Kokura, Japan, one of Tacoma's sister cities, sent a miniature Shinto shrine to the City of Tacoma in 1961 as a token of their friendship. Toyosuke Nogami, a resident of Kokura, was commissioned to hand-carve the shrine; he journeyed to the Japan Alps to select the best Japanese cypress for the job. When it arrived, the shrine was put on display in the "solarium" adjacent to the second floor lobby of the County-City Building. The elaborately carved shrine also included a gate and two lantern posts which were damaged slightly during shipping. A terrace behind the Washington State Historical Society museum on Stadium Way was chosen as the permanent site of the shrine. It was dedicated there in May, 1962. Pictured above with the Shinto shrine are Sylvia Sass (kneeling, center left) and Thomas Takemura (kneeling, center right) of the Sister City Committee.

Shrines--Tacoma; Wood carvings; Sass, Sylvia; Takemura, Thomas;

Mayor Harold Tollefson bows his head while shaking the hand of Mrs. Motohiko Kanai on April 22, 1964, outside the County-City Building. Her husband, the Japanese governor of Washington's sister prefecture, Hyogo, and Washington governor Albert Rosellini both smile. She is wearing an exquisite silk kimono while also carrying a modern handbag. Governor Kanai was presented with a key to the city by Mayor Tollefson. (TNT 4-22-64, C-16)

Tollefson, Harold M., 1908-1985; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Rosellini, Albert D.; Governors; Kanai, Motohiko; Kanai, Motohiko--Family;

Arrival of Japanese governor and wife at County-City Building. Motohiko Kanai and his wife in conversation with Washington State Governor Albert D. Rosellini and a state trooper in front of the County-City Building on April 22, 1964. They had just arrived via Lincoln Continental. Kanai, governor of Washington's sister prefecture, Hyogo, met with city, county and port officials at a brief reception in Mayor Harold Tollefson's office. Prior to their departure for Olympia, the Kanais were presented the key to the City of Tacoma and a framed picture of Tacoma's port. (TNT 4-22-64, C-16)

Kanai, Motohiko; Kanai, Motohiko--Family; Governors; Rosellini, Albert D.; Guests--Tacoma; Lincoln automobile;

Three young men from Kitakyushu University, the sister university of the University of Puget Sound, receive keys to the City of Tacoma from Mayor Ben Hanson on November 8, 1961. Hiromi Yokota, Shinichi Tanaka and Kazama Tsunomachi were paying a two-week visit to Tacoma. When they departed on November 16, the visitors were presented with Douglas Fir seedlings as a "living reminder" of the Pacific Northwest. TRUEBLOOD 593 (see G51.1-025 for additional photograph of visitors)

Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hanson, Ben; Foreign visitors--Japan; Yokota, Hiromi; Tanaka, Shinichi; Tsunomachi, Kazama;

Mayor Harold Tollefson posed with about 50 beauty queens and various police units on May 15, 1962, in front of what is believed the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Avenue South. Although this particular photograph apparently did not appear in the local newspaper, it may have been taken in conjunction with the Century 21 Exposition, better known as the Seattle World's Fair, which was already in progress. TRUEBLOOD 682

Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tollefson, Harold M., 1908-1985; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Albert Lawrence Rasmussen was elected mayor of Tacoma in 1967. This photograph was taken in the Mayor's office on Naturalization Day, September 9, 1969. Trueblood #1870 ALBUM 16.

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970

The "Jackie" Kennedy look was in vogue when these Miss Tacoma contestants posed at the County-City Building on April 23, 1963. Gale Yuckert (second from right) went on to become Miss Tacoma of 1963. The contest has been held sporadically since the 1920s. Trueblood #862.

Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Beauty contests--Tacoma--1960-1970; Yuckert, Gale; County-City Building (Tacoma); Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Mayor Ben Hanson gestures as his visitor, L. Shukin of Turkey, watches on the grass outside the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Avenue South, on July 10, 1961. The mayor may have been pointing toward the old Central School building further up the street. TRUEBLOOD 524

Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hanson, Ben; Shukin, L.; Foreign visitors--Turkey;

Harold Moss (center) raised his hand as he, along with Gerald Maule and Philip Schroeder, took the oath of office on October 13, 1970. Mr. Moss was appointed to the Tacoma City Council in the wake of political upheaval when five councilmen were ousted by recall. He was the first black to serve on the city council and would run successfully in 1971 to serve until 1973. Mr. Moss would be appointed again to the council in 1987 and was re-elected in 1988 and 1992. He became to city's first black mayor in 1994 after the sudden death of newly-elected mayor Jack Hyde. In 1996 he became the first black to sit on the Pierce County Council. The News Tribune notes that Mr. Moss was "perhaps best known for his even handedness and accessibility" while on the city council. ALBUM 16. (TNT 3-18-96, B-2)

Moss, Harold; City council members--Tacoma--1970-1980; Oaths--Tacoma; Maule, Gerald; Schroeder, Philip;

Mayor Ben Hanson welcomes Brazilian labor leaders to Tacoma on July 31, 1961, with a firm handshake and the key to the city. Ten labor leaders were visiting Tacoma for one week to learn about collective bargaining and union contracts. While in Tacoma, the visitors talked to labor, city and school officials and toured industrial plants and civic installations. Mayor Hanson had been elected mayor by the city council in 1958 and then elected by the people of Tacoma in a charter change. ALBUM 16. (TNT 7-31-61, p. 1-article)

Hanson, Ben; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Shaking hands--Tacoma; Foreign visitors--Brazil;