This is an interview of the late Isao Fujimoto,who died February 25, 2022 at age 88. Dr. Fujimoto joined the UC Davis
Faculty in 1967 as a founding member of the Community Development Program (now
a part of Human Ecology). He also played the principal role
in founding the Asian American Studies Department (now in its
fifth decade). He retired in 1994, but in what is best described as "in
name only." For example, as one of many lifelong goals, he completed a
Ph.D. from Cornell University in 2010 at 76. In the two and a half decades
following his UC Davis retirement, he continually taught and participated in
the community development graduate program. In addition, he spent summers in
Kyoto, Japan, in the U.C. Study Abroad program.
Moreover, he held leadership positions in the Rural Development
Leadership Network and the Central Valley Partnership for Citizenship programs.
He was noted for his integrity even though his focus on farmworker compensation
and working conditions put him at odds with the agricultural industry. He
encouraged direct engagement and laid the groundwork for the current organic
and sustainable movement in agriculture. He also played principal roles for
landmarks like the Davis Food Co-Op and the Farmer's Market in Davis. In 2016,
his long history of work in social justice and civil rights earned him the
University of California system's Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti
Award.
He was interviewed by his friend and colleague, Jim Grieshop, Emeritus
Specialist in Cooperative Extension, Community and Regional Development.
Name: Isao Fujimoto
Interviewer: Jim Grieshop
Date Interviewed: 9/29/1999
Date Appointed: 1967
Date Retired: 1994
Departments: Human Ecology, Asian American Studies
