<Begin Segment 13>

TI: So you did wrestling and you were the team captain, and what were some of the other activities you did besides coursework during high school?

HH: Well, I did meet with the others, not socially, but after school, some of the people, some of the students that were living near my area, Japanese area. Not Japanese town itself, but where we were living. But they were not too near, but I used to visit them or they would come and play with me. But mostly, it was school that I... and this one person who was very, he was a little bit older than myself but he graduated at the same time, Bob Johnson, who was a brilliant student. He was elected, in those days, he was elected to be the (editor of the) school paper, Lincoln News, that was always winning the state award as best in the, best school, high school newspaper. And so he was elected to be the editor in 1935. And I don't know why, but Bob wanted me to be a sports editor.

TI: Now, how did you know Bob? Was it through sports?

HH: Well, I didn't, but, he's the one that originally contacted me, and I used to, one of the first white students that... I don't know why he befriended me, but he's the one that eventually had a lot to do with my life.

TI: So did he, I mean, did you ever take classes with him?

HH: No.

TI: And he wasn't on the wrestling team, so he just came...

HH: No, no, he was not in athletics or anything like that. I don't know how come, but we got to...

TI: So he asked you to be the sports editor for this award-winning newspaper. How much experience did you have with newspaper writing?

HH: I did not, but one of the things that I did recall, that I did take typing. In those days, you had to be a typist to be on the school, I mean, on the newspaper. And I happened to take shorthand in junior high school, and also, that's the only time I took that, typing. But I was able to be a typist.

TI: So did you also have to take a, like, a journalism class in high school?

HH: No, no, I did not.

TI: So how did you learn how to write about articles?

HH: Well, just from writing about the sports.

TI: So it just came natural to you? You just wrote about what you knew about, and...

HH: Uh-huh. I just used more or less certain lingo that they use, sports kind of terms for football and all that. So I just learned on the job, really.

TI: So I'm curious, as you started writing about the different sports, how did that change, or, yeah, how did it change how the other athletes or students treated you?

HH: Well, I think by my contact with them in the letterman's club and such, and they knew that I was also sports editor, I did make a lot of friends with some of the big names of the teams, football, basketball, swimming and such, track.

TI: No, I bet, because yeah, all of a sudden you become an important person, and I imagine in that you're the one talking about the athletes and what they do.

HH: Yes. And also I was wearing a big L, letter and such, so I became fairly well-known in a big school.

TI: That's good.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.