Daniel Keauhou Matsu Yamashiro (born December 5, 1967), also known as D. K. M. Yamashiro, is an American clergyman, author, radio and podcast host, researcher, Christian media personality, and a chaplain at MIT who survived a fall from the ridge of the Nuʻuanu Pali in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 18. He is the first researcher to present aggregate data on childhood trauma as it relates to

American presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government an ...

. Yamashiro also produced the first comprehensive study on American presidents that investigates the influence of religious development from a lens of trauma.

Survival story

On December 22, 1985, while attempting to rescue his stranded girlfriend from a mountain-climbing fall, Danny Yamashiro slipped and fell head first and later another . The second fall took place during a rescue effort and was captured on film. It aired on newscasts throughout Hawaii. He suffered severe head injuries, skull fractures, multiple tears in his scalp, a shattered ankle, damaged organs, extensive lacerations, and became comatose. On May 25, 2017, Yamashiro delivered

Harvard Extension School Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school is one among 12 schools that grant degrees and falls under the Division of Continuing Education in the Harvard Faculty of Arts ...

's commencement address, titled "Falling 400 Feet."

Early life

Danny Yamashiro was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Evangeline (''née'' Lee Kwai) and David T. Yamashiro, Sr. His father was influenced by

Father Kenneth A. Bray Kenneth Augustine Bray (May 26, 1879 – January 9, 1953) was an American Episcopal priest, teacher, sportsman and coach. He founded the athletic program for Iolani School from 1932 to 1953, establishing the "One Team" philosophy touted by m ...

, a noted sports hero in the islands. Yamashiro had "a lonely childhood" as the youngest of four children in Moanalua, a residential area nestled between Fort Shafter and Tripler Army Medical Center. An

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

of Hawaiian, Okinawan, and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

ancestry, he is the great-grandson of Honolulu detective Chang Apana, inspiration of the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

character Charlie Chan by Earl Derr Biggers. Yamashiro graduated from Iolani School, an institution affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States, in 1986.

Education

Yamashiro earned a

Master of Liberal Arts The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (ALM, MALA, MLS, or MALS) is a graduate degree that aims to provide both depth and breadth of study in the liberal arts. It is by nature an interdisciplinary program, generally pulling together coursework f ...

degree at

Harvard University Extension School Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school is one among 12 schools that grant degrees and falls under the Division of Continuing Education in the Harvard Faculty of Arts ...

in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a concentration in Government. He graduated on May 25, 2017, at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

's 366th commencement. An interview by Harvard described Yamashiro's journey to Cambridge from Honolulu. His thesis, ''Religious Influences on Crisis Presidential Decision-Making: A New Belief in the Operational Code Analysis of

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

'' (2017), under the direction of

David F. Holland David Frank Holland (born 1973) is an American professor and historian. He is currently the John A. Bartlett Professor of New England Church History at Harvard Divinity School and the director of graduate studies in religion at Harvard University ...

from Harvard Divinity School, was featured at Harvard's annual ALM Thesis Symposium. He attended the University of Oxford Theology Summer School at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, England (2018, 2019), conducted research at ten

presidential library A presidential library, presidential center, or presidential museum is a facility either created in honor of a former president and containing their papers, or affiliated with a country's presidency. In the United States * The presidential libr ...

archives ( NARA), and earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of

Trinity International University Trinity International University (TIU) is an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It comprises Trinity College, Trinity Graduate School, a theological seminary (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), a law school ...

in Deerfield, Illinois (2020) under the guidance of Donald C. Guthrie. His dissertation is titled, ''American Presidents and Childhood Trauma: Intersecting Religious Education from

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

to Donald Trump''. Yamashiro studied at

Chaminade University Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private Marianist university in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, Chaminade is located in Kaimuki, Honolulu at the base of St. Louis Heights. Chaminade offers bachelor's degrees in ...

(1987) in Honolulu, Hawaii, before transferring to

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's, ...

and Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Theology (1991) and Master of Arts in Bible Exposition (1993). His thesis, ''Jesus Christ in Every Biblical Book'' (1992), directed by A. Boyd Luter, explored types, symbols, prophecies and pictures of Christ in all 66 books of the Bible.

Career

Chaplain

In 2021, Danny Yamashiro became a chaplain at Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT). He is also co-chairperson of the Cambridge Roundtable on Science and Religion. The John Templeton Foundation sponsored program hosts meals each semester at the

Faculty Club for MIT and Harvard faculty and colleagues from nearby schools and colleges to discuss topics on science, philosophy, and religion.

Researcher

Yamashiro's scholarly work on

and childhood trauma utilizes an

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

approach in the social sciences that involves educational psychology, presidential history, and

religious education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to te ...

in exploring influences on children's developmental trajectory toward leadership formation. His investigations are theoretically grounded in the writings of Lev Vygotsky. American presidents in his research sample include

, Harry Truman,

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter,

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

, Bill Clinton,

, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Yamashiro's earlier research in religious influences on presidential decision-making was built on the work of Herbert A. Simon, Albert Bandura, and

Nathan Leites Nathan Leites (July 10, 1912 in Saint Petersburg – 1987) was an American sociologist and political scientist of Russian origins. Leites earned his doctorate in 1935 at the University of Freiburg. After emigrating to the United States, he joined t ...

Radio and podcast host

In 2022, Yamashiro began hosting the talk show ''The Good Life with Dr. Danny'' weekdays on WEZE and WROL, two Christian stations in Boston that are owned by Salem Communications reaching New England. His podcasts are heard on major podcast platforms. Yamashiro also hosts ''A Slice of The Good Life'' which airs daily throughout the United States, internationally in Ontario, Canada; Kent, England; and Malaybalay City, Philippines and formerly aired in Greater Los Angeles on Salem Communications 99.5 KKLA-FM. Since 2008 Yamashiro has hosted Hawaii's only locally based daily Christian

radio talk show Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

, ''The Good Life Hawaii'', on Salem Communications 99.5

KGU-FM KGU-FM (99.5 MHz) is a Christian Talk formatted station based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Salem Media Group outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 100 kW. Its studios are in Honolulu's Kalihi district, and its transmitter is near Akupu, Hawaii. H ...

Evangelist and pastor

In 1993, he founded Jesus Christ Is Calling You Evangelistic Ministry, Inc. (JCCY) and launched a series of large-scale revival tent meetings throughout Hawaii. Since 1998, his organization formed Paradise Global Mission and expanded to reach several countries worldwide with medical and dental clinics, sports clinics and numerous forms of humanitarian aid by supporting the work of Christian churches in rural locations. He was the founding pastor of Christ's Church at Kapolei, affiliated with the

Evangelical Free Church of America The Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) is a denomination in the Evangelical Protestant tradition. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Associa ...

, and served as senior pastor for nine years (1998–2007).

Awards and associations

Yamashiro won the

Commencement Speaker Prize (2017). He was awarded Biola University's Young Alumni Award (2000) and has received numerous certificates of recognition from the Hawaii Senate, Hawaii House of Representatives, Honolulu City Council and the Mayor of Honolulu,

Jeremy Harris Jeremy Harris may refer to: * Jeremy Harris (politician), (born 1950), American politician, Mayor of Honolulu (1994–2004) * Jeremy Harris (American football) (born 1991) American football cornerback * Jeremy Harris (sailor) (born 1942) British ...

. Yamashiro was selected for the Pacific Century Fellows and offered a prayer at a celebratory dinner hosted by the Governor of Hawaii, Benjamin Cayetano at the historic "

Washington Place Washington Place is a Greek Revival palace in the Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was where Queen Liliuokalani was arrested during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Later it became the official residence of the governo ...

" (1999). Danny Yamashiro is ordained by the

Family

Yamashiro is married to Jamie (''née'' Tokuda) Yamashiro. They have three children: Allie, Hugh and Luke.

Works

Books

Yamashiro has authored the following books: * * * * * *

* * *

Theses

* * *

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamashiro, Danny 1967 births 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century American clergy 21st-century evangelicals American autobiographers American Christian clergy American Christian religious leaders American Christian theologians American Christian writers American Christians American evangelicals American evangelists American humanitarians American motivational speakers American people of Chinese descent American people of Native Hawaiian descent American podcasters American self-help writers American talk radio hosts American television talk show hosts American theologians American writers of Chinese descent Biola University alumni Chaminade University of Honolulu alumni Christian revivalists Fall survivors Harvard Extension School alumni Hawaii people of Okinawan descent ʻIolani School alumni Living people Members of the Evangelical Free Church of America Native Hawaiian writers People from Brookline, Massachusetts Talbot School of Theology alumni Trinity Evangelical Divinity School alumni Trinity International University alumni Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts Writers from Honolulu