University Libraries

By Ava Merriman ’25

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the University of Dayton Archives places a spotlight on students past and present. 

• Francis Wong Leong, class of 1905, wrote an article in The Exponent titled “The Goddess Pele and the Flood,” a short story about the volcanic goddess who shaped the islands of Hawaii, and a poem entitled “Hawaii, Homeward Bound.”
• Adrian Tsu, hailing from Shanghai, China, graduated in 1925 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
• Students Seizo Huga (liberal arts) and Masayuki Kido (commerce and finance) both hailed from Japan and graduated as part of the class of 1936.
• Anthony Wong of Honolulu majored in civil engineering and graduated as part of the 1943 class.
• Kanwar Aggarwal of Bombay, India, graduated in 1959 with a degree in mechanical engineering. 

One of the most well-known Asian American and Pacific Islander graduates in UD history is Walter “Sneeze” Achiu of Honolulu, Class of 1927. Achiu played football and baseball and ran track at UD and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. During his senior year, he was promoted to track captain, football trainer, and assistant track coach. He was also a member of the Monogram Club and the Engineers Club, and the 1927 yearbook praises him as “one of our most versatile and proficient athletes.” 

After graduation, Achiu became the first Asian American and Native Hawaiian to play in the NFL, which began its history in Dayton with the first professional football team — the Dayton Triangles. Although Achiu’s professional football career was short-lived — the Triangles collapsed after he played two seasons, and he did not transfer to another team — Achiu did not end his athletic career. He started a successful career as a wrestler, competing in matches from the late 1920s until the late 1950s. In 1974, he was inducted into UD’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Achiu died March 21, 1989, at the age of 86. 

More milestones and memories

The University of Dayton is celebrating its 175th anniversary with an exhibit in Roesch Library. Plan your visit to Honoring Our History: UD at 175.

— Ava Merriman is a senior English major and student employee in the University Archives.