Remembering my father’s legacy
Today, Dad would have been 96. I often wonder what he would think of our current issues.
Antonio Carbullido Yamashita was the middle child of 13. He was born on Sept. 13, 1930, amid challenging times. When Japan occupied us, Dad was made to translate for both sides.
I always thought it was cool that he could speak Japanese, English, CHamoru and Latin. Not sure if "cool" would be the term he would use. Probably not.
Dad was studying to be a priest for a heartbeat. Not his calling. He was a 1950 Gecko. He and Mom married in 1955. While serving in the Army, he believed he had a daughter named Kathy.
When he returned, he looked for Kathy. Mom and grandad named me "Aline." I could never really figure out where Aline Asa came from, except perhaps the Harlequin romance books that lined grandad’s shelf. I figured he read about some spirit named "Aline Asa" and decided his first granddaughter would be named that. He also had a special family name for that position. I am honored, for sure.
Dad thought he wanted to be a medical doctor. After experiencing bloodshed on the =field, he determined otherwise. Science was his passion. He studied weather at Carroll College in Montana. Mom gave me a Blessed Virgin Mary statue that Dad’s professor gave him. She graces my desk.
After earning his doctorate at Colorado State in Fort Collins, he returned home. He enjoyed teaching college students chemistry. Then, Gov. Manuel FL Guerrero called him. “Yamashita, you turn the situation up there around or we are selling the college to the Jesuits.”
Despite his meager salary, Dad enjoyed celebrating with food and drink. Dad loved to eat. Pedro’s was his spot for buying bags of meat. They had a deep freezer that stored such treasures, packed in thick, memorable plastic bags.
Dad decided to take the challenge. He always believed in providing opportunity for all people to realize their dreams, even dreams they did not realize they had.
Dad's leadership flourished, from Territorial College to the University of Guam, through gaining autonomy, achieving accreditation and obtaining land grant status. From that start, new courses and programs emerged, including arts, education, agriculture, liberal arts, library science and sports.
As University of Guam Triton president, Dad developed graduate and partnership programs with other higher education institutions. He recruited talented people to get the job done. He always said he threw gas on the fire and got out of their way.
Dad was Japanese and relatively shy. Perhaps because of that combination, he never won an election He ran unsuccessfully for the Board of Education, senator and lieutenant governor. Some called him arrogant. Maybe. Maybe that was a coping strategy.
I smiled when I came across a magnet that said, "Yamashita for Senator ̶ Democrat #11." The people of Guam missed the chance to have him advocate for them as a policymaker. He deserved to win the election.
But every day as the University of Guam soars, that victory is his. He would delight in the School of Engineering and the success of the sciences. He would smile at the investment in people like Cheryl Sangueza, whom he approved for the Yamashita Teacher Corps decades ago despite the red at the time. Dad saw her potential.
Today, Dr. Cheryl Sangueza has had great success securing substantial grant funding that provides students with opportunities to discover and explore. They present their research across the globe. Dad believed in providing opportunity and in the goodness of people.
He would agree with me that investing in early childhood and family studies is necessary.
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Dad died from an unforeseen heart condition at Queen’s Hospital in 1992. At the age of 62, he was just excited to be with his grandsons. I am so sorry they did not have the chance to experience the invaluable love and joy he would have given them.
“To Think, To Care, To Laugh. Thanks, Dad, for teaching us well.” That is on his gravesite. Every day, I am guided by that. I cry, too, but I figure that is a product of thinking, caring, and laughing. Thanks, Dad! Happy blessed heavenly birthday!
Aline Yamashita is a mom, a teacher and a former senator. She served in the 31st and 32nd Guam Legislatures. Send feedback to aline4families@gmail.com.
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