<Begin Segment 8>

TI: Is there anything else about high school that kind of stands out in your mind, what it was like?

BI: Well, not really.

TI: Now, I just wanted to ask, by having older brothers and sisters who went through school before you, did that, did people know you as sort of the younger sister of, of your brothers and sisters, or were you far enough apart that people didn't really talk about, like teachers?

BI: No, because my sisters didn't go to school in Bellevue. They were, they were already married when I was going to high school. And my oldest brother, he didn't finish high school. He had to help out on the farm, so my, Taki, or Hirotaka, was in school at the same time. And he was a good football player, and so I guess maybe they knew I was his sister, so it was nice to know that my brother was on the football team.

TI: So when you said he was a good football player, why don't you, can you tell me kind of what that means, when you said "good football player"?

BI: Well, at one time, I think he was named the best quarterback for the league. And he used to say that his co-players were such chickens. [Laughs] He was very respected for his skills in playing football.

TI: So, so your brother, your older brother, was the, was the all-league quarterback on the football team, and you were on the Queen's Court. So the two of you were pretty popular kids in high school.

BI: Well, if you, at that time I didn't think about it that way, but I felt very comfortable in high school, uh-huh.

TI: Now, besides being on the Queen's Court and your brother being on the football team, how were the two of you as students?

BI: Well, I wasn't a very good student. I don't know about my brother, but certain subjects I did, I was interested in, but I certainly wasn't what you'd call a scholar. [Laughs]

TI: And what did your brother do after he graduated from high school?

BI: He worked on the farm, and he didn't go on to college. In those days, the farmers needed the help from the kids, so he helped out on the farm and then got married.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.