Gwen Terasaki (1906–1990)

Gwen Terasaki, née Harold, was born in Johnson City, Tennessee. In 1931, she married Hidenari "Terry" Terasaki, a Japanese diplomat. Over the next 10 years, her husband's career took them to Japan, China -- where their daughter Mariko was born -- Cuba, and Washington, D.C. They were living in the capital at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gwen insisted on keeping the family together despite her husband's warnings about the hardships they would endure. They were interned with the Japanese diplomatic corps at Hot Springs, Virginia, before being sent to Japan by ship. Gwen became one of the very few American women who lived in Japan during World War II, and these years were marked by illness and near starvation. After the war ended, Mr. Terasaki served as a liaison between Emperor Hirohito's court and General Douglas MacArthur, and in this capacity, played an important role in post-war relations between Japan and the USA. In 1949, Mrs. Terasaki returned to Tennessee with their daughter Mariko for an extended visit; her husband died during their absence.
Her memoir Bridge to the Sun, based on diaries she had kept, was published in 1957. The book was a bestseller, was nominated for a National Book Award, and won The Washington Post nonfiction book of the year award in 1958. It was adapted into a Hollywood film in 1961.

Mrs. Terasaki traveled widely across the country as a public speaker. In 1986, she moved to Casper, Wyoming, to be near her daughter and two grandsons.