Lillian Kumata passed away on April 2, 2013, two weeks before her 90th birthday.She joined the Asian Studies Center at MSU and in 1989 became coordinator of Japan Programs. She was the recipient of many honors and awards from local, national and international groups. On the local level, Lillian received East Lansing’s Crystal Award in 1992, the Homer Higbee Award in 1993, the Michigan Governor’s Community Service Award in 1998, a Special Recognition Award from MSU’s International Studies and Programs in 1998, the Faculty Folk Club’s Outstanding Woman of the Year Award in 2005 and the OISS Globie Award in 2008. Her national honors include the Cultural Diversity Award from the American Red Cross in 1995, and in 2000, the Millennium International Volunteer Award from the U.S. Department of State and USA Today

Read more on this

The Memorial service for Lillian Kumata is scheduled on:
June 1, 2013
1:00 P.M.
Eastminster Presbyterian Church
1315 Abbot Road
East Lansing, MI
 

Sources: Spring 2013, CVIP Newsletter