KTLA 5 Morning anchor Frank Buckley received a major surprise and honor on Friday morning.
It all started when professional taiko artist and instructor Walter Nishinaka joined us to show off his skills. Recently, he performed for the unveiling of Robert Vargas' newest mural, "Samurai of the Diamond," featuring Los Angeles Dodgers' players Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.
The longtime taiko player revealed that while he's played various events, his favorites are celebrations.
"It's funny you mention celebrations. We've got one reason to celebrate," exclaimed KTLA 5 Morning anchor Jessica Holmes. "Frank, we've got a surprise for you."
She called out Asian Hall of Fame President and CEO Maki Hsieh, who revealed that Frank
"Remember backstage last year when you emceed for the sixth consecutive year (at the Hall of Fame ceremony), I said, 'Frank, you're not going to be the master of ceremonies in 2026 and you looked at me, you said, 'Oh, no, what's happening? What did I do wrong?' And I said, 'It's because you've been nominated and now officially confirmed: Frank Buckley, class of 2026 of the Asian Hall of Fame."
"Wow," Frank said, practically speechless, holding up the plaque announcing the big news.
He now joins Connie Chung, Bruce Lee, Kristi Yamaguchi and more luminaries he's also once interviewed.
"You know you're such a voice of the community, and you're such an advocate for East-West collaboration. You're everything we embodied," Hsieh said. "So congratulations, Frank, and we're just so honored to be here to personally thank you and congratulate you for this monumental inspiration."
"You guys got me!" he exclaimed.
While Frank's induction was announced on Friday, the full class of 2026 will be announced at the Asian Hall of Fame's Heritage Gala on May 1 to kick off AAPI month.
For more information on the Asian Hall of Fame, go to asianhalloffame.org or follow them on social media.
As for Nishinaka, he's performing with a new group at the Armstrong Theater on June 29. To learn more, head to his website https://www.walternishinaka.com/.
