Eiichi Yoshida; Floral Marketing Pioneer, Museum Fund-Raiser

Eiichi Yoshida, 71, floral marketing pioneer and fund-raiser for the Japanese-American National Museum. Yoshida, a native of Oakland, was the retired president of the California Flower Market of San Francisco. He served as president of his company, Sunnyside Nurseries Inc. of Hayward and Salinas, for 45 years. In the early 1950s, Yoshida initiated mass marketing of floral products through supermarkets, home improvement centers and discount and convenience stores. He became a major booster and fund-raiser for the Japanese-American National Museum, which opened in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo last year, and served on its board. He was also on the boards of the American Floral Endowment, California Floral Council and Floral Marketing Assn. On Feb. 6 in Hayward, Calif., of cancer.