Members of California Health Sciences University, the Japanese-American community and the One Sunny Day Initiative planted the tree at the CHSU campus. Photo contributed.

A seed of history was planted recently in the Central Valley.

The California Health Sciences University (CHSU) planted a “miracle” Green Legacy Hiroshima Peace Tree at their new medical school in Clovis.

The CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine will debut Hiroshima Peace Tree planting ceremony virtually via Facebook on August 6 at 8:15 a.m.—marking the exact time that the “Little Boy” atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima in 1945.

The parent tree, a camphor tree, is one of the 170 trees at 54 locations that survived the Hiroshima bombing 75 years ago.

The CHSU, in conjunction with the One Sunny Day Initiatives and members of the local Japanese-American community, arranged to have 35 of the Hiroshima Peace trees transported from Oregon to Clovis last January.

One Sunny Day Initiative is a non-profit founded by Dr. Hideko Tamura-Snider, a Hiroshima bombing survivor who has been working to promote a world free of nuclear weapons.

“When I was a child, the universe I lived in and trusted suddenly disappeared. What I learned was that the physical world can be destroyed, but what makes us human cannot be destroyed,” Tamura-Snider said.

One tree will be planted at the CHSU medical school, with the rest arranged to be given to Fresno State, Shinzen Friendship Garden near Woodward Park, Fresno Bonsai Society, and the Fresno Buddhist Temple.

“We are honored to have living history growing in the new Peace Garden at our medical school for the CHSU campus community to appreciate,” says Florence Dunn, President of CHSU. “This Hiroshima Peace tree will be a lasting symbol of peace, hope, and resilience and we are proud to place the Central Valley on the worldwide map for this initiative.”

There are still Hiroshima Peace Tree seedlings available for planting within the Central Valley. Interested groups can contact CHSU via email at info@chsu.edu.