Kathy Nakagawa
Kathy Nakagawa is a professor in the Asian-American Studies department at Arizona State University. She grew up in the Phoenix area where her family started commercial flower gardens in the 1950s.
Updated January 2016
Stories from This Author
The Japanese-American Flower Growers Who Made Phoenix Bloom
Jan. 27, 2016 • Kathy Nakagawa
When my high school orchestra teacher found out my family owned a Japanese flower garden in Phoenix, Arizona, he made a confession: He had once snuck into those fields. He stole flowers to propose to his wife. To this day, I meet other people who share with me equally vivid memories of the farms. One friend told me: “I would drive my mom there every weekend!” Although all of the flower fields are gone now, they’re still an important part …