May we all thank the Yokohama Greenery Foundation (Zaidan Hojin Yokohama-shi Midori no Kyokai) for their understanding and support in providing the Association with the opportunity of having Berrick Hall as the sponsored venue for the St. Joseph Festa, in bringing bonds with the general public, our alumni, faculty and friends whom we all shall hold so dearly. Just think of a mother, all in tears, looking at a picture of her son. Just think of a mother, all in tears, listening to the music being played. The Berrick Hall St. Joseph Festa will be held again this year in 2008 with Faith and Fortitude.
Your Association.

See pictures in our photo gallery >>>


Press release on Asahi Shimbun (left) and Yomiuri Shimbun (right)






If you want to spend a relaxing evening listening to talk shows by former boarders at the Berrick Hall and by friends and acquaintances speaking about memories of our Alma Mater, teachers and students, please make reservations directly at the Berrick Hall at (045) 663-5685. An admission charge of yen 2000 will include snacks.

The balance of the Festa will be free of charge and will likewise feature a talk show on Sunday, Nov. 25 by the International Boy Scouts Troop 1 and on the subject of soccer and Bro. Zabala, our legendary coach. There will be a display of 50 large panel photos of historical significance from our FORWARDs.

If you're into music, some of us will be playing oldies from the 50's / 60's as well as newer music from the 26th thru the 29th to give visitors a warm welcome to the Berrick Hall, just as we used to when our school still existed. You all have an open invitation to singl along with us on weekdays. To give life to the Berrick Hall, you are certainly welcome to have mini-gatherings or meetings with your classmates as well. A great chance and a location for having a weekday reunion surrounded with all things Saint Joe!
We need memorabilia to make the display even more interesting to the public. Mega attendants are urged to bring to LA whatever they find in their attics and basements which recall their student days at SJC. Ozawa, Nakanishi, and Boon will carefully accompany them back to Yamate, their place of birth.
There is a lot that will be going on at our St. Joseph Festa, so do plan to be there and share your experience with us.
For further details, please contact either the Berrick Hall or any of the officers.

See you at the Festa !!

George Koyama
President,
St. Joseph Alumni Associatio

for any volunteering inquiries, contact us at:
archive@sjcalumni.com






Greetings, fellow alumni,

We've come a long way in preserving our legacy. And now we're in for the long haul. The Association has, at last, received the green light to co-sponsor a week - long event at Berrick Hall - The Saint Joseph Festa - under the theme, 'Tracing the Roots of International Culture in Yokohama.' The theme is our strong appeal to the general public that St. Joseph, for some 100 years, has played an important role in the history of Berrick Hall and the city of Yokohama. This may be the first in a series of annual events to demonstrate to the general community and the municipal government of Yokohama that St. Joseph was, in fact, an integral part of the long history of the city.

The Saint Joseph Festa will begin on Saturday, November 24th and will continue through the 29th. The main "live interview" programs will be on the first 2 days which fall on a weekend where maximum general public attendance is expected. For the balance of the week, we will continue to display excerpts from our Forward with explanations in Japanese.

We are in dire need of ushers to guide guests and provide explanations about our school and the Berrick Hall to the general public during the Festa, if and when required. We are only hopeful that we could get some assistance from our O/B's to act as MC and navigator in conducting interviews with some of our former boarders at the Berrick Hall, Boy Scouts Troop 1, friends and associates who knew our Alma Mater and other parties affiliated with SJC. Any help in volunteering as MC and navigator is most welcome.

To gain maximum visibility, we will also be contacting the general press and media. The officers and coops are now busy preparing a flyer on the event for dissemination to the general public, who are potential visitors at the event and who may very well be instrumental in 'moving a mountain.' As someone said, 'We're a dying breed.' Maybe so, but I feel that it is critical for us to preserve our invaluable heritage not only amongst ourselves but also in the minds and hearts of the general community and in the history of the city of Yokohama.

Henceforth, we will be fine-tuning our program for the week with the Berrick Hall management. You will certainly be kept abreast of the details as they become available.

In closing, please join me in expressing our heartfelt appreciation to our officers and coops who are volunteering their time, efforts and resourses in planning, organizing, leading and controlling this mammoth event - Hideo Nakanishi, Secretary /Treasurer for incepting this concept, for liaising with the Berrick Hall management, for his sales/marketing initiatives, for his kindness in availing his office for our meetings; Yuzz Kanda, chairman of the archive committee, for his leadership in acting as the point of contact for all publicity activities, for preparation of the program, all visuals, and more; Joji Ozawa and Nobuo Webb for their invaluable thoughts; Boon Oyama, former President, for his referrals and guidance, and Takashi Osada, Vice President, for his marketing, as well as other assistance.

My fellow alumni, I cannot think of a better opportunity than this to volunteer your services to preserve our legacy in the many years to come. So come and join us !!

All the very best,
George Koyama
President
St. Joseph Alumni Association

for any volunteering inquiries, contact us at:
email@sjcalumni.com