Claire presented a researched history of the U.S. Navy Japanese language school hosted in Boulder during World War II, noting the program moved to the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1942 to provide accelerated Japanese-language instruction to Navy officers. The presentation traced the program’s origins, instructors (including Florence Wong and assistant Susumu Nakamura), and the recruitment of sensei from internment facilities to teach intensively. Claire explained that the school produced more than 1,100 navy officers fluent in Japanese by the time the Boulder program closed in late 1946.

Claire also described the complicated local reception: while the university and Colorado Governor Ralph Carr welcomed Japanese American students and the Navy program, the Boulder City Council adopted a policy in Aug. 1942 that restricted relocation by people of Japanese descent (requiring prior approvals and limiting residents outside the program). Claire highlighted individual stories — notably Joe and Mia Sano — who stayed in Boulder after the war and later were honored in the community. She emphasized that places such as Baker Hall and the Oliver Bowman House hold multilayered histories that can help the city tell both its achievements and its more difficult chapters.

Board members thanked Claire and asked about sources and public engagement; staff said the presentation would be posted online, turned into short recorded segments, and used for outreach. The board discussed the value of presenting histories that include difficult or uncomfortable decisions to better reflect the city’s past.

The presentation concluded with a brief Q&A. No action items followed; the board moved on to closing remarks and adjourned at approximately 8:23 p.m.