Ron Takemoto, Japanese

by Wren McNally, '01

Apparently Professor Takemoto’s name reaches far and wide. Before I even arrived at Whitman I had heard of him, but at the time it was the reputation that surrounded this Takemoto Sensei, rather than the name, that caught my attention.

As a prospective student I spent time on the phone with first and second year students asking about Whitman life, Walla Walla, and of course, classes and professors. Time after time I received the same answer in regard to Whitman courses: my Whitman experience would be incomplete if I failed to take at least one of Professor Takemoto’s classes. I was amazed to hear such an overwhelmingly positive response. I eventually learned that it was not only the students, but people of all ages, who spoke highly of Takemoto Sensei.

My first encounter with Takemoto Sensei occurred in the Whitman gym during freshman registration. As I desperately tried to decide on a foreign language to pursue, I found myself talking with him, and within minutes he convinced me, in his calm and persuasive manner, of the beauties of the Japanese language. He proceeded to assure me that Japanese would be easy.

In a matter of days, however, I discovered learning Japanese was one of the most difficult things I had voluntarily undertaken. It was just like Takemoto Sensei to place a challenge in front of his students so that they would rise to the occasion to overcome it, and all along the way he would be there, supporting, joking, and advising.

Throughout my time at Whitman, and even the year I spent abroad in Japan, Takemoto Sensei was always there to lend a hand — to console, to encourage, and to constantly push me beyond my self-imposed limits. As a teacher Takemoto Sensei possesses an amazing breadth of wisdom and compassion; as an adviser he is a treasured friend and an invaluable counselor.

Leaving Whitman’s campus behind to embark on a new stage in my life, I am acutely aware of Takemoto Sensei’s contribution to my education and perspective on the world, and I am utterly grateful that Whitman College has such a valuable professor.

Akira Ronald Takemoto is assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures. He joined the Whitman faculty in 1983 and received a Thomas D. Howells Award for Distinguished Teaching in Humanities in 1994