<Begin Segment 9>

AI: Well, also, I wanted to ask you a little bit about Washington Junior High School and the composition of the student body there, the ethnic composition.

MK: Oh, as I recall, (...) it was definitely more populated with the Asians because the Bailey Gatzert kids all went to Washington Junior High. And... but then, but the teachers were all Caucasian teachers. And I, I really respected them. I mean, I didn't have any bad experience. I think at Rainier, Rainier School I had maybe a few incidences because I didn't speak English and they didn't have the English for second class and those fancy names for these classes. So I remember, even a kindergarten teacher put a tape around my mouth because I was asking, I didn't understand and asking another -- this is in kindergarten, now -- and she put a masking tape on my face -- I mean, on my mouth, over my mouth and I got reprimanded by her. And, you know, those things, you still remember for some odd reason. I mean, it didn't hurt, but my feelings were definitely hurt. But other than that, I never ran into any racial, you know, incidents. So I thought Washington Junior High, being that it was so heavily populated with the Asian population, they were very accepting. And I have an autograph book that some of the teachers wrote in, and they were very kind remarks, saying that they would miss us as we left for evacuation.

AI: Well, before we get to that point of the, of the evacuation, I wanted to ask, in junior high school, it seems like kids can, well, kids can always be mean at any age, but I'm wondering, you said that you didn't sense any negative, you didn't have any negative incidents or racially negative incidents. But I wanted to ask, when did you become really aware of yourself as Japanese, as well as American? When... do you remember when that was?

MK: Oh, I think I was always aware that I was Japanese, from the time I was, well... like that kindergarten instance kind of locked me in as, oh, it's maybe because she's picking on me. Well, of course, it was with the language barrier that I had. And I remember my mother tried so desperately to be welcomed by the school because she respected the school system. And she was attending the English school, herself, to communicate with the, with us, as well as the school. But, I mean, we're saying, "Gee, Mom" -- when I was in junior high we used to kid her and say that, "Oh, you deserve a Ph.D. by now because you never graduate, you're just perpetually going to..." because I had two younger brothers, so she was constantly going to the same class, repeating the same course, and so, so... the language, I think, was really something. But she respected the classes, so she did attend them very diligently.

AI: So then, some of these incidents, like the kindergarten incident, and being aware of your mother's attempts to learn English, and then your trip to Japan --

MK: Right

AI: -- and coming back, it sounds like you were very aware of being --

MK: Yes, yes. I was very aware. And because of our business and the people that my father associated with, like the Sumitomo Bank, the bank people or the export/import business people. And we had different guests, they were, many of them were VIP. And I remember, when we had foreigners with their children I would be asked -- so this is why I remember during those days, I was treated with Shirley Temple dresses. (...) I think my father was using me, but, but I was privileged enough to go out to have lunch or dinner, or visit their home, the VIP's home, or the hotels. And so, this is what I did for my dad, not knowingly that he was using me in this way. [Laughs]

AI: So, in a way, he was proudly showing off --

MK: Right, I guess so.

AI: -- his, his little daughter. And when you say "Shirley Temple dress," for people who don't know, can you describe a little bit what...

MK: Oh, well, I think it's just like today, I mean, Shirley Temple was the person. I believe she's about the same age as I am. And when she became a star, you know, about ten years old, oh, we just idolized her. Everybody idolized her. And there were Shirley Temple dolls and Shirley Temple dresses and to have a Shirley Temple dress, it was just something else. There were a lot of tags on it. And I remember I had a couple of Shirley Temple dresses. And that was my best party dress. [Laughs]

AI: So, you had a few little advantages here and there?

MK: Yeah, right. But I didn't feel that it was that big a deal, but, I mean, I was a happy child, I mean, I was... ate well, and dressed well and I appreciate it after the fact. But I mean now, in my later adult life.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2003 Densho. All Rights Reserved.