A crowd gathered at the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering Saturday as a local woman received the Order of the Rising Sun, one of Japan’s highest civilian honors, awarded by the Emperor of Japan.
Vickie Sakurada Schaepler was honored for her ongoing efforts to preserve and save the Japanese Hall, which opened in Scottsbluff in 1928. After the Japanese Hall was no longer being used in Scottsbluff, it was transported across the river to Gering and turned into a museum exhibit to honor the Japanese heritage here in the valley.
One of Saturday’s speakers was two term state Senator John Stinner.
“Vickie, you’re a superstar. Without that dogged determination, this doesn’t happen. And so thank you very much. Just great to have the Japanese culture come to our valley… and it’s not only for us today, but it’s for future generations.”
Presenting Schaepler with the honors on Saturday was Naoya Kishi the Consul General of Japan, who’s office is located in Chicago.
“Ms. Schaepler has maintained a strong commitment to preserving the history and heritage of the Japanese-American community and passing it on to future generations,” he remarked. “Her work has also played a significant role in helping maintain and strengthen relations between Japan and the United States.”
Schaepler told attendees it was an honor for the recognition, but hopes her efforts live on for generations to come.
“I hope that what this project for me is not only that we preserve this history, but that each one of us will share in the future with our next generations. Because I don’t want them to forget that they have a Japanese heritage that they should be proud of and what they were able to accomplish.”
The Japanese Hall exhibit opened at the Legacy of the Plains Museum two years ago, and captures the deep history that the Japanese immigrants had on our region.