A unique consortium of local Asian American community leaders, including Ton and Thelma Jue, D.K. Kim and Robert Kim, Mrs. Kee Kitayama, George Ow, Jr., Tom Sataka, Dr. Fred Chin and Connie Chin, and Tim Miyasaka, joined together to establish this endowment. The families' donation was matched by funds from the university and acknowledged with a special reception.

Endowment income is used by library bibliographers, in consultation with a growing group of UCSC faculty interested in Asian American Studies, to enrich the library's collection of relevant materials, creating an Asian American collection of otherwise unattainable depth and diversity.