<Begin Segment 30>

TI: And so earlier you talked about getting involved with community organizations. Can you just kind of talk about your involvement of the various different organizations?

RE: Well, geez. There was a Oberlin Community Welfare Council which dealt with the community's welfare needs, and I was president of that. There was an Oberlin, Oberlin Medical Society, I was president of the medical society. I was president of the Oberlin school's Booster's Club for many years. I was on the school board, local school board for many years. I was involved in church activities and committees and that. I was the head of the service club, or organized a service club there, Young Men's Service Club there. It goes on and on. I don't know where to end.

TI: How about with either Asian or Japanese American organizations?

RE: Yeah, then I worked with the Cleveland JACL, yeah. And involved in, I was on the board several occasions. And committees, different things, yeah. Yeah, we were always involved. My wife and I were always involved in the Japanese American community things.

TI: So I'm curious if there was ever any difficulty. I mean, given how you were treated in places like Topaz... and if you ever had any difficulties with the Japanese American community.

RE: No.

TI: So when you come to... right now we're at a conference where there are probably over a thousand Japanese Americans, how does that feel for you?

RE: Well, you know, the years have made things so much more comfortable. You know, both my wife and I are bent on preserving our Japanese American heritage, you know. And we're gonna do our utmost to be sure that our grandchildren would accept all these things. And you know, and for the community, that's why I started a taiko group five years ago. It's one of the best in the Midwest.

TI: And who was the taiko group for? I mean, when you started, is it for younger people?

RE: Well, for the greater Cleveland area, for the community in large. And my, I was bent on having a youth group, and we have one of the finest taiko youth groups probably in the Midwest.

TI: And so when you, when you think about the Midwest, the Japanese American community, what kind of future do you see for the Japanese American community?

RE: Well, you know, the numbers of Japanese Americans are dwindling much more so, I think, in the Midwest. And it's, it's scary. You know, it looks like we comprise less than one percent of the population in Ohio, it appears to me. But nonetheless, I think we need to, we've got so many hapa kids, and that's our issue, is that they accept and they embrace their Japanese heritage.

TI: Good.

RE: That's important, I think, yeah.

<End Segment 30> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.