History of the Joseph Shinoda
Memorial Scholarship Foundation Inc.

     Shinoda is a name that has been identified with the flower business since 1906, when Kumaichiro Shinoda established what would about 12 years later become the San Lorenzo Nursery Co. as a family-run growing operation in Oakland, Calif.  Although it continued growing flowers in the Bay Area until 1985, the family-owned company expanded into Southern California in 1921 when the family moved to Los Angeles and opened a wholesale operation at the Southern California Flower Market.     

     Joseph Shinoda, born Nov. 9, 1909, in Oakland, Calif., was the sixth of nine children born to Kumaichiro and Masuno Shinoda.  He became president of San Lorenzo Nursery Co. in July 1933, when he was just 23 years old and recently graduated from Pomona College, and led it through a period of remarkable growth that ended with his untimely death in early 1964.

    During that time, he became known as an innovator and leader in the flower industry.  He was one of the first to use radio and billboard advertising to promote retail sales of flowers, use computer technology in his business, and establish health insurance and other benefits for employees.  In addition, he was outspoken in his strong belief that it was of utmost importance to the long-term growth and success of the flower business that it have an ongoing supply of well-educated young people to assume positions of leadership.

Nationally Recognized Leader

     But Joseph did not limit the focus of his energy and leadership ability to the San Lorenzo Nursery Co. He was one of the founders and an early president of the California State Florists' Association, president of the Southern California Floral Association, and a director of the Society of American Florists.  In addition, he served in leadership positions in Roses Inc., the Orchid Society of America, the Wholesale Commission Florists of America, and the Florists Telegraph Delivery Association.  His lifetime of contributions to the flower industry were recognized by both CSFA and SAF, which elected him to its Floriculture Hall of Fame in 1965.   

     Following his death on Jan. 21, 1964, Bloomin' News, the magazine of the Southern California Floral Association, called Joseph Shinoda "'one of the outstanding horticulturists in the United States . . . (and said he was) honored and respected for his leadership and advancement of the floral trade." The same journal described the San Lorenzo Nursery Co. as "one of the nation's largest growers and distributors of flowers and flower products . . . (with) branches in both southern and northern California and Texas, as well as affiliates in the east."

Lasting Memorial Established

     It was all of the above that caused flower industry leaders from throughout California to join friends and members of the Shinoda family to establish an enduring memorial to Joseph Shinoda.  They asked the state floral association to become part of their effort and it was on Aug. 15, 1964, that the Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation was established under the auspices of the California State Florists' Association.  The association created a 10-member committee, with Arthur Ito of Los Angeles as its chairman, to carry out the operations of the foundation. And the first Shinoda Scholarships of $1,000 each were awarded in April 1965 to Richard Tsukushi of Redwood City, Calif., an ornamental horticulture student at California Polytechnic State College, San Luis Obispo, and George W. Field of Angwin, Calif., an ornamental horticulture and floriculture student at University of California, Davis.    

   A gift from the San Lorenzo Nursery Co. provided startup funds for the Shinoda Foundation, but as word of its establishment began to spread contributions came in from Joseph's family, friends, and business associates.  By the time the foundation was established, more than $13,000 had been donated and, as income from contributions and investments grew, additional scholarships were being awarded each year.  In 1970, for example, it selected 12 students from colleges and universities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington to receive a total of $5,200 in scholarships.

New Corporation Created

     Just 15 months later at the urging of the Internal Revenue Service, the committee recommended to CSFA's Board of Directors that a new non-profit public benefit California corporation be established to carry on the operations of the foundation.  The CSFA board, in an action that was both favorable and enthusiastic, approved the change and later voted to transfer the foundation's assets to the new corporation.  So it was on July 31, 1972, that the Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation Inc., as presently structured, came into being.

     The foundation, which funds its scholarship awards with income received from an investment portfolio (that stood at almost $600,000 at the close of its 2003 fiscal year), has continued its service to the floral industry over the ensuing years.  It now awards between 5 and 10 scholarships of $1,000 to $5,000 each in a typical year.  Since 1964, it has awarded 593 scholarships valued at over $682,000 to college and university students in floriculture and related fields.  In addition, it has given a total of $167,130 in 162 incentive and other grants to 30 college and university floriculture and horticulture programs since 1986.

Distinguished Service Citation

     Recognition of its long record of service to the flower industry came in July 1983 when the Society of American Florists presented its Distinguished Service Citation to the Shinoda Foundation.  That honor goes annually to the firm, individual or company whose promotion of floriculture or ornamental horticulture has been most outstanding during the past year.

     Throughout the years from when it was first established under CSFA auspices, through the transition in corporate organization in 1972, to October 1977, executive duties were taken care of by the president and secretary of the Board of Trustees, and its offices were located at the Southern California Flower Market in Los Angeles.  During the tenure of Yuri Kumai as executive secretary from October 1977 to October 1992, the office remained at the market in LA and the business of the foundation was conducted by the president of the Board of Trustees and Kumai.  Since 1992, the foundation's president and Barbara A. McCaleb, as executive secretary, have taken care of its business.  The Shinoda Foundation's office is located in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

A Postscript

     Although not specifically part of the history of the Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation Inc., the saga of the Shinoda family's San Lorenzo Nursery Co., which began in 1906, continued following Joseph's death through the 60s, 70s, 80s, and into the 90s.  Its role as a significant player in the flower industry in the U.S., particularly in the western states, extended well into the 80s.  But a period of decline in the industry, caused mostly by economics and the impact of flower imports, began about 1985 and continued through mid 1995 when SLNC closed its business operations.  Thus ended the company's history of almost 90 years as a leader in the nation's flower industry.

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Arthur T. Ito Sr., Los Angeles, chairman.

John N. Fukushima, Los Angeles, secretary-treasurer.

James F. Bonaccorsi, San Mateo.

William (Bill) Enomoto, Redwood City.

Edward (Eddie) Geoppner, Healdsburg.

Charles R. Hum, Los Angeles.

Lyman McFie, Los Angeles.

George Walker, Los Angeles.

Robert (Bob) Weidner, Brea.

Mas Yonemura, Oakland.

James E. Dible, San Diego, CSFA president, ex-officio.

Takeshi Yatabe, San Francsico, CSFA executive secretary, ex-officio.

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* Members of this committee had all previously served on the Cali-
Fornia State Florists’ Association’s “pro tem” committee which was
assigned the task of planning for establishment of the Joseph
Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation Trust and a permanent
committee to oversee an appropriate scholarship program. They were
appointed to the CSFA’s permanent Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholar-
ship Foundation Committee by CSFA President Rudolph H. Postag Jr.
following its establishment by a unanimous vote of the CSFA Board
on August 15, 1964.

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