Yoko Matsuoka McClain
Yoko Matsuoka McClain (January 1, 1924[1] – November 2, 2011) was a Japanese-born American professor of Japanese language and literature at the University of Oregon.[1] She was the granddaughter of Japanese novelist, Natsume Sōseki, from her maternal lineage.[1][2]
McClain was born Yoko Matsuoka in
McClain taught Japanese literature at the University of Oregon from 1964 to 1994, when she became a professor
The Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs honored McClain for her contributions to Japanese-U.S. cultural relations in 2003.[1] The University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences also awarded her the Alumni Fellows Award in 2003.[1] In August 2011, McClain received the Gertrude Bass Warner Award from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.[1]
Yoko McClain died from a stroke on November 2, 2011, at the age of 87. She was survived by her son, Ken McClain; one grandchild; and her sister, Mariko Hando.[1]