In April 1997, a panel chose five Washingtonians to receive the state’s Jefferson Award. One of these was Ken Nakano, an American citizen who survived the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima. Among other things, Nakano was nominated for his work on behalf of Pacific Northwest residents harmed by radiation from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, his campaign for reparations for Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II, his promotion of exchange programs between Japanese and American Boy Scouts, and his support of monuments commemorating Japanese American relations.

The Jefferson Award is a national program that celebrates outstanding public service. The names of Washington award winners are passed on to the national level for further competition.

Here, Ken Nakano sits on the sofa in his Kirkland living room beneath a folding screen as he talks with a reporter and photographer about his life.

Caption information source: “A-bomb survivor measures his worth in helping others,” by Arthur C. Gorlick, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 18, 1997, page A10.