TO: HISTORICAL COMMISSION
FROM: LAURIE KOIKE, INTERIM COMMUNITY SERICES DIRECTOR
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THE POSSIBLE RE-NAMING OF THE FLAGLER AND RIPLEY PARKETTE
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recommendation
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RECOMMENDATION
Receive, file and provide a recommendation to the City Council regarding the possible re-naming of the Flager and Ripley Parkette
BACKGROUND
The Flagler and Ripley Parkette abuts Flagler Lane, Ripley Avenue and Spreckels Lane. The .34 acre greenbelt is located across from Jefferson Elementary and is a popular park location for residents living in the surrounding neighborhood. Chair Maroko has been searching this area for possible locations for historical murals and speaking with residents who are knowledgeable about the early history of the area. The following story of the Ito Family was shared with Chair Maroko:
Tomo and Kimi Ito were longtime residents of Redondo Beach. Their family owned the property at 1902 Havemeyer since the 1930s, at a time there were few houses in that part of North Redondo, the site of Jefferson elementary was a pig farm, the streets were unpaved, and they lived just a block from the open space.
Tomo Ito (1909-1986), became an Eagle Scout in 1927, graduated from Stanford University with a bachelors in geology in 1932 and a masters in geology from the same school in 1933. Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States at the time of Tomo's education was also a Stanford geology graduate. Tomo, like Hoover, was a mining consultant.
Kimiko (“Kimi”) Ito (1914-2017) lived in Redondo beach for 99 years. Her parents, Joe Takao Sakai and Vera Ume Sakai, immigrated from Japan in 1902. The family settled in Redondo in 1918. Kimi graduated from Redondo Union High School in 1931.
In 1942, Kimi and Tomo married and were sent to the Poston-Colorado River Relocation Center in Arizona. Poston was the largest of the ten internment camps created by the U.S. War Department during World War II. Her father, who had served in the United States military, was sent to Manzanar War Relocation Center in Independence, California. After the war, they returned to their home on Havemeyer in Redondo Beach, where their children grew up and graduated from Redondo Union High School.
Kimi founded a support group for family members with Parkinson’s disease at the Beach Cities Health District and worked as a braillist for the Los Angeles County Department of Education.
In 2014, Kimi was recognized by the Redondo Beach City Council and the Redondo Union High School Alumni Association as the oldest living Redondo Alumni.
The Flager and Ripley Parkette is located across the street from Jefferson Elementary. If re-named to commemorate The Ito Family, it would provide an opportunity for students and the rest of the community to learn about the Japanese-American internment story.
The Historical Commission may make a recommendation to City Council to re-name the Flagler and Ripley Parkette along with providing one or more names for consideration. This item will also be discussed at the April, 2021 Recreation and Parks Commission meeting. After feedback has been received from both commissions, a recommendation about the re-naming of the Flagler and Ripley Parkette will be presented to City Council for their discussion and possible action.
ATTACHMENTS
Kimi Ito - Resident Spotlight, City Newsletter 2012
Photo - Flagler and Ripley Parkette