Noboru Hanyu establishes $500,000 chair at Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley

BERKELEY, Calif. — Noboru Hanyu, on Jan. 26, established a $500,000 endowed professorial chair at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, Calif., to honor his late wife Yaeko, who passed away on Nov. 1, 2002. He attributes his lifelong association with the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) to the support of his loving wife.

“This chair is my way of expressing my appreciation to Yae for her support and will keep alive her spirit of Dana for the Buddhist movement in America,” Hanyu said.

The IBS is a graduate seminary of Buddhist ministry and Buddhist studies. The chair will be named the Noboru and Yaeko Hanyu Buddhist Chaplaincy Professorial Chair and will be gifted through Hanyu’s Living Trust. As the IBS endowment is part of the BCA 21st Century Campaign, the BCA Endowment Foundation will administer the assets of the fund. The IBS Dean’s office in consultation with the faculty and Board of Trustees will determine the use of the funds.

Hanyu is a longtime member of the Buddhist Church of San Francisco (BCSF), and has taken many leadership roles in the BCA. In 2009, he was awarded the BCA Lifetime Service Award for his dedication to BCA for more than 60 years.

His various positions with the BCA include president of the BCSF, president of the BCA, chair of the Sustaining Membership Program, chair of the BCA Minister’s Pension Program, BCA Headquarters Administrative Officer, treasurer of the Campaign for Buddhism in America, and Treasurer of the BCA Endowment Foundation from 1965 to 2008.

“On behalf of the IBS, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Hanyu for his generous gift. Buddhist chaplaincy is a new development,” said Dr. Richard Payne, IBS Dean. “Chaplains are trained to serve anyone and everyone in need, no matter what the person’s religious affiliation,”