Longtime Westporter Gene Takahashi, a former IBM executive and Korean War veteran profiled by the late author David Halberstam in his forthcoming book on the war, died Tuesday night at his Westport home after a lengthy illness. He was 79.
Takahashi was a strong supporter of the Westport Public Library and was key in getting the Pulitzer Prize-winning author to accept an invitation to be honored at the library's May 27 "Booked for the Evening" fund-raiser. The event will now be a tribute to Halberstam.
"Some two years ago I went out to Westport, Conn., to interview Gene Takahashi for a book I was writing about the Korean War," Halbertstam wrote in a Forbes magazine article a month before his April 23 death in a California car crash. (See WestportNow April 23, 2007)
"There were, it soon struck me, two Gene Takahashis, the first the former IBM executive, quiet and exceptionally modest, the model citizen of a prosperous Connecticut suburb; and then another Gene Takahashi, someone whom almost none of his neighbors knew anything about."
Halberstam went on to detail Takahashi's difficult life, including the time he and his family spent in World War II internment camps, the indignities he endured in the U.S. Army as an American of Japanese descent, and his Korean War battlefield exploits that he said made Takahashi "a genuine war hero."
"I had been intrigued by Takahashi's story because it is so American, at once good American and bad American," Halberstam wrote.
In an interview before his death with the Staples High School newspaper Inklings, Takahashi recalled his time with Halberstam.
"My experiences caught Halberstam's attention," he said. "He came to Westport and we spent the day together talking about my experiences. He's a meticulous writer, very unique."
Halberstam also talked to Inklings about Takahashi.
"I'm doing this in honor of Gene," he said, referring to the book on the Korean War.
"He's just an uncommon man. He's very graceful, a modest man. He had a platoon, oddly enough, an all-black platoon. He's a wonderful man who should be celebrated."
Takahashi was born Oct. 7, 1927 in El Centro, Calif., son of the late Keitaro and Fusa (Saito) Takahashi and had been a resident of Westport for the past 30 years.
In 1942, along with 118,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, Takahashi and his family were incarcerated in World War II internment camps. The family eventually relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.
Upon graduation from high school, Takahashi enlisted in the Army with the permission of his parents at the age of 17.
Two years later, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and sent to Korea to serve in the Occupation.
Following his discharge in 1948, he received his bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University.
In 1950, he was called back into the Army and sent to serve in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and proudly earned his Combat Infantry Badge.
Following his discharge from the service in 1952, Takahashi earned his master's degree from the University of Illinois and pursued doctoral studies at Case Western.
In 1955, he joined IBM as a systems engineer. His career with IBM spanned 32 years, the last 15 of which were spent as a director of corporate litigation.
He helped defend IBM in the landmark antitrust case initiated by the U.S. government which was eventually won by IBM.
After his retirement from IBM in 1989, Takahashi co-founded the Delphi Group, a litigation consulting firm comprised of retired businessmen experienced in a wide variety of corporate disciplines.
In the last years of his life, Takahashi gained great satisfaction working on the restoration of the Evergreen Cemetery of the Saugatuck Congregational Church, bringing new life and beauty to the historic site.
In addition to his wife Violette of 55 years, survivors include one son, Dean Takahashi, his wife Wendy Sharp of North Haven; three daughters, Nancy Takahashi, her husband David Oakland of Charlottesville, Va.; Pat Takahashi-Blayney, her husband William Blayney of Seattle, Wa.; and Mona Strick of North Smithfield, R.I.; one brother, Dr. Mark Takahashi of Durham, Pa.; two sisters, Amy Ono and Grace Matsushima of Cleveland, Ohio; and 10 grandchildren, Hannah, Milo, and Noah Oakland, Thomas Blayney, Kerry and Kai Takahashi, and Lauren, Natasha, Keila and Walker Strick.
Westport Now Wed. May 16, 2007
Takahashi was a strong supporter of the Westport Public Library and was key in getting the Pulitzer Prize-winning author to accept an invitation to be honored at the library's May 27 "Booked for the Evening" fund-raiser. The event will now be a tribute to Halberstam.
"Some two years ago I went out to Westport, Conn., to interview Gene Takahashi for a book I was writing about the Korean War," Halbertstam wrote in a Forbes magazine article a month before his April 23 death in a California car crash. (See WestportNow April 23, 2007)
"There were, it soon struck me, two Gene Takahashis, the first the former IBM executive, quiet and exceptionally modest, the model citizen of a prosperous Connecticut suburb; and then another Gene Takahashi, someone whom almost none of his neighbors knew anything about."
Halberstam went on to detail Takahashi's difficult life, including the time he and his family spent in World War II internment camps, the indignities he endured in the U.S. Army as an American of Japanese descent, and his Korean War battlefield exploits that he said made Takahashi "a genuine war hero."
"I had been intrigued by Takahashi's story because it is so American, at once good American and bad American," Halberstam wrote.
In an interview before his death with the Staples High School newspaper Inklings, Takahashi recalled his time with Halberstam.
"My experiences caught Halberstam's attention," he said. "He came to Westport and we spent the day together talking about my experiences. He's a meticulous writer, very unique."
Halberstam also talked to Inklings about Takahashi.
"I'm doing this in honor of Gene," he said, referring to the book on the Korean War.
"He's just an uncommon man. He's very graceful, a modest man. He had a platoon, oddly enough, an all-black platoon. He's a wonderful man who should be celebrated."
Takahashi was born Oct. 7, 1927 in El Centro, Calif., son of the late Keitaro and Fusa (Saito) Takahashi and had been a resident of Westport for the past 30 years.
In 1942, along with 118,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, Takahashi and his family were incarcerated in World War II internment camps. The family eventually relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.
Upon graduation from high school, Takahashi enlisted in the Army with the permission of his parents at the age of 17.
Two years later, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and sent to Korea to serve in the Occupation.
Following his discharge in 1948, he received his bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University.
In 1950, he was called back into the Army and sent to serve in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and proudly earned his Combat Infantry Badge.
Following his discharge from the service in 1952, Takahashi earned his master's degree from the University of Illinois and pursued doctoral studies at Case Western.
In 1955, he joined IBM as a systems engineer. His career with IBM spanned 32 years, the last 15 of which were spent as a director of corporate litigation.
He helped defend IBM in the landmark antitrust case initiated by the U.S. government which was eventually won by IBM.
After his retirement from IBM in 1989, Takahashi co-founded the Delphi Group, a litigation consulting firm comprised of retired businessmen experienced in a wide variety of corporate disciplines.
In the last years of his life, Takahashi gained great satisfaction working on the restoration of the Evergreen Cemetery of the Saugatuck Congregational Church, bringing new life and beauty to the historic site.
In addition to his wife Violette of 55 years, survivors include one son, Dean Takahashi, his wife Wendy Sharp of North Haven; three daughters, Nancy Takahashi, her husband David Oakland of Charlottesville, Va.; Pat Takahashi-Blayney, her husband William Blayney of Seattle, Wa.; and Mona Strick of North Smithfield, R.I.; one brother, Dr. Mark Takahashi of Durham, Pa.; two sisters, Amy Ono and Grace Matsushima of Cleveland, Ohio; and 10 grandchildren, Hannah, Milo, and Noah Oakland, Thomas Blayney, Kerry and Kai Takahashi, and Lauren, Natasha, Keila and Walker Strick.
Westport Now Wed. May 16, 2007
Longtime Westporter Gene Takahashi, a former IBM executive and Korean War veteran profiled by the late author David Halberstam in his forthcoming book on the war, died Tuesday night at his Westport home after a lengthy illness. He was 79.
Takahashi was a strong supporter of the Westport Public Library and was key in getting the Pulitzer Prize-winning author to accept an invitation to be honored at the library's May 27 "Booked for the Evening" fund-raiser. The event will now be a tribute to Halberstam.
"Some two years ago I went out to Westport, Conn., to interview Gene Takahashi for a book I was writing about the Korean War," Halbertstam wrote in a Forbes magazine article a month before his April 23 death in a California car crash. (See WestportNow April 23, 2007)
"There were, it soon struck me, two Gene Takahashis, the first the former IBM executive, quiet and exceptionally modest, the model citizen of a prosperous Connecticut suburb; and then another Gene Takahashi, someone whom almost none of his neighbors knew anything about."
Halberstam went on to detail Takahashi's difficult life, including the time he and his family spent in World War II internment camps, the indignities he endured in the U.S. Army as an American of Japanese descent, and his Korean War battlefield exploits that he said made Takahashi "a genuine war hero."
"I had been intrigued by Takahashi's story because it is so American, at once good American and bad American," Halberstam wrote.
In an interview before his death with the Staples High School newspaper Inklings, Takahashi recalled his time with Halberstam.
"My experiences caught Halberstam's attention," he said. "He came to Westport and we spent the day together talking about my experiences. He's a meticulous writer, very unique."
Halberstam also talked to Inklings about Takahashi.
"I'm doing this in honor of Gene," he said, referring to the book on the Korean War.
"He's just an uncommon man. He's very graceful, a modest man. He had a platoon, oddly enough, an all-black platoon. He's a wonderful man who should be celebrated."
Takahashi was born Oct. 7, 1927 in El Centro, Calif., son of the late Keitaro and Fusa (Saito) Takahashi and had been a resident of Westport for the past 30 years.
In 1942, along with 118,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, Takahashi and his family were incarcerated in World War II internment camps. The family eventually relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.
Upon graduation from high school, Takahashi enlisted in the Army with the permission of his parents at the age of 17.
Two years later, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and sent to Korea to serve in the Occupation.
Following his discharge in 1948, he received his bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University.
In 1950, he was called back into the Army and sent to serve in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and proudly earned his Combat Infantry Badge.
Following his discharge from the service in 1952, Takahashi earned his master's degree from the University of Illinois and pursued doctoral studies at Case Western.
In 1955, he joined IBM as a systems engineer. His career with IBM spanned 32 years, the last 15 of which were spent as a director of corporate litigation.
He helped defend IBM in the landmark antitrust case initiated by the U.S. government which was eventually won by IBM.
After his retirement from IBM in 1989, Takahashi co-founded the Delphi Group, a litigation consulting firm comprised of retired businessmen experienced in a wide variety of corporate disciplines.
In the last years of his life, Takahashi gained great satisfaction working on the restoration of the Evergreen Cemetery of the Saugatuck Congregational Church, bringing new life and beauty to the historic site.
In addition to his wife Violette of 55 years, survivors include one son, Dean Takahashi, his wife Wendy Sharp of North Haven; three daughters, Nancy Takahashi, her husband David Oakland of Charlottesville, Va.; Pat Takahashi-Blayney, her husband William Blayney of Seattle, Wa.; and Mona Strick of North Smithfield, R.I.; one brother, Dr. Mark Takahashi of Durham, Pa.; two sisters, Amy Ono and Grace Matsushima of Cleveland, Ohio; and 10 grandchildren, Hannah, Milo, and Noah Oakland, Thomas Blayney, Kerry and Kai Takahashi, and Lauren, Natasha, Keila and Walker Strick.
Westport Now Wed. May 16, 2007
Takahashi was a strong supporter of the Westport Public Library and was key in getting the Pulitzer Prize-winning author to accept an invitation to be honored at the library's May 27 "Booked for the Evening" fund-raiser. The event will now be a tribute to Halberstam.
"Some two years ago I went out to Westport, Conn., to interview Gene Takahashi for a book I was writing about the Korean War," Halbertstam wrote in a Forbes magazine article a month before his April 23 death in a California car crash. (See WestportNow April 23, 2007)
"There were, it soon struck me, two Gene Takahashis, the first the former IBM executive, quiet and exceptionally modest, the model citizen of a prosperous Connecticut suburb; and then another Gene Takahashi, someone whom almost none of his neighbors knew anything about."
Halberstam went on to detail Takahashi's difficult life, including the time he and his family spent in World War II internment camps, the indignities he endured in the U.S. Army as an American of Japanese descent, and his Korean War battlefield exploits that he said made Takahashi "a genuine war hero."
"I had been intrigued by Takahashi's story because it is so American, at once good American and bad American," Halberstam wrote.
In an interview before his death with the Staples High School newspaper Inklings, Takahashi recalled his time with Halberstam.
"My experiences caught Halberstam's attention," he said. "He came to Westport and we spent the day together talking about my experiences. He's a meticulous writer, very unique."
Halberstam also talked to Inklings about Takahashi.
"I'm doing this in honor of Gene," he said, referring to the book on the Korean War.
"He's just an uncommon man. He's very graceful, a modest man. He had a platoon, oddly enough, an all-black platoon. He's a wonderful man who should be celebrated."
Takahashi was born Oct. 7, 1927 in El Centro, Calif., son of the late Keitaro and Fusa (Saito) Takahashi and had been a resident of Westport for the past 30 years.
In 1942, along with 118,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, Takahashi and his family were incarcerated in World War II internment camps. The family eventually relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.
Upon graduation from high school, Takahashi enlisted in the Army with the permission of his parents at the age of 17.
Two years later, he was commissioned as a lieutenant and sent to Korea to serve in the Occupation.
Following his discharge in 1948, he received his bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University.
In 1950, he was called back into the Army and sent to serve in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and proudly earned his Combat Infantry Badge.
Following his discharge from the service in 1952, Takahashi earned his master's degree from the University of Illinois and pursued doctoral studies at Case Western.
In 1955, he joined IBM as a systems engineer. His career with IBM spanned 32 years, the last 15 of which were spent as a director of corporate litigation.
He helped defend IBM in the landmark antitrust case initiated by the U.S. government which was eventually won by IBM.
After his retirement from IBM in 1989, Takahashi co-founded the Delphi Group, a litigation consulting firm comprised of retired businessmen experienced in a wide variety of corporate disciplines.
In the last years of his life, Takahashi gained great satisfaction working on the restoration of the Evergreen Cemetery of the Saugatuck Congregational Church, bringing new life and beauty to the historic site.
In addition to his wife Violette of 55 years, survivors include one son, Dean Takahashi, his wife Wendy Sharp of North Haven; three daughters, Nancy Takahashi, her husband David Oakland of Charlottesville, Va.; Pat Takahashi-Blayney, her husband William Blayney of Seattle, Wa.; and Mona Strick of North Smithfield, R.I.; one brother, Dr. Mark Takahashi of Durham, Pa.; two sisters, Amy Ono and Grace Matsushima of Cleveland, Ohio; and 10 grandchildren, Hannah, Milo, and Noah Oakland, Thomas Blayney, Kerry and Kai Takahashi, and Lauren, Natasha, Keila and Walker Strick.
Westport Now Wed. May 16, 2007
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