Bob & Joanna Sakata
Bob and Joanna Sakata are renowned for their super sweet corn, but have a much larger story to tell. During World War II, Bob Sakata was held in a relocation camp in Topaz, Utah. After his release, Sakata started doing farm chores for Bill Schluter, a Brighton dairyman. In 1944, Schluter loaned the Sakatas $6,000 to purchase 40 acres of farmland. Today, Sakata Farms owns and farms more than 3,200 acres of vegetables, including 25 million ears of sweet corn.
Sakata has served on numerous state and local boards, including the National Sugarbeet Growers Association and the National Onion Growers Association. He was appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture commodity credit advisory board by President Richard Nixon and reappointed by President Gerald Ford. He is also the co-founder of the Brighton Community Hospital and has received the Pioneer Award from the Japan America Society. Joanna Sakata was an elder at the Presbyterian Church and a former member of the Brighton Community Hospital Board of Directors. She also serves on many committees of the Brighton Japanese American Association.
The Sakatas have contributed to a number of different groups, ranging from health care to helping the homeless. Bob Sakata is also the subject of a book for elementary school students about overcoming obstacles. "When I learned it would be for elementary kids as a motivation for them, that they can succeed in this country at something, then I agreed," Sakata said.
Sakata has served on numerous state and local boards, including the National Sugarbeet Growers Association and the National Onion Growers Association. He was appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture commodity credit advisory board by President Richard Nixon and reappointed by President Gerald Ford. He is also the co-founder of the Brighton Community Hospital and has received the Pioneer Award from the Japan America Society. Joanna Sakata was an elder at the Presbyterian Church and a former member of the Brighton Community Hospital Board of Directors. She also serves on many committees of the Brighton Japanese American Association.
The Sakatas have contributed to a number of different groups, ranging from health care to helping the homeless. Bob Sakata is also the subject of a book for elementary school students about overcoming obstacles. "When I learned it would be for elementary kids as a motivation for them, that they can succeed in this country at something, then I agreed," Sakata said.
