The Tetsuo (Ted) and Frances Itani Endowment Fund
Established in loving memory of Major Tetsuo (Ted) Itani, the Endowment Fund honours his lifetime contributions to peace and humanitarian work, and his deep commitment to the Japanese Canadian community. Through this endowment, Ted’s legacy lives on, supporting long-term preservation of objects stored in the Nikkei National Museum Collections & Archives.
Below is the story of Ted’s extraordinary life, written by his wife Frances, along with his tributes by various organizations.
About Major Tetsuo (Ted) Itani, C.M., O.M.M., C.D., (Ret’d) (1939-2021)
Ted’s journey began (born Sansei) in Ucluelet, B.C., son of Takeo Itani (commercial fisherman) and Sumako Oye. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Ted’s family was forcibly removed from their home, taking only the possessions they could carry. They were confined in primitive stables in Hastings Park, Vancouver, until months later when they were moved north by train, and incarcerated in a camp in East Lillooet on the Fraser River, 1942. Having lost their civil rights – though all were Canadian citizens – they remained in BC’s interior until after the end of the war. By then, their confiscated possessions had been sold off.
Post-war, the family eventually moved to Westbank, B.C. As a young man, Ted began a 37-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). He served with NATO in Europe, and held command, staff and instructional posts in Canada and abroad. He graduated from the Canadian Army Staff College, NATO Defense College in Rome and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy. He pursued language studies in French, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and German. He also attended the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative at Dalhousie University. Ted served as Commanding Officer of the 1st Airborne Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, of the Canadian Airborne Regiment (Edmonton 1972-74). UN missions included long periods in the Horn of Africa, Pakistan, Iran/Iraq and the former Yugoslavia during the Bosnian War. He held various jobs as Faculty Member, Peacekeeper and UN Monitor. He was awarded the Order of Military Merit in 1991, and in 2015 was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Ted made an early decision to commit himself to justice, peace and gender equality. He overcame adversity and prejudice, and with wisdom and humour, worked selflessly to help others. He had enormous inner strength and no fear of making tough decisions. After retirement from the CAF in 1994, he began a 26-year career in humanitarian aid work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, and Canadian Red Cross (CRC). For 17 years he took on various roles with the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, teaching, helping to design and deliver training courses conducted around the world. In 1995 he supported efforts to negotiate a mine-ban convention, which came to fruition in the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. He worked for the ICRC until 2004, including a 2 ½-year mission in Central Asia, based in Tashkent, his territory covering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. In Geneva he worked for several years on the Missing People Project, and as advisor on International Humanitarian Law and diplomacy. With the Canadian Red Cross, he led responses to natural disasters including Sri Lanka and Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami; 2005-06 earthquake relief in Pakistan; Operations Coordinator with Pakistan Red Crescent Society in Baluchistan (2008 earthquake); and Pakistan during the 2010 floods. He worked for the US State Department Global Peace Operations Initiative as Subject Matter Expert and threw his energy into his work, whether it was classroom or field. He left his mark in many places, including Haiti after a major earthquake, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, Indonesia and Mongolia. In his last years he was a committed Red Cross mentor and Volunteer. To quote a colleague: “He was dignified, respectful of people and honourable.”
Ted and Frances eloped in Montreal in 1967 and moved about Canada and the world together, including 3 years in Heidelberg, Germany, while working and raising son, Russell, and daughter, Sam. Ted was a steady and gentle guiding presence for his children and three grandchildren: Frances Michiko Itani, Campbell Itani Smith and Tate Itani Smith. He was a fly fisherman, during any brief time off. And loved to visit Prince Edward Island with family any chance he had during summer weeks.
Ted was a lifetime runner and completed many marathons, including the original in Greece, and the Boston Marathon. He was a victim of a tragic accident sustained while out running, the evening of January 12, 2021. He survived 10 weeks in hospital but died from multiple traumatic injuries on March 22, 2021.
He is very much missed by his family and his community.
Tributes
B. Stewart: It's a great honour to rise today in this House and remember the life of an incredible Canadian with deep roots in West Kelowna:
Tetsuo Itani was born in Ucluelet, B.C. in 1939. His father, Takeo, was a successful commercial fisherman, a second-generation Canadian and homeowner. Unfortunately, this did not stop the Canadian government from labelling Ted's family and all the other Japanese Canadians as enemy aliens, following the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Much of Ted's childhood was spent in internment camps at Hastings Park and East Lillooet and then, when they were allowed to, the Itani family decided to move to Westbank on Dobbin Road, just down from my constituency office. Takeo grew vegetables and his mother, Sumako, worked for the Reece family at the family packing house. Ted always looked for ways to get involved in his community, and he decided to.... One of the few groups that would allow him to be a member was the Cadets. He spoke of the program as giving him a sense of belonging in a place and at a time when it was difficult for him to find one. This decision ended up shaping the rest of Ted's life. After the Cadets, he went on with 37 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. He served with NATO, was involved in UN peacekeeping and humanitarian missions across the world and was awarded the Order of Military Merit in 1994.
He then retired from the military and went on to a successful 26-year humanitarian career with the Red Cross and a few years ago was inducted into the Order of Canada.
The headline in the local newspaper: "Once Shunned by Canada, Ted Itani Now Among Canada's Honoured Elite." I just want to read a clip from the Governor General.
"Ted Itani is a role model of service to people in crisis around the world. Following a distinguished military career, he became an adviser to the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, where he drew on his own experiences to help design peacekeeping training courses conducted by the centre around the world. A committed humanitarian, he led responses to... natural disasters, including the earthquakes and floods that ravaged Pakistan in the last decade. He was a senior volunteer in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement."
Ted's life is a story that looks like somebody that dedicates oneself to service, despite having every reason to bear resentment towards Canada. He chose to spend his life serving his country and working to improve the lives of people around the world.
His life and legacy is remembered by his community; his wife and author, Frances; Bing of 100 Mile; Nancy of 108 Mile; and sister-in-law Beryl Itani in Kelowna West - an example of dedication, resilience and commitment from which we can all learn.