Mariagnes Aya Medrud

Mariagnes Aya Medrud, born April 9, 1925, passed away peacefully at home in Boulder, Colorado on April 7, 2016. She was the daughter of Joseph Kozo Uenish and Kane Uenishi. She grew up in Seattle, WA until age sixteen when she and her family, together with all Japanese- Americans on the West Coast, were removed to internment camps. She ended up with her mother and sisters in Idaho, at camp Minidoka. Aya’s identity and mission in life were formed by life in the camp where Japanese-Americans experienced indignity and injustice. Subsequently she committed herself to a life of community service with a focus on social justice and empowerment for communities of color.

After the war her family relocated to Utica, NY and Aya attended the Traphagen School of Design where she learned drawing and painting. In 1948 she joined the Civil Service to work with the US Army occupation forces in Japan. While in Japan, she married her life partner, Nelder “Med” Medrud, an officer in the US Air Force. For fifteen years they and their two sons, David and Mark, lived the life of a career Air Force officer and family. Aya took college courses whenever she had the opportunity.

Med retired from the Air Force in 1963, during the Vietnam War. He got a job at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the family moved to Boulder. Aya enrolled at age thirtyeight at the University of Colorado, and, as a dedicated pacifist, was in the middle of the anti-war protests. She finished her Masters in Fine Arts and taught in the Boulder Valley School System for eighteen years.

In 1977 Aya became a member of Boulder Meeting. She served on many committees in Boulder, Regional, and Yearly Meetings. She dedicated much of her energy to the American Friends Service Committee, serving on the AFSC Board for three terms, on the Corporation from 1977 to 2003, and on the Committee to Review the Affirmative Action Plan, among others. She also clerked the National Asia Pacific Program and co-clerked the North Central Regional Office. Aya inspired the Boulder Meeting and became the leader of the Meeting’s summer program at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She taught art and music and arranged for musical instruments and painting supplies. A project she helped start at Pine Ridge has resulted in the Oglala and Lakota Community College, which now has a branch on all the eleven Pine Ridge communities.

At the same time, she was also fully active in the Boulder community. As a former teacher in the BVSD, Aya’s concern was to integrate multicultural youth into the community. She served for many years on the Multi Ethnic Action Committee of the school district. Once Aya retired from the BVSD, she began volunteering as Co-Director for the Rosa Minoka-Hill Fund with her husband, Med. The Rose Minoka-Hill Fund provided scholarships for Native American students to attend preparatory schools.

Aya also served on a number of key Boulder boards and commissions and founded the Boulder Asian Pacific Alliance (BAPA) and continued be active with BAPA, which coordinates the Boulder Asian Festival. She was a key supporter of the development of the Asian-Pacific Association of Longmont.

Aya lived her life faithful to the commitment to social justice she made as a teenager in the Minidoka camp. In her later years, Aya battled her Parkinson’s disease with dignity, grace and continued compassion for others. Her leadership and vibrant spirit will be greatly missed. Aya is survived by her husband Med Medrud, her sons, Mark Medrud of Santa Fe, NM and David Medrud (wife Marla), of Boulder, CO, her granddaughter Sarah Medrud Jelinek (husband Ethan) of Hayden, ID and grandson Erik Medrud of Hayden, ID.

A memorial service to celebrate Mariagnes Aya Medrud life was held on June 18, 2016.