Bill Naito
| Bill Naito | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 16, 1925 Portland, Oregon |
| Died | May 8, 1996 (aged 70) Portland, Oregon |
| Monuments | Naito Parkway (street) in Portland, Oregon |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon |
| Nationality | U.S. |
| Education | Master's degree, Economics |
| Alma mater | Reed College, University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Businessman, real estate developer, entrepreneur; President and co-owner of Norcrest China Company (which also owned Made in Oregon, Naito Properties, Skidmore Development Co. and others) |
| Spouse(s) | Millicent (Micki) Naito (1951–1996) |
| Children | 4 |
William Sumio "Bill" Naito (September 16, 1925 – May 8, 1996) was a noted businessman, civic leader and philanthropist in Portland, Oregon, U.S. He was an enthusiastic advocate for investment in downtown Portland, both private and public, and is widely credited for helping to reverse a decline in the area in the 1970s through acquiring and renovating derelict or aging buildings and encouraging others to invest in downtown and the central city.
In the 1980s and 1990s he was one of Portland's most esteemed business and civic leaders, honored with "dozens" of awards and holding positions on several volunteer boards, commissions, and advisory committees. He commonly went by the name Bill, as opposed to William. An arterial street in downtown Portland, Front Avenue, was renamed "Naito Parkway" in his honor.
William S. Naito was born in Portland in 1925, to Hide and Fukieye Naito, who had emigrated from Japan in 1912. His parents owned a curio shop in downtown Portland, and young Bill spent much time helping his father at the shop.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Portland area became one of the "exclusion zones" created under Executive Order 9066, affecting Japanese Americans living within 200 miles (320 km) of the Pacific Coast. In order to avoid internment, Hide Naito moved the family to Salt Lake City, Utah, to live with relatives there. Bill Naito was a 16-year-old sophomore at Portland's former Washington High School at the time.
After graduating from high school in Utah, Naito joined the U.S. Army, in 1944, and was a member of the 442nd Infantry Regiment during World War II. He served in Military Intelligence in the post-war occupation of Japan, as a translator, before being honorably discharged in 1946 at the rank of staff sergeant. He returned to Portland to attend Reed College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1949 with a degree in economics. Continuing his education at the University of Chicago, he earned a master's degree in economics in 1951. He met Millicent (Micki) Sonley in Chicago, and they married in 1951. The couple had four children.
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Wikipedia