<Begin Segment 23>

TI: So now that we're talking about school, why don't you tell me what the University of Washington was like for you. What, you said you started as a journalism student, and why don't you just talk about what you thought of the UW.

HH: Oh, well, first two years I took journalism, like what Bob... and so we would be in contact because we had the same course and everything else, but I didn't have chance to live close to him, 'cause he had a, he was living up in, not in the dorm area but he was up around the university campus area. So I just saw him during the class time or after if I ever had... but not too much contact with him otherwise. But they, at the time I registered, UW was very, they had ROTC, Reserve Officers' Training Corps. And all the males had to take the course. And Bob, naturally, he had to take the course, but he didn't want to, he didn't like to wear his uniform. And so one time he got in trouble by the school, and he was going to almost be dismissed until his mother came and finally coaxed him to wear his uniform. But after classes he would go right home to the place where he was staying and he would change. [Laughs] He was that kind of person, more of a peaceful, I mean, yeah. Anyway, but when I registered, they gave me an option in the ROTC. I didn't have to take the course.

TI: And why did they give you an option?

HH: It was discrimination. So I have a school transcript that has a little note in there, I'm exempt from taking...

TI: So was this same option given to other Japanese Americans on campus?

HH: I think so, but some of those people from Spokane and out of town, they insisted on taking the course. And if it were, they couldn't say no to them, I guess, but I think they all were given the option also. But I just took the option because, and then I took wrestling or swimming as an optional course. But UW at the time was kind of like a football... Harry Yanagimachi, he was a football one, he could only be on the frosh team and he could not become varsity.

TI: Even though he was a good football player...

HH: Yes, oh yes.

TI: ...they didn't let, because he was a Japanese. And the same thing, did they allow blacks on the football team or anything like that?

HH: No, no, it wasn't. One of the big name person was Homer Harris, black fellow, he became All-American back east, one of the schools. Because UW did not accept him.

TI: So during this period, so before the war and around the late' 30s, they discriminated against Japanese and other minorities like blacks and didn't let them join the sports teams.

HH: Yeah, like in football --

TI: Like even wrestling, did you --

HH: No, wrestling wasn't, because UW had about three or four wrestlers. And Heater Heyamoto was also a baseball, he was a good second baseman.

TI: His nickname was Heater?

HH: Heater.

TI: So did he have a fastball, was he a pretty good pitcher?

HH: I don't know what, what it is.

TI: What that means, okay. [Laughs]

HH: And then also they had a coxswain, I think, for the crew.

TI: So did, were you ever, did you ever consider going out for the wrestling team?

HH: I did, but my weight was so low, I mean, I was only just maybe 120, I don't think, I was 110 pounds or so. And the lowest weight was 135. So I just wasn't able to compete, and it happened to be that one Nisei was also on the varsity at the same, at the lowest weight, and I wasn't able to because of weight. So I could never join the wrestling team, but they did have a AAU, Amateur Athletic Union meet, for the national. And so they had an unattached University of Washington team composed of regular, and the lowest weight was 120, 130... no, 115 or whatever it was, and I wrestled in there. But the only meet that I was able to, but they didn't have anybody that weight, so I just automatically got the little belt buckle.

TI: Oh, because you, so you didn't have to wrestle anyone, but you won because...

HH: No, I had to wrestle as an exhibition somebody 135 pounds, and I couldn't pin him because I, you know, I could bring him down but I could never hold him down. But that was just an exhibition, but I... but, you see, this was for the Northwest area, and then winners were supposed to go down to L.A. area for the regional, Pacific Coast, but I was never asked to go down there.

TI: Now, why was that?

HH: I don't know, either discrimination or what, I don't know, but I was not... but our heavyweight at UW, he was able to -- not the Japanese -- but he was able to and then he eventually won the national, he had to go to, I think it was Chicago, Illinois, somewhere around that area, they had a national championship one. And I had possibly a chance if I were able to go down...

TI: To L.A. and then to Chicago...

HH: Yeah, because they had that weight. [Laughs] So I think maybe it was discrimination.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.