Countdown to A50 is On; Founder 'Chuck' Iikubo '57 Cited in SF Chronicle Article

September 6, 2001

September 6, 2001, Greencastle, Ind. - This Saturday, September 8, the people of Japan will gather in Tokyo to say "thank you" to the citizens of America for acts of goodwill and improved relations that have followed the end of World War II. The A50 event is the brainchild of Hirotsugu "Chuck" Iikubo, a 1957 graduate and Trustee of DePauw University. On the same day, an event will be held in San Francisco. It is organized by Japanese-Americans who took Mr. Iikubo's concept and created an event for the USA.

In today's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, an article entitled, "Enemies to allies: VIPS to celebrate half-century of friendship between US, Japan" previews the weekend of events in both nations. Charles Burress writes, "Designed to thank America for its postwar aid to Japan, the A50 effort was conceived by businessman Hirotsugu Iikubo, who said, "The 'A' stands for 'Appreciation' and 'America' and the '50' for the 50 years following the war and also for the 50 United States."

You can read the Chronicle story online by clicking here.

An August 19th article in the San Francisco Examiner, which discusses the differences between the Japanese and American events and includes several quotes from Chuck Iikubo, can be read here.

After attending the events in Tokyo and San Francisco, Iikubo and his A50 colleagues will embark upon a goodwill trip to 35 American cities. You can read more about that in this article.

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