The gift of music
Friends of UC Davis Grant and Grace Noda lost all their family’s possessions during the Japanese internment after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
But they didn't lose their love of music or their value of hard work.
“Music has been my life,” said Grace, who was a senior at UC Berkeley during World War II and taught songs to the children who were in the internment camp with her, “so I wanted to leave something when I am gone.”
The Noda family, including daughters Kathy Miura and Tanya Yan, has given more than $1 million — the largest contribution in the music department’s history — to give the gift of music to UC Davis students.
The family's support, which has inspired others to donate, will allow UC Davis to build a new 400-seat music recital hall that will break ground in May 2014. In addition to providing some much needed classroom space, the building is expected to become one of the most active concert venues in the Sacramento region.
“Rich or poor,” Tanya Yan said, “everyone has access to music.”
