<Begin Segment 48>

TI: And for you, what are your activities, when you think about what you love to do?

FS: Well, I've always been, I'd like to be involved in, in some sort of civic thing, and I used to, I belong, I was active in a service club here in Spokane, the downtown exchange club. But just, just avocation-type things. I, now, I guess I learned from my son and I garden all summer. That's, that's a big thing, we have a big yard and a big garden. But just for avocation, I'm a fly fisherman. I, ever since I've been appointed to the commission, I've suddenly discovered that there just isn't enough time to do all of this stuff, so I, I have fly fished a lot less than I would like. When I first retired, I used to get out a lot. And I do my own flies and I make my own fly rods and own a little boat that I row around. So it's, it's great outdoors. For a guy who, I'm involved with the public a lot, and so... fly fishing is a solitary sport, very contemplative. You can think a little and mumble to yourself a lot. It's, it's this great, great outdoor thing.

TI: Well, I'm curious, when you're contemplating things out there alone, do you ever think about just the, the progression of the Japanese in America, the Issei, the Nisei, and then your children, who are Sansei? And as you look at Spokane, because your family has such a rich history here, how it's, it's changed? And I guess the question I'm asking is, in a very short period of time, the whole Nisei generation will be gone, and in thinking about how you'd want the Niseis to be remembered.

FS: [Laughs] Well, it's, not, it's not something that I -- I never think, I never contemplate anything that profound, okay? [Laughs] I usually, usually contemplate what kind of bug is that on the water, or something. But, but I do, at home, sitting down and reading or something, and thinking about these things, and I do say, "This," and I think about my mother and father and how hard, how hard they worked to, to keep mind and body together, they both worked hard in the laundry, my mother had five children to raise and rear and feed and clothe. And I think about, well, then you think about, these thoughts, boy, they sacrificed a hell of a lot. Life is a hell of a lot easier, has been a hell of a lot easier for me. There've been some bumps in the road, but what I'm really pleased is that the Sansei, my kids, are, can pretty much do what they want to do, go where they want to, do what they want to. You know, they've got the brains and the guts to do it. And that's, that's been progress. In, in three generations, they pretty much blended in to American society.

TI: And what about the future of the Japanese American community? Past Sansei, looking at the next generation...

FS: Well, yeah, what I see -- I'm a member of that Highland Park Methodist Church -- and what I see now is that, gee, with so few Sansei around, the Sansei are, are marrying outside of the Japanese community, and you see, I think probably half the church now is, is, they're mixed-marriages, marriages are mixed anyway, but this kind of, they're marrying Caucasians. And so, I see that probably in one more generation, we will, they'll, the Japanese surnames, the kids will have blond hair and blue eyes or something. It's, it seems to be going that direction.

TI: And how about the, the institutions like the Methodist Church or the JACL that you mentioned earlier, in Spokane? What do you think will happen to these?

FS: Well, the Methodist Church will prevail because it has its, the young kids are coming in and they're, the Sanseis' children are, are coming to church. And so regardless of their surname or their appearance, they are part of that church, and that's what, that's what churches are supposed to be, and they shouldn't, I don't think they should be segregated. The rest of it, I don't know. [Laughs] It's difficult to say.

TI: Well, we just have a couple more minutes, and I'm wondering, is there anything that you, that we haven't talked about that you'd like to, to share and get on the record, on tape?

FS: I suspect that you have, have taken more than a hundred percent of the stuff I know, and so I don't know what else to tell you. No, what I'm really pleased with is that you and the Densho people are taking hold of this whole program in the Northwest and I've often thought to myself, "What are we gonna do to save all this stuff about my parents and the other Isseis?" And it's happening, and I thank you and congratulate you. It's just, it's been, it's been delightful.

TI: Well, thank you for, it's been delightful for me, too. And again, the best part of my job is to, is to sit down and hear these stories. So thank you very much.

FS: It's certainly been my pleasure.

<End Segment 48> - Copyright © 2006 Densho. All Rights Reserved.