![]() ![]() At least 31 of the town's 80 designated evacuation sites were inundated by the tsunami. Although both were 20 meters above sea level, the tsunami covered them and washed people away. The other was inland away from the center of the town. One was on the southern headland overlooking the town. Since the Andersons recorded the message with the students, Randolph-Macon college has suspended in-person classes and all campus activities throughout the spring term due to the coronavirus pandemic.The town had two evacuation centres where residents could go to escape from a tsunami. "We want to return the favor." Jeanne and Andy Anderson and the sakura tree they planted on Randolph-Macon's campus in honor of Taylor. "With their kindness and friendship, they helped us through the last nine years," Andy says. That's when they decided to record a video message to the people of Japan. On a recent trip to campus, the Andersons met a group of disappointed students who had been scheduled to visit Tokyo in March. This year, the coronavirus pandemic has forced Randolph-Macon to cancel some of these programs. He says he hopes he and others who have participated in these trips "will be able to continue to bridge the two countries," as Taylor herself wished to do. Students from Randolph-Macon College visited Ishinomaki in 2019. "We saw the resilience of the people and how much they were able to rebuild," he says. He says a visit to Ishinomaki left a particularly big impression on him. Since 2012, over 200 students and staff members have visited the country.īJ Camano, a junior, took part in one of these trips last year. It has been awarded grants from various US and Japanese government and private funds, such as the TOMODACHI Initiative and the Kakehashi Program, and has used this money to hire faculty and organize trips to Japan. Since her death, the school has significantly increased its Japanese language and culture programs. Taylor's legacy also lives on at her alma mater, Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. "She wanted her students to know they too can do that." "Taylor was following her own dream, learning the Japanese language, going to the country to teach children," he says. Andy says this same belief forms the basis of the scholarship program. Taylor's motto as a teacher was "Follow your dream" and many of her former students say she always encouraged them to do what they love. Students who have received the scholarships from the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund Half were set to graduate in a month's time, with jobs already secured. ![]() When I visited the school in February, 11 scholarship recipients were enrolled in classes. The fund has also been awarding scholarships to the Sendai YMCA Hotel and Confectionary school to students from families that are struggling financially. They are sets of English books with wooden shelves, specially made by craftsman Shinichi Endo, who lost three children in the tsunami. In the nine years since, the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund has provided fifteen schools in Ishinomaki with "Taylor Bunko," or Taylor's Libraries. It was during his trip to Ishinomaki that Andy got the idea of launching a fund in his daughter's name to "help students, families, and schools recover." So we felt like we should fill that role." "We knew Taylor would want to help them if she was still alive," he says. Andy says it was an inspiring experience. This was despite the fact that they were dealing with their own tragedy, grieving their own family members. He says many people came up to him to express condolences. It was a difficult trip but he says the overwhelming kindness he was greeted with helped him make it through. Taylor Anderson in Ishinomaki (Photo: Anderson family)Īndy flew to Ishinomaki to identify the body. A body had been found and it was likely his daughter's. A few days later, as Andy was getting ready to leave for Japan to search for Taylor himself, he got a call from the US embassy in Tokyo. ![]() They wanted to spread news in Japan about their missing daughter, in the hope that it would help her be found. Right after the tsunami, I flew to Richmond, Virginia to interview the Andersons. She had been teaching English to school children there as part of the Japanese government-sponsored JET program. Their 24-year-old daughter, Taylor, went missing in Ishinomaki, one of the cities hit hardest by the tsunami. In 2011, the Andersons experienced unspeakable tragedy. ![]()
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