Obituaries - April 21, 1999

Grace Chu; Introduced U.S. to Chinese Food

Grace Zia Chu, 99, who introduced Americans to the joys of the Asian kitchen through her book “The Pleasures of Chinese Cooking.” Chu’s 1962 book was a revelation in an era when most Americans considered chop suey the epitome of Chinese food. The Chinese, Chu said, considered chop suey an American dish, noting in the book that she was riding in Shanghai after World War II when she saw a neon sign advertising “Genuine American Chop Suey Served Here.” Born in Shanghai, Chu earned a scholarship to Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass. She later taught physical education and served as vice president of the YWCA in Nanjing. In 1928, she married Chu Shihming, a Nationalist Chinese army officer and official. When he was posted to the Chinese Embassy in Washington in 1941, she began entertaining dignitaries and emerged as an ambassador for Chinese food. Chu moved to New York in 1950 and became an American citizen in 1955. For 30 years, she taught Chinese cooking at the China Institute, at the Mandarin House restaurant and at her home. In addition to her first cookbook, Chu also wrote “Madame Chu’s Chinese Cooking School” in 1975. She collaborated on three other books about Chinese collectibles. On Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.

J. Robert Johnston; Mental Health Advocate

J. Robert Johnston, 52, executive director of the Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center. At the time of his death, the highly respected Johnston was president-elect of the Assn. of Community Mental Health Agencies and a director of the California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies. For a quarter-century, Johnston was an administrator of nonprofit agencies providing services for the poor in Los Angeles. He worked as executive director of the Youth Policy Council, the Delinquency Prevention Assn. of Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles Free Clinic, and also served as associate executive director of the International Institute of Los Angeles. Within his community, Johnston was the popular coach of the Santa Monica Blue Jays, his daughter Samantha’s Little League team. Johnston worked diligently to end prejudice and stigma about mental illness. Three years ago, he established the Didi Hirsch Annual Mental Health Leadership Award recognizing those who help erase that stigma. On April 11 in Santa Monica of cancer.

Shijaku Katsura; Popular Japanese Comic

Shijaku Katsura, 59, popular Japanese performer of traditional “rakugo,” which means comic monologues. Born Toru Maeda in Kobe, Japan, Katsura gained favor with his lively and innovative performances in a western Japan dialect. He also performed in English. He became known for his humorous looks, characterized by his bald pate and broad smile. After dropping out of the literature department at Kobe University, Katsura made his debut in 1962 under his previous stage name, Koyone. Over the last decade, he had toured his trademark “rakugo” show through Europe, the United States and Australia. On Monday after hanging himself in Suita, Japan.

Herbert Kunzel; Salvaged Bankrupt Firms

Herbert Kunzel, 90, San Diego businessman and lawyer who untangled the bankruptcies of Itel Corp. and Westgate California Corp. Educated at USC, the San Diegan co-founded a San Diego law firm now called Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps. Kunzel served in the Naval Reserve during World War II and then joined the legal department of Solar Turbines, rising to company president. An active Republican, he managed the campaigns of former U.S. Sen. Thomas Kuchel and presidential candidate Nelson Rockefeller in San Diego County. Kunzel developed a wider reputation as a premier salvager of bankrupt companies, notably San Francisco’s Itel and San Diego’s Westgate, run by financier C. Arnholt Smith. On Saturday in La Jolla of heart failure.

Grayce Roybark; Cancer Study Fund-Raiser

Grayce Roybark, 83, major fund-raiser for cancer research. Born on Los Angeles’ Bunker Hill, Roybark was the first president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Society for the Control of Cancer, the forerunner of the American Cancer Society. During her tenure in the 1940s, she raised half a million dollars to combat the disease. On March 26 in Linden, N.J.