Yamaguchi Memorial Seminars

The Ikuo Yamaguchi Memorial Fund was established in 2000 in memory of Ikuo Yamaguchi, AM ’60. Mr. Yamaguchi was one of the first Japanese students to attend the Crown Family School after World War II. Born in Tokyo, Ikuo Yamaguchi lived there until 1947 when he graduated from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. He came to the United States in 1952 to pursue a higher education and became an ordained minister. At the Salvation Army’s Family Service Division he began a thirty-year career with the agency as a family therapist and alcohol abuse counselor, eventually rising to the position of executive director of the Family Service Division. The National Association of Social Workers named Mr. Yamaguchi a Diplomat in Clinical Social Work in 1987.

Recognizing Mr. Yamaguchi’s strong belief in social workers’ continuous professional learning and growth, the annual Ikuo Yamaguchi Seminar was created by his wife Mari, friends and relatives of Ikuo and Mari from the U.S. and Japan, in tribute to celebrate his life.

The Ikuo Yamaguchi Seminar Fund was established by Mari Yamaguchi and friends of Ikuo and Mari Yamaguchi in tribute to Ikuo Yamaguchi’s professional achievements and impact on colleagues and clients and his interest in continuous professional learning. The Ikuo Yamaguchi Memorial Seminar is held annually at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.