Dr. Robert C. Sims Community Education Fund

Dr. Robert C. Sims was the first dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs and a professor in the Department of History at Boise State University. Soon after his arrival at Boise State, Sims discovered documents related to the Minidoka incarceration site. This was the beginning of his life’s work and passion: researching, documenting, writing, and lecturing about life in the incarceration centers in general, but particularly Minidoka. He developed strong personal relationships with members of the Japanese American community throughout the Pacific Northwest, whose lives, experiences, and stories touched him deeply.

Sims’ prolific research and scholarship contributed to the establishment of Minidoka as a unit of the National Park Service Monument in 2001. He served as a key member and subject area expert for the National Park Service for over five years during the development of the Minidoka General Management Plan. He also served on the board of the Friends of Minidoka. In 2011 he received a National Park Service “Partnership Excellence Award” for his work as a founding member of the Minidoka Civil Liberties Symposium. This annual event focuses on the WWII history of Minidoka and current issues regarding civil liberties and constitutional rights, and is a key part of the Friends of Minidoka’s educational mission.

For more than 40 years, Sims traveled throughout Idaho and the Northwest speaking at conferences and to groups large and small about the Japanese American experience during World War II. He covered topics as varied as medical care, governance, education, art, the response of local communities, the bitter ironies of U.S. military service of incarcerees, loyalty requirements, as well as the businesses, careers and homes that were left behind during incarceration. He became the historian for all matters relating to Minidoka. His style of blending personal stories and scholarly presentations brought this unique American story to life and connected it to current events.

The Albertsons Library Special Collections at Boise State University houses Sims’ papers, which contains reports, letters, photographs, articles, interviews, notes, speeches, presentations, correspondence, scholarship, maps, publications and other material related to Minidoka. Much of his papers are primary sources from the 1940s, but also include scholarship and documentation about what happened after, and how scholars strive to keep these memories alive.

In memory of Dr. Sims and his commitment to education surrounding the WWII Japanese American experience, Friends of Minidoka established the Robert C. Sims Community Education Fund. This fund supports community education efforts such as teacher training and classroom transportation to visit the site.

If you would like to make a gift to the Robert C. Sims Community Education Fund, donate here. Thank you!