Longtime NCFR member Alan I. Sugawara, of Corvallis, Oregon, passed away on July 22, 2015, at age 75.

A celebration of life is planned for Aug. 29, 2015, at noon, at the Old Mill Center for Children in Corvallis, Oregon. More information and a place to post tributes, photos, and videos, is located on the DeMoss-Durdan Funeral Home website.

Dr. Sugawara's 30-plus year involvement in NCFR included service on the Fellows Committee in the early 2000s.

NCFR Fellow Rod Cate has written the following in memory of Dr. Sugawara:

Dr. Alan I. Sugawara passed away on July 22, 2015 at his home in Corvallis, OR. He was born on September 22, 1939 in Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii. Alan attained his B.S. at the University of Hawaii, an M.Div. from the Chicago Theological Seminary, an M.S. in child development at Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in child development at Oregon State University. His entire career (1970 to 2000) was spent at Oregon State University, where he was a researcher and teacher of child development and early childhood education. Alan was a long-time member of NCFR.

Alan was a gentle, kind, giving, loving, unassuming, and principled man. His philosophy of life was to make a positive difference in the world. Without doubt, he accomplished that goal. Led by the principles of Jesus, Buddha, and Martin Luther King, Jr., Alan lived a life of service in his personal and professional lives. After graduating from seminary, he spent a year ministering to the afflicted people in the leper colony on Molokai, HI. This experience motivated Alan to better understand children's development in the context of the family. He returned to graduate school to increase his understanding of child development (see educational attainments above). As a teacher and researcher at Oregon State University, Alan addressed such issues as non-sexist education in early childhood, sex-role stereotypes in children, teacher competence in early childhood education, pro-social behavior in children, cooperative behavior of children, cross-cultural child development, and many other topics. Alan leaves a wonderful legacy through the many graduate students he mentored at OSU. Many of his students claim that "Alan changed my life."

Alan's dedication to service extended to his personal life. He was devoted to promoting a world that valued love, equality and justice for all. He was an avid and constant supporter of the Old Mill Center for Children and Families in Corvallis, both as a benefactor and volunteer. Many other charitable organizations benefitted from his financial support. The impact of Alan's life can best be seen through his relationships with a wide network of friends and family. Alan was a single man all of his life, but he had many "families." Of course, he first cherished his biological family in Hawaii. On the other hand, in his many years in Oregon, he became a "brother/uncle" in many families. He loved these families greatly and he was loved similarly in return. There is a great sadness in these families at Alan's passing, but there is solace in that we carry him in our memories, hearts, and lives.