Family, friends, faculty students and staff tour the newly dedicated Nisei rock garden. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)
USC dedicates quiet rock garden in honor of university’s Nisei students
The contemplative space off Trousdale Parkway commemorates the Japanese American students who were forced into detention centers right after the U.S. entered World War II.
In a quiet corner of an otherwise bustling campus, USC on Friday dedicated a rock garden to honor the university’s Nisei students, the Japanese American students who were forced into detention centers right after the U.S. entered World War II.
The garden, near the north end of Trousdale Parkway beside the USC Amy King Dundon-Berchtold University Club at King Stoops Hall, provides a peaceful place for reflection.
The garden was approved by President Carol L. Folt just after she agreed to grant posthumous honorary degrees to USC’s Nisei students early last fall. Family members of USC Nisei students will be present for the dedication ceremony.
“The Nisei students are a part of USC,” said Calvin Abe, the renowned landscape architect who designed the garden. “The garden is a place to relax and reconsider what happened in the past, an expression of perseverance and hope.”
Ron Mackovich-Rodriguez of USC University Communications contributed to this report.
