MESSAGE OF MAYOR DAVID R. BRADSHAW

CITY OF OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE, U.S.A.
 

HIROSHIMA BOYS CHOIR ANNUAL CONCERT

October 2006

It is a great honor to be given this opportunity to present a message on the occasion of the Hiroshima Boys Choir’s annual concert in October.  I was privileged to attend their concert in Oak Ridge, my home community, last March and I shall always count it as a very memorable experience.   I wish the boys great success with this concert and with all their future endeavors.
 

As you may know, the Japanese city of Naka has been a sister city to Oak Ridge for sixteen years.  One of the most rewarding aspects of our sister-city relationship has been the student exchange program and the opportunity to participate in artistic exchanges.  Such exchanges promote understanding and appreciation of cultural differences while fostering international friendships that will serve our nations well into the future.  We look forward to the continuation and expansion of such excellent programs.  The visit of the Hiroshima Boys Club to Oak Ridge is an excellent example of their value.

The City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is known as America’s “Secret City” because it was created in 1942 as a special project – The Manhattan Project – to help end World War II.  When the war ended, many people thought the city would fade away.  Instead, Oak Ridgers successfully adapted their wartime skills to peacetime applications and it is now known throughout the world for its scientific research and development.  For more than 60 years, Oak Ridge has been at the forefront of research and development in the fields of nuclear energy and medicine.  It has been said that Oak Ridge was born of war but is living for peace.  Our people, as do yours, continue to work toward the realization of everlasting world peace.

While we were once at odds, our nations – Japan and the United States of America – also share some very basic political philosophies.  Our governments are based upon constitutions in which our people pledge to uphold the ideas of democracy and peace.  We renounce war and the threat or use of force as the only means of settling disputes with other nations.  We believe that fundamental human rights should be guaranteed to all people.  Yes, the Japanese and American people have much in common philosophically, and this basic similarity is the springboard from which we are rapidly learning to appreciate and enjoy our differences. 

Thank you for sending the Hiroshima Boys Choir to our community.  Speaking on behalf of the people of Oak Ridge, we enjoyed them tremendously and look forward to their return to Oak Ridge at some future time.   Also, I extend to the citizens of Hiroshima our warmest greetings and best wishes for a long life of happiness, good health and prosperity.