Originally based in California, the program was led by Florence Walne, an educator who believed language could not be taught without cultural understanding. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans under Executive Order 9066, the school needed to move inland and continue recruiting native speakers.

The University of Colorado, Boulder agreed to host the program in July 1942. The school operated out of the historic Faculty Club, while naval students lived nearby in Baker Hall.

To make the program work, Walne recruited Japanese American teachers - many from incarceration camps. By fall 1942, 47 sensei had arrived in Boulder from seven camps. They taught long hours in an intensive program that ultimately trained more than 1,100 Navy officers by 1946. Their wives and families also played a vital role, helping students practice conversation and understand Japanese customs.

Boulder's response reflected the contradictions of the time. While Colorado Governor Ralph Carr publicly supported Japanese Americans, Boulder City Council adopted restrictions in 1942 that limited how many people of Japanese descent could live in the city and imposed strict approval requirements for residency. At the same time, local leaders urged residents to support the sensei as part of the war effort.

One of those teachers was Joe Sano. A Stanford graduate and printer from San Francisco's Japantown, Joe and his wife, Miya Sano, were incarcerated in 1942 at the temporary detention center at the Tanforan Assembly Center. The couple, along with Joe's mother, were forced to live in converted horse stalls.

Soon after, Navy officers sought Joe out because of his education, family background and language skills. Faced with impossible choices, Joe agreed to leave his family and come to Boulder to teach.

Joe initially lived at the landmarked Oliver-Bowman House, where several sensei and their wives later reunited after being transported under armed guard from detention camps.

After the war, while most teachers left Boulder, Joe and Miya stayed, built a life here and became part of the community. Today, they are honored at Green Mountain Cemetery.

This history is woven into places many people still pass every day. The Japanese Language School story reminds us that Boulder's historic buildings hold more than architectural significance - they also carry stories of exclusion, sacrifice and belonging that deserve to be remembered.

Watch the video above to learn more.

History Matters