Sister Margit Nagy, PhD, professor of history, is the recipient of the “Order of Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” from the Government of Japan. She was presented with the award in recognition for her service in the promotion of the mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.
After becoming interested in modern Japanese history when she was an OLLU student, Sister Nagy received a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Grant in 1976 to do dissertation research in Japan and was affiliated with Waseda University. She conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Tokyo School of Law as a Fulbright Visiting Professor from 1984-1985.
Sister Nagy has a history of promoting Japan-U.S. relations in San Antonio. She established a course in modern Japanese history at OLLU in 1984. She has also presented lectures and courses on Japan at St. Mary’s University and the University of St. Thomas to offer opportunities for students throughout Texas to learn about Japan’s history. Sister Nagy has written numerous research papers on Japan’s society and has presented her research at conferences and symposiums. She is also a founding member of the Japan America Society of San Antonio and served as its second president for two years.
More recently, Sister Nagy coordinated an event to celebrate the Centennial Commemoration of the Japanese Monument at the Alamo that was donated in 1914 as a goodwill gift from Japanese professor and world traveler Dr. Shigetaka Shiga.
