Episode Details

At 92, Herb Yamanaka still powers the University of Oregon’s athletic department as an associate AD for major donor giving — a role he’s held for decades since joining in 1960. Born in 1934, he’s lived through internment camps, racism, and Hawaii’s path to statehood, yet his heart remains fiercely rooted in his community. He founded a scholarship in 1995 that launched NFL stars like Max Unger and DeForest Buckner — initially funded with $60K, now stretched thin by rising tuition. But Yamanaka’s legacy isn’t just about money: he chose athletics over pathology because he loved people more than lab work, and today he helps donors build charitable trusts to keep UO thriving. With rooms named after him and awards piled high, he lives by one guiding principle: “Don’t do anything because of wealth, rank or honor. Do it because of personal deed and character.”

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