Portland's Audacious Champion

William Bill Sumio Naito (19251996) was a remarkable and visionary individualthe Portland-born son of Japanese immigrants who became one of the citys most significant business and civic leaders. Every day thousands of people drive on Naito Parkway alongside Portlands Waterfront Park, yet little has been written about the man for whom it was named. In this first biography, Erica Naito-Campbell, Bills granddaughter, shows how his story is also the story of Portland, the city he loved. Naitos life, from the Great Depression and World War II through Portlands rebirth in the 1970s and its profound growth, tracked most of the major events in the city and was the catalyst for many of them. Through hard-earned success in importing and real estate with his brother Sam, Naito came to wield considerable power in the city, and his leadership led to much of what we consider iconic Portland today: the Portland Oregon sign near the Burnside Bridge, the annual Christmas tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square, and Harbor Drives conversion to Waterfront Park. Naitos name became synonymous with civic leadership, whether it was growing Portlands urban tree canopy, revitalizing its downtown, or preserving historic buildings. But less is known about his difficult childhoodwith a father who worked twelve-hour days and a mother whose treatment of him was harsh at bestand the racism he endured during World War II. After the expulsion of Japanese Americans following Pearl Harbor and his military service in Occupied Japan, Naito overcame great emotional turmoil to return to Portland and become one of its greatest change-makers. Erica Naito-Campbell uses anecdotes, rich details, and previously unknown stories about Bill Naito to bring Portlands history to lifewhile acknowledging that the cost of his success was a family rife with resentments and envy. Her book reveals the emotional wounds that drove Naito to become one of Portlands most inspiring civic leaders, a pivotal player in the citys journey from a moribund downtown to a national model for livability, urban renewal, and historic preservation.