Plan to establish “Center of Hope,” place for introducing peace makers, conceived in 1980s by Barbara Reynolds, founder of WFC in Hiroshima
Jun. 10, 2025
by Yuji Yamamoto, Staff Writer
Barbara Reynolds (1915–1990), an American peace activist, established the World Friendship Center (WFC, a non-profit organization based in Naka Ward, Hiroshima). During the 1980s, she conceived a plan to establish a Center of Hope, a facility to highlight those who devoted themselves to peace activities, in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. As the WFC will attain its 60th anniversary in August, its officials thought to appreciate her plan, saying, “It brings us back to the basics of the WFC, where many people, including those whose names were not well known, were involved.”
The idea was presented in a letter entitled “Some thoughts concerning a peace memorial to be established in Hiroshima & Nagasaki,” which is believed to have been written in December 1982. A copy of the letter has been kept in the WFC archives. Inspired by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., she first suggested erecting a stone monument engraved with the names of peace makers. She also suggested a permanent screen upon which the faces of those people are flashed, accompanied by outlines of their work, as well as developing a card file.
After founding the WFC in 1965, Ms. Reynolds returned to the U.S. in 1969. In November 1982, she visited Hiroshima to see Tomin Harada, the first chair of the WFC, as he was on his sickbed. She sent the letter to him shortly after returning to the U.S. It states that donations exceeding $1,000 handed to her during her five-day stay in Hiroshima would be under the care of the WFC as a Center of Hope fund.
Apparently, she came up with the idea partly because the hibakusha who had led peace activities in Hiroshima were passing away one after another nearly 40 years after the atomic bombing. On another sheet, she expressed her concern that the flame of hope in Hiroshima was growing dim.
According to a newsletter “Yuai (Friendship)” published by the WFC in 1983, the fund’s value was at \350,000. Shizuo Tachibana, 69, chair of the WFC, said the fund remains in their possession. “Ms. Reynolds’ letter is thought-provoking as it conveys her perspective on how Hiroshima could connect with the world. We will bear her vision in mind in carrying out our activities in the future,” said Mr. Tachibana.
Keywords
Barbara Reynolds
Moved to Hiroshima in 1951 with her husband, a researcher assigned to the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC, now the Radiation Effects Research Foundation). Deeply moved by the reality of the devastation caused by the atomic bombing, she became involved in anti-nuclear and peace movements. Awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Hiroshima in 1975.
(Originally published on June 10, 2025)
Barbara Reynolds (1915–1990), an American peace activist, established the World Friendship Center (WFC, a non-profit organization based in Naka Ward, Hiroshima). During the 1980s, she conceived a plan to establish a Center of Hope, a facility to highlight those who devoted themselves to peace activities, in the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. As the WFC will attain its 60th anniversary in August, its officials thought to appreciate her plan, saying, “It brings us back to the basics of the WFC, where many people, including those whose names were not well known, were involved.”
The idea was presented in a letter entitled “Some thoughts concerning a peace memorial to be established in Hiroshima & Nagasaki,” which is believed to have been written in December 1982. A copy of the letter has been kept in the WFC archives. Inspired by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., she first suggested erecting a stone monument engraved with the names of peace makers. She also suggested a permanent screen upon which the faces of those people are flashed, accompanied by outlines of their work, as well as developing a card file.
After founding the WFC in 1965, Ms. Reynolds returned to the U.S. in 1969. In November 1982, she visited Hiroshima to see Tomin Harada, the first chair of the WFC, as he was on his sickbed. She sent the letter to him shortly after returning to the U.S. It states that donations exceeding $1,000 handed to her during her five-day stay in Hiroshima would be under the care of the WFC as a Center of Hope fund.
Apparently, she came up with the idea partly because the hibakusha who had led peace activities in Hiroshima were passing away one after another nearly 40 years after the atomic bombing. On another sheet, she expressed her concern that the flame of hope in Hiroshima was growing dim.
According to a newsletter “Yuai (Friendship)” published by the WFC in 1983, the fund’s value was at \350,000. Shizuo Tachibana, 69, chair of the WFC, said the fund remains in their possession. “Ms. Reynolds’ letter is thought-provoking as it conveys her perspective on how Hiroshima could connect with the world. We will bear her vision in mind in carrying out our activities in the future,” said Mr. Tachibana.
Keywords
Barbara Reynolds
Moved to Hiroshima in 1951 with her husband, a researcher assigned to the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC, now the Radiation Effects Research Foundation). Deeply moved by the reality of the devastation caused by the atomic bombing, she became involved in anti-nuclear and peace movements. Awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Hiroshima in 1975.
(Originally published on June 10, 2025)
