Years ago I floated an idea to the Armijo High School administration about having a protected mural created on the campus depicting several notable alumni of the school like New York Giants Super Bowl Champion George Martin, Huey Lewis and the News' Johnny Colla, Judge Ramona Garrett and others.
My idea was met with enthusiasm, but that was now three principals ago and still no mural.
It hit me at the Tomato & Vine Festival last week that my idea wasn't bad, but needed specificity and a greater scope.
Fairfield should follow the example of Greenville, Georgia; Tupelo, Mississippi; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Mount Airy, North Carolina; and Celeron, New York, among others. Those locales have honored celebrities who were either born or lived there at some time or played characters that did. Respectively they are Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith and Lucille Ball.
Here's the idea: We need to honor the most famous and recognizable person from Fairfield, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita.
At nearly every one of my book-signing events someone points to the cover of my 2023 book, "Armijo High School, Fairfield, California," and says, "What? Mr. Miyagi went to Armijo?" I tell them yes he was in the Class of 1949. In the picture, from Morita's classmate Art Engell, he is holding a 1949 Armijo yearbook.
Now there are lots of ways honoring Moria could be accomplished. On one end of the spectrum there could be a city council resolution listing his many accomplishments. In the middle would be a mural as mentioned before or having a street/park/the new Armijo Theatre named after him.
Let me pause before unveiling details of my plan and do a brief recap of Morita's life and career.
He was born in Isleton to Japanese immigrants Tamaru and Momoye Morita on June 28, 1932. Morita's birth name was Noriyuki, or "Nori" for short.
As a small child, he contracted spinal tuberculosis and was in a full-body cast for approximately seven years. At about age 11, he underwent a then-experimental procedure that changed his life dramatically. Unfortunately, that time was right after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. American citizens of Japanese descent were summarily rounded up and sent to relocation camps for the duration of the war.
After the war, Morita became a well-known and well-liked student at Armijo High. He displayed gifts in artistic pursuits like performing arts and drew a mural of a miner panning for gold that was used on the inside front and back covers of his senior yearbook.
Morita eventually achieved fame in the 1960s as a standup comedian and then in the 1970s and 1980s for playing Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi, owner of a diner on the hit TV sitcom "Happy Days." Morita is best known for playing sensei Mr. Miyagi in the 1984 motion picture "The Karate Kid" - a role for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Morita's iconic role in that classic movie has gotten even more popular even though he died in 2005. That surge is due to the Netflix sequel, "Cobra Kai."
Morita never forgot where he came from and the historical record shows him coming back to Fairfield numerous times. In 1971, he dropped by to visit his Suisun Valley friends Tad and Elsie Nakamura who were co-owners of Baskin-Robbins. In 1977, he was on hand for the ribbon cutting of the Suisun City branch of the Bank of Fairfield at 601 Main St.
So back to my idea: Fairfield needs to erect a Pat Morita/Mr. Miyagi statue.
How? Who pays for it? Look, I'm a big idea guy and not a details dude, but I do have some thoughts in that department. Maybe have a contest like was done when the Chief Solano statue was created. Local companies might chip in for the prize money for the sculptor selected and the cost of the statue.
One of the celebrities I did not mention earlier but whose statue is the most representative of what I have in mind is Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" statue in Philly. Like The Italian Stallion with his arms held up in victory, the Pat Morita/Mr. Miyagi statue absolutely has to be of him doing the famed "crane kick" in the movie.
Think about it. If it was in front of the Downtown Theatre, it would instantly become a destination that tourists would stop and take a picture with. And of course, they would imitate the pose.
The Pat Morita/Mr. Miyagi statue would be a focal point of community pride and a plaque on it could explain his Fairfield roots and maybe include a quote from the film, such as "You trust the quality of what you know, not quantity." Or "Wax on, wax off," if you must.
No need to thank me, let's just get it done.
Fairfield freelance accidental local historian Tony Wade is the author of six books. Reach Wade at [email protected].