Named for the U.S. state in which the Minor Planet Center is located. In 1876, the Sapporo School of Agriculture (now Hokkaido University), located in what was then a very undeveloped region, invited William S. Clark, head of the Massachusetts University of Agriculture, to teach them about American agriculture and technology, which at that time was far more advanced. Before leaving to return to the United States, Clark uttered the pioneer spirit of Hokkaido’s people. On 1990 Feb. 7 Hokkaido {see planet  (3720)} and Massachusetts established a sister-state relationship. (M 19337) _ _.