Archives West Finding Aid

Amy Toda Meeker was born in Portland, Oregon. In 1938, after the death of her mother, Meeker’s father decided to move to Japan with his four children. During this time, Meeker began competing in ski races. In 1941, the family moved to Karuizawa, a mountain village, for the duration of World War II. After the war ended, Meeker began working as a ski instructor for a Untied States Army Rest Hotel. In the late 1940s, Amy Toda Meeker returned to the United States to attend college at the University of Utah, where she continued skiing competitively for the University of Utah Ski Team. She graduated from the University of Utah in 1950 with a BS in Sociology and retired from competitive skiing.

Soon after graduation, Amy Toda married Virgin Meeker and moved with him to Michigan, where he was a graduate student at the University of Michigan. Together, they had three children. After graduating with his degree, Virgil Meeker worked as a geographer for the United States Army, first in Tokyo, Japan, and then in Hawaii, where they settled. Amy Toda Meeker volunteered for a number of agencies, including the Bishop Museum, the Punahou School, and Kapiolani Hospital. She also worked as a substitute teacher. Amy Toda Meeker died in March 2018.