural by iconic artist/muralist I Am Detour (Thomas Evans) in the historic Five Points District. She was recognized as “Five Inspiring Refugee Women” for International Women’s Day by USA for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She was named as “100 Asians That You Need to Know” by Asian Avenue Magazine. United Nations Association USA invited Nga to be a presenter at the 2021 “World Refugee Day: The Power of Inclusion” event. She received the 2021 Colorado Attorney General’s Award for “Outstanding Community Service” for her tireless advocacy for underrepresented communities.
Nga has a master’s degree in criminal justice and Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. In her free time, she enjoys meeting, learning and engaging with diverse communities, reading, writing op-eds on Medium.com, watching documentaries, traveling domestically and internationally, exploring and savoring cuisines locally and around the world and creating origami for her NVS Cre-Asian line that’s sold at Ruby’s Market in Denver.
Courtesy of Refugee Congress
Floyd Tanaka
In 1924 Floyd H. Tanaka was born in Colusa, California, and in 1937 his family settled in Los Angeles. As a result of the US government’s exclusion of Japanese Americans from the West Coast during the Second World War, he and his family were interned at Manzanar Relocation Center starting in 1942. Upon graduating as a member of the Manzanar High School’s first graduating class, he requested release. Leave was granted but Floyd was required to move inland. Unlike other western governors, Colorado’s Governor Ralph Carr welcomed Japanese Americans, and Floyd, together with much of his family, migrated to Denver in 1943.
Floyd attended the University of Denver for one year—but the war intervened again. He reported for duty, joining the US Army’s highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which, excluding officers, was a unit comprised entirely of Japanese Americans. His service in Italy spurred his interest in architecture and planning. After the war ended, he returned to DU and graduated in 1951 with a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning.
Colorado Springs’ then Planning Director, Alan Voorhees, hired the new graduate, and asked Floyd to take over as Planning Director while Voorhees sought further education. Voorhees did not return, so Floyd remained the Director, leading major initiatives such as the routing of Interstate 25 and the City’s preliminary planning for the Air Force Academy. Floyd left the city in 1954 to work for a private planning firm. Floyd was ever grateful for the opportunity offered by the City of Colorado Springs and its leadership’s support for city planning concepts in an era when such ideas were still new to western US cities.
From 1956 to 1965 Floyd was Deputy Director of Urban Renewal in Denver. Floyd’s service to the Pikes Peak Region continued after he left his position with the City of Denver to form his own planning firm. He was one of the three founders of the planning firm THK Associates. As president of THK, he led or was responsible for many major projects in the region, including:
- Shooks Run—A redevelopment plan emphasizing open space corridors in this inner-city area of Colorado Springs
- Banning Lewis Ranch—Development of the master plan for this large 28,000-acre community in northeast Colorado Springs
- Emerald Necklace Park—Enhancement of General William Palmer’s plan for a network of parks in Colorado Springs
- University of Colorado Cragmor Campus—Preliminary planning for CU’s Colorado Springs campus
- Parklands and Recreation—Multiple projects involving master planning for Colorado Springs open space and parks as well as evaluation and recommendations for the City’s municipal golf courses
- Clear Springs Ranch—Design of this 970-acre linear park along Fountain Creek south of Colorado Springs featuring grasslands, foothills ecosystems and riparian habitat
- Fountain Creek from Colorado Springs to Pueblo—master plan for open space and parklands along the Fountain Creek corridor
- Manitou Springs Downtown—Development of a master plan for revitalization of the downtown area.
Floyd’s career included major developments in Colorado and elsewhere, such as the Skyline Project in Downtown Denver which won an award from Progressive Architecture; and the redesign of the City of Rapid City, South Dakota, after the devastating flood in 1972, for which he won an award from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. He was appointed by Governor Love as one of the original members of the State of Colorado Land Use Commission. He retired from THK in 1995, but remained as a consultant with his firm until he passed away in 2008. Today, 54 years after its founding, THK Associates remains a thriving firm providing services in landscape architecture, economic analysis, marketing, park, recreational and project planning with continuing engagement in improving life in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region.
Courtesy of the Tanaka Family
Andy Chun Song
An influential and highly respected Asian American community leader, Andy Chun Song moved to Colorado Springs in 1985 from Baltimore, where he had settled after four years of service in the South Korean Air Force. Through the establishment of a successful real estate development career, Song ensured that small business owners of all backgrounds and ethnicities had the opportunity to acquire business space and have the right tools to succeed in Colorado Springs.
Outside of work, Song served as President of both the Korean Catholic Church Parish and the Korean Chamber of Commerce, and he directed the Korean Language School in downtown Colorado Springs. Song also spent time as a volunteer Korean language interpreter for the Colorado Springs Police Department and served as a member of the Chancellor’s Minority Advisory Committee at UCCS. Song passed away suddenly on November 5, 2007, from a heart attack. In 2008, he was the first Asian American inductee to El Pomar’s Milton E. Proby Cultural Heritage Room. When more than 200 people gathered for the induction ceremony, the event had to be moved from the Penrose House to the larger Garden Pavilion space in order to accommodate all those who wished to honor Song’s life and work, which touched areas as diverse as religion, education, real estate, and law enforcement in the Pikes Peak Region. The legacy of Andy Chun Song lives on in Colorado Springs and is a part of the rich Asian-American heritage of Southern Colorado.
Courtesy of El Pomar Foundation, Elevating Leadership Development, Milton E. Proby Cultural Heritage Room
Duane Mitsuo Takaki
Duane Mitsuo Takaki (1947 – 2011) made a difference in southern Colorado, one smile at a time. A dentist by trade, he brought quality oral care to Pueblo’s poor and underserved by providing his services at little or no cost. Through El Centro de los Pobres, Takaki offered free dental care and supplies that improved the quality of life for a generation of migrant workers and their children.
Born in Pueblo, he graduated from Central High School and was an Eagle Scout. He went on to attend Northwestern University, from which he received both a bachelor’s degree (1969) and a Doctor of Dental Science (1973).
Takaki returned to his hometown, joined the dental practice established by his father Harry in 1936, and made a mark on the community through service, outreach, and education. He taught dental hygiene classes at Pueblo Community College, was president of the Southeastern Colorado Dental Society and was appointed to the Dental Board of Examiners for the state of Colorado in 2004. An active volunteer dedicated to community service, he served on the boards of the Pueblo Community College Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club, and the St. Mary-Corwin Foundation.
As a loving husband and father to wife Jeannie and daughters Karis and Stacy, Duane Takaki’s devotion to community started at home and extended to include all those he made feel like a part of his family. He left a legacy of compassion and service.
Courtesy of El Pomar Foundation, Elevating Leadership Development, Milton E. Proby Cultural Heritage Room
Dennis Barcial Apuan
Dennis Barcial Apuan was a Filipino-American community leader and lifelong advocate for civil rights, equality and peace.
Mr. Apuan was born in Manila, Philippines before moving to the United States in 1984 and to Colorado Springs in 1997. Throughout his time in the Pikes Peak Region, Mr. Apuan was a tireless civic leader and represented a diverse constituency in southeast Colorado Springs’ 17th District during his tenure at the state house from 2009-2011. Outside of public office, Mr. Apuan served with the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, El Paso County Democratic Party, Colorado Unity, the UCCS Diversity Strategic Planning Committee and the National Federation of Filipino Americans Association.
In 2010, Mr. Apuan founded the Endowment for the Asian Pacific American Collection at the Pikes Peak Library District dedicated to building a substantial collection of books, DVDs and CDs that speak to the Asian American experience. He was awarded later that year with the Organization for Chinese Americans’ Asian American Hero of Colorado award.
Over the course of his life, Mr. Apuan founded multiple other civic ventures and organizations, including the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Colorado, KCMU 93.9 Colorado Springs Community Radio/Colorado Media Justice Foundation, Colorado Springs Council for Justice and Colorado Springs Says Welcome.
Courtesy of El Pomar Foundation, Elevating Leadership Development, Milton E. Proby Cultural Heritage Room
George Nakayama
George Nakayama (1921-1990) was a second generation Japanese American, an athlete and coach, businessman, lifelong educator, and community leader in Colorado Springs and Fountain Valley. Born in Rocky Ford, Colorado to a farming family, he graduated from Rocky Ford High School and was the first Japanese American on the wrestling team at University of Denver. He earned a teaching degree from Colorado State College, later teaching and coaching in Trinidad. The owner of two grocery stores in Colorado Springs, including Six Point Market, George and his family specialized in providing authentic Japanese food and personal, caring service to community members including Rev. Milton E. Proby.
George was dedicated to his community, serving as a PTO President, board member of Pikes Peak Board of Cooperative Services, elder and deacon at First Christian Church, and as a lifetime member of the Security Lions Club. An avid sports fan and supporter of local schools, George was twice elected to the Widefield School District 3 Board of Education and was a member of the Colorado Springs Quarterback Club.
Courtesy of El Pomar Foundation, Elevating Leadership Development, Milton E. Proby Cultural Heritage Room
Want to learn more about our local history?
We highly encourage you to visit the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum to see exhibits such as The Story of Us, Una Familia Grande, COS@150 and others. The museum is a valuable resource for the cultural history of the Pikes Peak Region and admission is free.
Up next on Cultural Corridor
June Pride Month
September 15-October 15 Hispanic Heritage Month
November Native American Heritage Month
February Black History Month
March Women’s History Month
Now accepting nominations of historical figures that have helped shaped our diverse community.