Fine Arts Building Dedicated In Honor Of Paul Hirai

The Fine Arts Building at Big Bend Community College will be dedicated in honor of Paul Hirai during a ceremony set for April 1 at 3 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

BBCC Trustees named the building in Hirai’s honor in 2012 in recognition of more than 46 years of service to the college. The Fine Arts Building is BBCC’s newest state-funded facility, completed in 2008.

Hirai began hosting BBCC Japanese Agriculture Training Program JATP students in 1967. He served on the BBCC Board of Trustees from 1983-98, including four years as Board Chair. He has served on the BBCC Foundation Board more than 30 years, chairing the board six times.

For more than four decades, Hirai has nurtured donors and friends of the college and gave generously to support BBCC and its students. He continues to work at every fundraiser, attend each special event, and witness every Commencement for BBCC students.

Hirai was decorated by the Emperor of Japan for his work with JATP, Japan Air Lines, and the Moses Lake/Yonezawa, Japan sister city program. He also was among the first inductees to the Moses Lake Agriculture Hall of Fame.