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Barney Suzuki: Difference between revisions
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(Created page with "<center>'''Barney Suzuki; international pipe: smoker, collector, organization leader and author.'''<br> '''''By Rex Poggenpohl,''''' ''February, 2023'' </center> File:Barne...") |
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[[File:B. Suzuki coll..JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]][[File:B. Suzuki coll.2.JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]][[File:B. Suzuki coll.3.JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]][[File:B. Suzuki coll.4.JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]]Barnabas “Barney” T. Suzuki was born in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan in 1938. He was a grandson of a Japanese Missionary for the Church of England, thus the Christian name and his strong command of the English language. | [[File:B. Suzuki coll..JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]][[File:B. Suzuki coll.2.JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]][[File:B. Suzuki coll.3.JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]][[File:B. Suzuki coll.4.JPG|thumb|From the Barney Suzuki Collection]]Barnabas “Barney” T. Suzuki was born in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan in 1938. He was a grandson of a Japanese Missionary for the Church of England, thus the Christian name and his strong command of the English language. | ||
Barney graduated from | Barney graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo (started by Jesuit monks from Germany) with a degree in International Relations and Foreign Studies, then went to work for the first Japanese manufacturer of semiconductors, where he organized the international division for exports and imports, requiring his traveling to Europe and the U.S. on a regular basis. | ||
Barney left that semiconductor company in 1975 to form his own company for exporting Japanese semiconductors and electric components, first to Sweden, followed by North America. | Barney left that semiconductor company in 1975 to form his own company for exporting Japanese semiconductors and electric components, first to Sweden, followed by North America. | ||
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In 2006, when I accompanied my wife on her 2 year Visiting Chair Professorship in Design to Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Barney, with his pipe contacts, arranged for me to attend, and then join, the exclusive Pipe Club of Hong Kong, where I made presentations on Danish pipes and pipe restoration. | In 2006, when I accompanied my wife on her 2 year Visiting Chair Professorship in Design to Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Barney, with his pipe contacts, arranged for me to attend, and then join, the exclusive Pipe Club of Hong Kong, where I made presentations on Danish pipes and pipe restoration. | ||
In 2018, Barney was granted | In 2018, Barney was granted a PhD in history from his alma mater. His 575 page doctoral thesis was titled ''A Historical Study of the Global Propagation of Smoking''. In 2019 he was elected honorary chairman of L’ Académie Internationale de la Pipe, England. | ||
Years ago, Barney had turned over much of running his export company to his daughter and more recently they are looking to sell the company. Additionally, he has shed most of his official leadership duties in his several important international pipe organizations. However, at his advanced age Barney still continues to have fun working on pipe and tobacco history research and publications. His latest book, “Smoking Propagation | Years ago, Barney had turned over much of running his export company to his daughter and more recently they are looking to sell the company. Additionally, he has shed most of his official leadership duties in his several important international pipe organizations. However, at his advanced age Barney still continues to have fun working on pipe and tobacco history research and publications. His latest book, “Smoking Propagation Round the World 250 years via Japan” will be finished in 2023. We in the pipe hobby are extremely fortunate to have Barney contribute so much of significance to our hobby across the globe. | ||
<gallery widths=400 heights=300 caption="Barney Suzuki's [[Holbek|Gert Holbek]] collection"> | <gallery widths=400 heights=300 caption="Barney Suzuki's [[Holbek|Gert Holbek]] collection"> | ||