<Begin Segment 17>

MA: Okay, so we're back. I wanted to talk with you about your move to Denver and what that was like. So you moved to Denver when you were in your third year of high school?

NM: Yes. This was 1946.

MA: 1946. And why did you move from Fort Lupton to Denver?

NM: I guess they didn't want me anymore. [Laughs]

MA: And you moved in with your grandparents.

NM: Uh-huh.

MA: So they had moved to Denver just for better job opportunities.

NM: Yes.

MA: What were your impressions of Denver when you, when you first arrived and started going to high school there?

NM: Actually, I wanted to go back to Fort Lupton.

MA: What was it about Denver that sort of--

NM: Well, it was strange to me, just new to me. But then I got used to it. And, and I think the hardest part was making new friends.

MA: Yeah, I guess that's because you're entering a school where you didn't know anyone.

NM: Yeah, and they all have their group. And so, a couple of them were real friendly, but one in particular, we got to be real good friends. But after graduation, everybody was my friend.

MA: So you were able to make friends very easily then.

NM: Yeah, at first I was too shy. Because they all had their groups.

MA: So where did your grandparents live in Denver?

NM: They lived in, on Champa Street. I know you wouldn't know where that is, but it's right in town.

MA: Was it right near the Japantown area?

NM: Not, not that close. Yeah, you still have to drive.

MA: Were there many Japanese Americans who lived in your grandparents' area?

NM: Yes. And my uncle purchased a house on Champa Street and had a lot of Japanese in that area, mostly from the West Coast.

MA: People who had come from camp and then --

NM: Yeah, they bought the hotels, and apartment houses, and so forth.

MA: Did you go into Japantown often, or the Nihonmachi?

NM: No. Right after high school, I didn't drive, so I'd take the bus to go into town to get my hair done and made friends with people that came from Colorado farms and all that, and we got to be real good friends. And then, right after high school, I started working at the drugstore. It's called TK Pharmacy, owned by the Terasaki Brothers.

MA: And what was that pharmacy like? Was it --

NM: It was booming. It was really a busy, busy place. And I worked behind the fountain and eventually cashier. And then, one of the brothers had a brother-in-law that just got out of dental school. So he wanted me to come to work for him. So I eventually started out as a dental assistant and I went to school to get certified. And after that, I worked for thirty-five years as a certified dental assistant.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.