Mari Sugiyama at the podium with sister, Alysa. (Photo by Eugene Tagawa)
Seven-hundred-fifty people attended the memorial for Al Sugiyama on Jan. 29 at Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center.
The Reverend Jerry Shigaki led the invocation. Daughter Mari Sugiyama shared memories and lessons from her father. Bob Watt, Dick Sugiyama, Warren Furutani, Merritt Long, and Daniel Miyaki also spoke.
In 1989, Al Sugiyama was the first Asian American elected to the board for Seattle Public Schools. He also founded the Center for Career Alternatives (CCA) and served as the executive director for the Executive Development Institute (EDI) until intense chemotherapy cancer treatments led him to step down in 2015.
Sugiyama passed away, surrounded by family and dear friends, on Jan. 2.