A fitting tribute
Dedication ceremony marks donation by local man

By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
LarryM@argusobserver.com
Saturday, October 10, 2009 11:04 AM PDT

A small group of people stand next to the wall, while a larger group is seated, during a dedication event of the new Japanese tea house, donated to the Four Rivers Cultural Center museum by longtime Ontario resident and businessman George Iseri, Thursday.

ONTARIO — Sometimes gifts come in big packages.

Often they arrive in a smaller parcel.

And sometimes they come to life in a unique manner.

Thursday, friends of longtime resident and businessman Georege Iseri and other guests celebrated the opening of a new exhibit in the Four Rivers Cultural Center museum.

The exhibit — a Japanese tea house — was donated by Iseri to FRCC.

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“He’s been on the (FRCC) board a number of years,” FRCC Executive Director Launa DeGiusti said, of Iseri said. “He’s donated a lot time and resources to the center.”

Fran McLean, another longtime boardmember of FRCC, said Iseri was instrumental in obtaining the $4 million grant that was approved by Congress during the center’s developmental stage.

Iseri, who has been in the insurance, travel and real estate businesses, was one of the Japanese-Americans interned at Tulelake during World War II and came with his family to the Treasure Valley under sponsorship of his brother, Tom Iseri, fellow FRCC member John Kirby said.

George Iseri worked in the fields and later had a radio shop on Ontario’s east side before joining in the insurance business with his brother, Mun. 

Kirby and McLean had met with George Iseri about embracing the museum to tell the story of the Japanese-Americans’ impact on the local community. Iseri came back to them and said the story should be about the whole community, Kirby said. 

 “His mission is to say thank you (to the community) for accepting the Japanese-Americans,” Kirby said.

Former Ontario newspaper publisher and Ontario Mayor Elmo Smith and business leaders invited the Japan-Americans, who had been interned, to the Ontario area, Kirby said.

“’We are so thankful to be here,’” Kirby said, quoting Iseri. “We are so thankful the community reached out and welcomed us to come.’”

Iseri brought the tea house to Ontario to share Japanese culture with the community and also as a place to welcome guests from Ontario’s sister city Osaka-Sayama, a relationship Iseri helped establish.

According to information from the Portland Japanese Garden Society, tea gardens are places for quiet reflection before entering a teahouse and the tranquil world of the tea ceremony.

According to a video about the tea ceremony showed at the dedication, the ceremony has its roots in Zen Buddhism and emphasizes the principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.                   

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