Ken Kashiwahara (July 18, 1940) is a broadcast journalist. He was a correspondent for ABC from 1974 to 1998, and was one of the first Asian American journalists to appear on national television. He was the companion of exiled Filipino politician Ninoy Aquino in returning to the Philippines when Aquino was assassinated at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983.
Early life and education
editKashiwahara was born in Waimea, Kauai on July 18, 1940.[1] His parents were both teachers. When he was ten years old his family moved to Okinawa, but they returned to the United States and lived in Pennsylvania when Kashiwahara was a teenager.[2] He later moved to Maryland and graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School[3] in 1958, then went on to attend Washington and Jefferson College.[1] He left after two years after facing significant racism.[1] He returned to Hawaii and studied pre-medicine at the University of Hawaii until he became interested in broadcasting and transferred to San Francisco State College. He completed his bachelor's degree in 1963.[1]
Career
editAfter graduating from college Kashiwahara enlisted in the Air Force, where he served as an information officer for five years. His first civilian position was as a political reporter at KGMB. He became a news anchor in 1971. In 1972 Kashiwahara got a position at KABC and moved to Los Angeles. He covered stories internationally and was one of the last American journalists to leave Saigon in 1975.[1] That same year he was named chief of ABC's Hong Kong bureau, and served in that position until 1977, when he returned to the United States. He later became the San Francisco bureau chief.[4]
In 1978 Kashiwahara met his wife, Filipino filmmaker Lupita Aquino, while covering a story on opposition to Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. Aquino's brother, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., was a political prisoner at the time who was later exiled. When Aquino returned to the Philippines with Kashiwahara on August 21, 1983, he was assassinated.[4]
Kashiwahara won Emmy Awards for his stories in 1986 and 1988.[1] In 1993 Kashiwahara was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian American Journalists Association.[1] Kashiwahara retired in 1998.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Zia, Helen (1995). Asian American biography. Susan B. Gall. New York: UXL. ISBN 0-8103-9687-4. OCLC 33319459.
- ^ Kakesako, Gregg K. (November 5, 2021). "The Collapse of Kabul and Afghanistan Brings Back Haunting Memories for Retired Journalist". The Hawaii Herald. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ "KEN KASHIWAHARA". American Overseas Schools Historical Society. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Where Are They Now? Ken Kashiwahara". www.adweek.com. August 27, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2022.