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Professor Harry Kitano of the School of Public Policy passed away this past Saturday, Oct. 19.

The UCLA community lost a professor, scholar, mentor, author and friend last Saturday, Oct. 19, when Harry Kitano, emeritus professor of social welfare, passed away. He was 76.

Kitano’s 37-year professorial career in social welfare and sociology was spent entirely at UCLA, beginning in 1958 and ending with his retirement in 1995. Kitano was a two-time director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, and in 1990 was the first recipient of the Endowed Chair in Japanese American Studies at UCLA.

Kitano was the author of over 150 books, articles, and reports, which led him to be known the world over. Kitano has taught in England, Japan and Hawaii as a visiting professor. He was currently working on a sixth edition of his nationally recognized book, “Race Relations,” which was prevalent in college classrooms.

“Harry Kitano was one of the most influential and natural teachers at UCLA,” said Professor James Lubben, chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Asian American Center.

Kitano had many friends and admirers at UCLA. Don Nakanishi, director of the Asian Studies Center who worked with Kitano on various things, remembers that Kitano did a lot with a smile on his face and a sense of humor.

“He had a very strong inner passion and commitment towards racial tolerance and trying to build positive relations in our community,” Nakanishi said, adding that World War II had a very profound impact on everything that Kitano did.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kitano and his family, who had immigrated from Japan and were living in San Francisco, were relocated to the Santa Anita race tracks where they lived in a horse stall for six months. They were then transferred to the Topaz concentration camp in Utah where they remained for three years.

This firsthand experience helped Kitano write his last book in 2000, “Achieving the Impossible Dream: How Japanese Americans Achieved Redress.”

“I’m glad that in the end he could write a book where he came full circle and got the American public and government to recognize how awful things were during World War II,” Nakanishi said.

Nakanishi also said that since Sept. 11 last year, Kitano would talk about how similar the situations were, and how he was deeply concerned with what would happen to Muslims.

Once Kitano was released from Topaz he worked in Milwaukee as farmhand, then he played trombone in jazz bands in Minnesota. Kitano attributed his sense of humor to this musical experience in an interview with UCLA TODAY.

In 1946 Kitano studied at Berkeley where he received his B.A., M.A. in social welfare, and Ph.D. in psychology and education.

Don Harstock, who works for Omsbudsman on campus, was friends with Kitano for 15 years and remembers him as being very open, accommodating, and a good listener.

“Harry was one of those people I was always eager to run across,” Harstock said.

He and his wife have treasured the ying and yang decoration that Kitano gave them 20 years ago, and it still hangs over their mantle to this day, reminding them of their dear friend.

“It is a constant reminder of the kind of guy he was. The memory of Harry will be symbolized by his gift,” Harstock said.

Kitano is survived by his wife, Lynn, five children, one grandson, four sisters, and many nieces and nephews.

A public tribute for Professor Kitano will be held on Saturday, December 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UCLA faculty center.