Harriet Hatsune Natsuyama, an alumna of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has established an endowment to support sustainable agriculture research at UH Hilo.
The Natsuyama-Otsubo Family Initiative Fund will be used to support applied research activities in natural systems ecology, agroecology, sustainable agricultural production and island community food systems at the UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management.
Natsuyama also has committed 100 percent of the remainder of her charitable trust to establish the Natsuyama-Otsubo Family Initiative Endowment upon her passing.
“The way I see it, this fund will be used toward innovating and developing initiatives on the Hilo campus,” says Natsuyama. “Hilo is the younger sister of the main UH Mānoa campus I attended during the 1950s when the university was 50 years old, 60 years ago! Now the university is twice as old. Hilo is in a unique position, ready to cast off as the leader in the environmental sciences.”
Natsuyama says she would like the fund to be used to create a greener planet where humans live sustainably.
“We humans must serve as stewards of the land, as protectors of the natural world,” she says. “We need to learn to harvest only what we need of Earth’s resources and only in a conscious, fully responsible manner. By living in harmony with nature, there will be abundance for all. We can and we will do this.”
“(We’re) honored to be the recipient of her generous and thoughtful gift, which will have positive impact on our programs and the community for years to come,” says Bruce Mathews, College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management interim dean. “Environmentally friendly revitalization of local food systems and protection of surrounding natural ecosystems is a top priority for (the college) and I am certain this gift will seed many new initiatives for our faculty and students.”
The Natsuyama-Otsubo family legacy
The Natsuyama-Otsubo Family Initiative Endowment celebrates three generations of the Natsuyama-Otsubo family of Honolulu. The first generation consists of Sentaro Otsubo and Yone Narahara Otsubo, immigrants from Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, the nisei generation of Kenjiro Natsuyama and Yakue Natsuyama and two sansei (third generation) sons, Ernest Kenji Natsuyama and Eric Ben Natsuyama.
The first two generations had limited schooling, and yet they encouraged the third generation to acquire a good education and contribute to society.
“Our family is important to us,” says Natsuyama. “The values our family hold are noble. The impact we make through our giving will be our legacy.”
More about Harriet Natsuyama
Harriet Natsuyama received her bachelor of arts in mathematics and her master of arts in physics from UH Mānoa. She received her doctor of science from Kyoto University Institute of astrophysics.
She is an expert on systems analysis, computer modeling and applied mathematics. Her professional life took place in Southern California and as a visiting professor in Japanese universities. She was named University of Hawaiʻi Distinguished Alumna in 1991.
Read more about Natsuyama’s gift at UH Hilo Stories and the UH Foundation websites.
