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AI: Well, let me ask you about other Nisei couples --
MH: Oh.
AI: -- moving to Madison.
MH: Yes.
AI: I understand that many, many people went to Chicago, but how was the situation up in Madison?
MH: We had quite a number. Now, there were three original Japanese American in that area. The three families were the Toki family and the... there's one family in Stoughton and one on the east side. All three men came out this far working on the railroad, and Mr. Toki was the only one (who) had (...) brought his wife. So the Toki bought a, a plot and they had a farm there, and they raised (...) four children. And they all went to college and all that. And Akira, the son, is still living. And the other two, the man in Stoughton got married to a Norwegian woman. They had two sons who became very outstanding in various fields, and then the other bachelor had this lovely land and he sold it to the Bashford Church (...). The church stands on the land there. So those were the only three Japanese American at the outbreak of the war. But quite a number of Niseis landed in Madison, and they were mostly of the professional (...) ones... a lawyer came here, an architect, my brother, and then a social worker, Paul Kasuda, made quite a name for himself in the field of social work, and several... there's two architects. And a few other, but they all seemed to be in some social, so they got very, very well-established and had their families here. And I think... well, Madison, after all, is the state capital. It has the University of Wisconsin. Not only that, it had several big business corporations like Ohio Chemical, Rayovac, Oscar Mayer, making it a very interesting... not only a intellectual center, but as well as commercially and economically. And probably that was the reason why it attracted this group of Niseis. And quite a number got very, very well-established in their respective fields. And so that's been kind of interesting to sit back and watch.
<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.