The Hosokawa Journalism Endowment

The Robert R. Hosokawa Endowment

In 2000, an endowed lectureship was established at Whitman College by David and Beverly Hosokawa, and the Hosokawa Family Foundation. Intended to be a celebration of journalistic excellence, the lectureship honors Robert R. Hosokawa, David’s father, by bringing a noted journalist to campus. The endowment also established the Hosokawa Student Journalism Award to be given each year in recognition of outstanding achievement and excellence as demonstrated by student journalists and photojournalists of Whitman Wire. 

About Robert Hosokawa

Robert Hosokawa, Whitman College Class of 1940, served as both the editor of the student newspaper and his senior class president. He graduated with honors in English and planned to attend law school, but found himself in a world shaped by war and prejudice. 

Early in the summer of 1942, Robert’s fiancee Yoshi left her education at Willamette University to marry and accompany him as they and 7,000 other American citizens of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from their homes in Seattle, first to what was euphemistically called “Camp Harmony” at the Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup and later that summer to an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho. 

In “The Slant of the Eye on July 4, 1942,” a1974 reflection for the New York Times, Hosokawa described Camp Harmony as “a hastily constructed concentration camp.” The University of Washington’s library has a Camp Harmony Exhibit, which contains a photo of Yoshi in the wooden shed where they lived that summer, with the caption noting that Robert had built their furniture out of scrap lumber.

It was there, in the face of injustice and confinement, that his commitment to journalism truly took root.

Inside the barbed wire surrounded grounds of Camp Harmony, Hosokawa and a small team created a handwritten newspaper called the Camp Harmony Hooey. It was a remarkable blend of news, satire, illustration, and makeshift advertisements. A few mock-ups remain today, offering a vivid and sometimes humorous portrait of daily life in the camp—full of frustration, boredom, wit, and community. 

The Camp Harmony Hooey wasn’t just a coping mechanism; it was an act of creation and resistance in the face of terrible injustice, and was one of the earliest expressions of Hosokawa’s lifelong belief in the power of communication.

Eventually, he was released from the internment camp under a rule that allowed those with jobs away from the West Coast to leave. With assistance from a Whitman professor who advocated on his behalf, he found work at a small newspaper in Independence, Missouri. He and Yoshi left incarceration and began building new lives in the Midwest. 

From there, he moved to the Des Moines Register and then rose to become a top editor at the Minneapolis Tribune. After some years he transitioned to teaching and became a beloved journalism professor at the University of Missouri and the University of Central Florida. 

To the generations of students he taught, Robert Hosokawa was not just a journalist but a mentor, a storyteller, and someone who found meaning in the smallest details—whether marking up a morning paper with commentary on headlines and photo choices, or reflecting on how humor and clarity could cut through the noise. His life reminds us that journalism is not just about information—it’s about perseverance, curiosity, and building a society based on truth, humanity and respect.

The Hosokawa Student Journalism Award

Content that is published in the Whitman Wire is eligible for for the Hosokawa Student Journalism Awards, with a $500 prize for the top submission in each category. Winners are announced and awards presented at the annual Hosokawa Awards Dinner.

Submission Categories

• News: A journalistic article that provides timely, factual and objective reporting on current events or developments. Its purpose is to inform readers about what is happening locally, nationally or globally without offering personal opinions. Submissions must have been published in the Wire's News category.
• Feature: In-depth, narrative-driven articles that explore a topic, person or event in detail. They focus on storytelling, background context and human interest to engage readers and provide a deeper understanding beyond the immediate facts. Submissions may be from the Wire's Feature, Campus Life or Science & Environment categories.
• Opinion: Articles that express the views or perspectives of the writer or publication, aiming to persuade, provoke thought, or spark dialogue on an issue. These pieces are inherently subjective and are separate from the objective reporting of news. Submissions must have been published in the Wire's Opinion category.
• Humor: A journalistic piece that uses satire, wit, or comedic storytelling to entertain readers while often commenting on current events, cultural trends, or societal norms. Its purpose is to amuse while sometimes offering subtle critique or insights into the subject matter. Submissions must have been published in the Wire's Humor category.
• Photo: A visual image that captures a moment, event or subject to complement a news story or feature. It conveys information, emotion or context with authenticity and accuracy, adhering to ethical standards of photojournalism. 
• Illustration: A crafted visual representation, such as a drawing or graphic, used to enhance or clarify a journalistic article. It is typically used for abstract concepts or to add creative emphasis while maintaining relevance to the story.