Professor Imamura at Michigan State University
Professor Shigeo Imamura was a respected educator; a man who devoted fifty years of his life to teaching in both Japan and the United States . He was a pioneer in teaching spoken English to Japanese students and in training Japanese teachers of English. He also taught countless students of all nationalities and trained generations of teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language.
He was a vigorous personality, a man of convictions, thorough and tough in the classroom. He expected sincere effort and encouraged excellence. He challenged his students to do their best and inspired them to act on the courage of their convictions. He was proud of them when they tried and when they succeeded. He was a mentor, a friend, and a good man.
Professor Shigeo Imamura died on December 24, 1998 in Himeji , Japan . In accordance with his wishes, on August 14, 1999, which would have been his 77th birthday, his ashes were scattered in San Francisco Bay . He is survived by his wife and his two daughters.
Shig: The True Story of an American Kamikaze, Shigeo Imamura, Memoir, World War II, Kamikaze pilots