Editor’s Note from Rob Kay: I first met Gerry back in 1996. Someone from my yoga class invited me to a party. I cracked open a beer and amidst the buzz I heard someone say “Fiji”. I’d spent a great deal of time there (I’d written a Lonely Planet guidebook to Fiji) and was curious who brought the subject up. It was Gerry. I introduced myself and was curious what he knew about Fiji. “Very little”, he replied. He explained he was heading off there to spend a year in a town called Levuka on a grant to do historical preservation. He said he was an architect, and he would be there to help the town protect and maintain its heritage.
I told him I’d lived in Fiji and knew Levuka quite well. I was happy to prep him.
So began our friendship.
Gerry understood I was a new kid in town and was interested in meeting people. So how did he respond?
He threw me a party, inviting his closest friends. That speaks profoundly about Gerry. He cared about people.
Gerry had a remarkable year in Levuka, Fiji’s old capital, from 1995 to 1996 working as a Heritage Advisor to the Fiji Government. His work led to the town becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
He wrote a book about his experiences in Pacific Flash–A Year In Leuvka Fiji. His work in Fiji also spawned another piece, “Learning from Levuka, Fiji–Preservation in the First Colonial Capital” in a publication called CRM (Cultural Resource Management).
More recently Gerry helped me update and improve a guide book on Suva (Suva, a history and Guide) Fiji’s capital, which I co-authored with Al Schutz who also happened to be a friend of Gerry’s. Gerry generously provided us with nuanced descriptions of Suva’s iconic buildings. (If anyone is interested in a PDF of the book, I’ll be happy to send it to you).
The bio below was from a blog that accompanied his River Theater Radio 95.1 FM program, “Beneath the Waves”. It’s still up and you can find it here: RiverTheaterRadio 95.1 FM Beneath the Waves (kggvbeneaththewaves.blogspot.com).
Gerry’s flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gertakano/
Born and reared in Honolulu, Hawaii, Gerry Takano offers a glimpse into the profuse and curious intersections of place, culture, history and recognition. As president of TBA West, Inc., based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Gerry acquired a range of experiences, including architecture, urban design, planning and programming. He received his professional architectural education and early training in upstate New York and Boston. His projects were in a variety of locations from New England to Hawaii, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia and Guam. In Fiji, he lived for a year in the town of Levuka, the original British capital of Fiji, and worked with the local government to promote rehabilitation, encourage conservation and establish historic preservation guidelines. Gerry also served as Hawaii’s National Trust Advisor, Commissioner for the State’s Historic Sites Review Board and previously was Senior Program Associate at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s San Francisco office. In addition to his role as a KGGV deejay for the station’s history and music series, Beneath the Waves, Gerry continues his consultant work in architectural and planning.
“Even though it’s been heavily Eurocentric in this country, preservation is really a universal field. It was another gay preservationist in Hawaii who helped me to understand and be confident in my own direction: a queer, working-class, Japanese American Buddhist from Hawaii, I am as much a preservationist as anybody else…. I’m sort of a romantic, so I love working with people who have passionate, rooted connections with historic buildings. If it doesn’t affect you in your heart, there’s no real connection.
—Gerry Takano, San Francisco, California
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Below are tributes and reminiscences of folks who knew Gerry:
Michael Bosley
My late husband Jack Canfield and I met Gerry in 1980 shortly after his return to Honolulu from the east coast. We all became good friends and enjoyed many good meals and conversations over cheap wine and cigarettes…we all smoked then.We also enjoyed hiking and many neighbor island trips together over the years. In 1984 he met Michael Stick, the love of his life. After their move to San Francisco in 96 our friendship continued with many visits to their homes in the city and eventually their house on the Russian River. His garden there was beautiful…he put so much love and effort into it, and it showed! He always remained a local boy in his heart though; he developed a radio show which showcased Hawaii food and lifestyle…he loved plate lunch! He was a loyal and great correspondent; his cards and letters were always illustrated with his beautiful art work, drawings and penmanship. I miss those cards and letters, and hearing his voice and laugh…he was a dear friend and soulmate! RIP
Josh Benson
Gerry was one of the most erudite and contemplative people I ever knew, with an infectious love of art, design, landscapes, and ideas. Getting to know him as a little kid through my mother was and eye-opening into the possibilities of the world beyond my upbringing—that the world was a big place and there was room for everyone if you just wanted to explore a little.
Leslie Kurisaki
Gerry Takano and I first crossed paths in the late 1980s when we briefly worked together at a small planning firm in Honolulu. We soon discovered we had a lot in common—we lived in the same downtown condo; we grew up about a half mile from each other in Nuuanu, and attended the same elementary school (though 9 years apart). We had both recently moved back to Hawaii after years of living on the mainland, and immediately bonded over a common struggle to find our place in an island home that was comfortable and familiar, but in some ways no longer relatable. This love-hate relationship, this ambivalence about Hawaii and what it meant to be “local” became our communal reality… for the next 35+ years.
Over Chinese food lunches (and years later over long-distance calls), Gerry and I spent endless hours gossiping, philosophizing, commiserating, and pontificating about life. One memorable adventure together was a work trip to Subic Bay in the Philippines, where we roamed the seedy streets of Olongapo amid underage “escorts” and M16-armed soldiers. Another was a journey to enchanting Bali, Indonesia, where we were outsmarted by a teenager who kindly volunteered to be our “tour guide” for the day. Gerry, always the optimist, was disappointed that nothing is free!
Of his many talents–artistic and intellectual—Gerry’s greatest gift was his ability to relate to others. Author Malcom Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point, describes people he calls “connectors”— individuals who seem to know everyone and are naturally skilled at making and maintaining connections. That was Gerry T to a T. All who received his thoughtful hand-written letters and homemade cards, even well into the internet age, know the effort he made to maintain his relationships.
Connectors, Gladwell says, are people who link us up with the world, and who have a special gift for bringing the world together. I can’t think of a better way to describe my dear friend—our dear friend–Gerry Takano.
Rick Waters
I don’t know too many people that met Gerry that didn’t speak highly of him. He had a gift to connect to people, understand them and make them feel special and tey mattered. If you asked Gerry his opinion, he would confirm you really wanted it…the Hold ON you would get an honest but compassionate opinion
Gerry’s pen and ink drawings expressed his love of nature, inter twined with people, places and events with precise detail.
His expertise and dedication in the preservation of historical sites and buildings was evident. His desire was for society as a whole to embrace and support the preservation of these sites to cherish and protect for future generations.
Gerry’s way of dealing with his diagnosis was not to be emotional or vulnerable, but to accept and connect with it, find happiness in simple things and peace in heart.
Wendy Walters
Gerry always expressed a genuine authenticity in wanting to get to know someone. He immediately took an interest in another person’s interests, passions, and perspectives. When he’d speak to you it always felt like you had his undivided attention, and when he’dsee you months later he would remember everything you discussed as if it were yesterday.. His demeanoor was always so even and level, and always so welcoming. He had a subtle and dry wit, but he wouldn’t ever demean someone in conversation, on the contrary, he always seemed to prop people up. Gerry found his soul mate in Michael, a person who like Gerry always put others before himself. Together they built a home with Aloha spirit, always welcoming, peaceful, and happy from the moment you entered to moment you bid them farewell.
Arnaldo Moreno
Gerry was an amazing human being. He was gentle, kind, generous, and creative spirit. I feel fortunate that I could count Gerry as a friend. The world is a better place because Gerry was a part of it, and I believe that the universe will continue to benefit from his presence.
Michael Stick
When I met Gerry in Hawaii he was working in an Architecture firm. He worked with the local government to promote rehabilitation, encourage conservation and establish historic preservation guidelines. Gerry also served as Hawaii’s National Trust Advisor, Commissioner for the State’s Historic Sites Review Board and previously was Senior Program Associate at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s San Francisco office. He hated that the historic Toyo Theater in Honolulu was destroyed. He was then sent to the Philippines where of his work involved luxury resorts or military base master plans which he did not like but it was a job. Then came Fiji. He was hired by the government to work to save the old capitol of Fiji called Levuka and to save all the historic building from being destroyed.
Then he moved to San Francisco and worked with a company who also worked to preserve historic buildings. From there he moved to Guerneville, California where he opened his own business called TBA West where his was hired to work with the city of Scotia to catalogue the historic towns homes and businesses. He was working on that project until his passing.
Ruth Tamura
I came to know Gerald when working at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the local private art museum in the late 1970’s- early 1980’s.
During that time, I was Curator of Extension Services and was very active with the Hawaii Museum Association.
The Hawaii Museums Association would hold membership meetings twice a year. While serving several times as President of the Association, the membership meetings would often feature museum carolleagues from the mainland who would share their museum skills, expertise, experiences and discuss current trends and viewpoints that “movers and shakers” in the global museum world were trending/debating; the notion that the museum should expand their “community” consciousness, expand its audience focus beyond patrons, to encourage educational outreach partnerships beyond the museum walls and the latest trends in exhibition design. One trend that we now take for granted was to have zoos develop habitat exhibitions that were closer to the animal’s original environment: not small rectangular bar cages often housing one lone animal. Gerald, though not a career member of the Association, often attended these meetings and participated in these discussions, providing a historic preservation perspective and shared his reactions as a museum enthusiast and local community member.
He moved from Hawaii to the San Francisco Bay Area. I too moved to the Bay Area for work. When serving as a temporary Executive Director at the Japanese American Historical Society, Gerald and I found ourselves as fellow team members of the Presidio Building 640 project. Together we attended planning meetings, reviewed proposals, and discussed ideas/next steps. Gerald continued working on the Building 640 project while I transitioned to working with and international eye care organization.
We kept up our friendship connection and would meet for lunch with other Hawaii friends and talk about local Hawaii happenings, people, and other aspects of the “local” Hawaiian scene. Gerald cared deeply about Hawaii; its past and present — He was in all ways a local boy, as a McKinley High School graduate, as a member of the architectural preservation community, as an ex-pat,– a kama’ aina
Aloha, Gerald
Cindy Barton
Gerald Takano was a man of strong convictions and soft spoken words. I admired Gerry’s curiosity and enthusiasm; he had a genuine interest in the world and a commitment to making it a better place. He was diligent about seeking the opinions of others and would actively listen and thoughtfully consider the responses. Gerry was passionate about issues and his intellectual ability combined with his integrity made him an asset to any project. His contributions will be missed.
Jan Yokota
Gerry and I met when we were in our 20s. We were both hired as staff planners at the Hawaii Community Development Authority, in the old days when we were looking at what the conceptual options could be for Kaka’ako. As two planners born and raised in Hawaii but recently returned from school on the East Coast, we shared idealistic dreams for Kaka’ako, while eating our plate lunches on the outside staircase of the building that now houses Highway Inn. Gerry was part of both worlds: a local public school graduate who had gone to the East Coast to study, work and absorb all that he could learn about architecture and life.
After Gerry left Hawaii, I was fortunate to be able to connect with him from time to time. He remained a kind, intellectually curious soul who tried to bring people together and share his knowledge about architecture, Hawaiiand all of the other issues about which he was passionate.
In 1977, Gerry gave me a remarkable drawing titled: “Where are Boston Samurai?” (see above) that he had done in 1975 and which incorporated different parts of his early life. For nearly 50 years, I have kept this sketch as a memory of a very dear friend who I will miss very much.